Traditional Cyprus foods

The Cypriot food is wonderful, there are lots of different types of foods available and it is great to know what is in foods before you visit Cyprus so that you can also try some of these delights. "Kopiaste" in old Greek, literally means take the trouble but the meaning is really "take the trouble to come and sit with us, eat and drink with us and talk with us".

If you are going on a family holiday in Cyprus, then hire a car and venture in to the villages Xylofagou, Dherinia, Freneros, Sotera, Paralimni and Kapparis. This way you can truly experience the traditional foods and cultures of Cyprus.

Afelia... usually made with pork, coriander, corn oil, red dry wine and salt and pepper and usually served with mashed potato or potatoes of some sort.

Kleftico... Sealed lamb cooked very slowly in a clay oven, the sort of food that falls off the bone when you eat it. Served with potatoes it makes for a lovely meal.

Tavas... again a lamb dish, cooked with onions and ripe tomatoes and usually a spice like artisha for a distinct taste. Again served with potatoes.

Stifado... a beef dish this time, done with onions, bay leaves, garlic cloves, dry red wine, olive oil, Cinnamon sticks, pepper corns and tomato.

Meze... this was the meal that was originally made up off leftovers. It was small bits of different foods put on the table for everyone to try everything. There are two types of mezes in Cyprus now, the meat meze and the fish meze. They are a great way for trying different types of foods in small sizes.

When you take your family holiday to Cyprus make sure you try these, the Kleftico is probably the best to try first! There are many traditional Greek taverns in Cyprus all over the island. I rented an apartment through http://www.spotonvillarentals.com/ and they told me some great places in land to try, one was in Vrysouless, "LouLoudia" or known as the "shack". A tiny place with amazing food. Look it up if you go to Cyprus... Another place is Olympus in Protaras.

"Kopiaste"

See also my blog on sweet Cyprus traditional foods. http://aboutprotaras.blogspot.com/2008/01/sweet-cyprus-traditional-foods.html