Traditional Cypriot cuisine. What and where to eat in Cyprus. Food and restaurants

Cyprus is a mixture of Greek and Turkish influences. This is also the case with Cypriot cuisine, served in almost every restaurant on the island. We were happy to taste these specialties of Greek cuisine with Turkish toppings, because we really liked these flavors when we were in Greek Crete.

Lunch and coffee prices

In general, Cyprus is not expensive, but the prices of lunches surprised us a little. It was difficult to find a dish in a restaurant for 10 euros. Local specialties oscillated in the prices of 15 euros per meal, and the famous mezze (mezze), i.e. a tasting set of local dishes, costs 22 euros. At the same time, we encountered the fact that it was not possible to order 1 meze, but at least 2. 

For example, Italian dishes were cheaper, because the paste could be bought for up to 11 euros. Pizza was also not that expensive, but we wanted to taste as many regional dishes as possible, because they are not available in Poland every day, and this is a tasty and healthy cuisine.

The good news is that coffee, as in other places on the Mediterranean coast, was cheap. It oscillated between 1-3 euros. We recommend tasting Cypriot coffee. It cost 1.5 euros and tasted completely different from normal coffee. We called it herbal coffee. This is because it is brewed not from roasted beans, but from fresh ones. You can really feel the difference, it's never served with milk but with a glass of water.

Cypriot cuisine. What is worth eating in Cyprus?

Travelling to Cyprus in December has consequences. At 16 o'clock it gets dark with the hook. However, you can enjoy your food later and not regret that the day is running out. 

Moussaka

The specialties of the house are primarily moussaka. Musaka (μουσακάς) is a traditional casserole prepared on the basis of eggplant, tomatoes, sometimes potatoes and minced meat. The top layer of the dish is béchamel sauce with yellow cheese. In the form of moussaka, it resembles lasagna, but generally for us it is a bit like a Polish bigos, because in every Cypriot house you make moussaka and everyone has their own recipe and makes it a little bit in their own way. We like moussaka very much and we have tasted it several times in Cyprus. It is definitely worth eating this traditional dish in Cyprus, especially since moussaka is very often served in pubs on the island.

Ser Halloumi

Another famous Cypriot delicacy is cheese Halloumi. It is a national treasure for Cypriots, they can eat it for all meals. In fact, the original is produced only in Cyprus, because only here the manufacturers have the right to its product and name. Halloumi cheese is made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's, goat's and cow's milk. A common addition is mint leaf, which has a bactericidal effect on the cheese and keeps it fresh longer. 

Halloumi has a salty taste, it reminds us a bit of our oscypek, but halloumi is more delicate. It's worth a try. We had this cheese served every day for breakfast. It can be eaten raw, but is most often served from the grill. Besides, there is a lot of grilled dishes on the island. 

Pita Bread

With almost every meal in Cyprus, you will get extra pita bread, which is usually soaked in olive oil. It can be a chicory, an appetizer or an addition to grilled meats. These are round, wheat, flat pancakes, popular in the Middle East. The word "pita" comes from the Greek and means "flat cake". It is believed that flat bread resembling a pita was baked as early as 12,000 years ago.

Baklava (baklava)

Baklava is a Turkish delicacy popular in Cyprus, although it is also eaten in Turkey. It is a sweet dessert of oriental origin, widespread in Turkey and the Balkan countries. It consists of many thin sheets of filo dough, interspersed with a layer of nuts and covered with sweet syrup. Interestingly, the international Baklava Day is celebrated on 17 November.

The most popular are baklava with pistachios and here it is worth noting that in December 2013 Antep Baklava, a pistachio baklava from Gaziantep, became the first Turkish product registered by the European Commission as a protected geographical indication.

Souvlaki

Souvlaki (sliders) is a popular Greek meat dish, served in many pubs in Cyprus. This is a skewer-type dish, known in numerous varieties. Often, the sliders consist of pieces of pork or chicken, sometimes wrapped in slices of bacon, stuffed with spits and baked on a grate. They are served like gyros: on a plate or in pita bread, with tzatziki sauce and vegetables. We have tasted them several times and they will surely appeal to Poles who like meat and grilled dishes.

Other Cypriot treats

There is also a lot of lamb, skewers, feta cheese, stuffed eggplants and zucchini on the island. In addition, tzatziki sauce for Greek salad made of cucumbers and tomatoes, necessarily with the addition of olives, is popular. Some people may be bothered by raw onions, but I love it. As befits an island, you will also taste fish and seafood here. Shrimps and calamari are popular. We like this cuisine very much. There are also rich and long wine traditions in Cyprus.

Meze (mezze) in Cyprus

Ordering a set of meze is a good way to quickly get acquainted with a range of traditional Cypriot cuisine. It is something like Spanish tapas that we met in Mallorca. Mezze, or meze, is a tasting dish. It consists of several smaller dishes and toppings, giving you the opportunity to try many things at once. It is also a great option for people who travel as a couple, if the restaurant has not introduced restrictions that you need to order 2 servings of meze. One set costs more than 20 euros. Meze can be vegetarian, meat or fish. In the vege version, you will be surprised by the number of interesting vegetable dishes, such as chickpea meatballs, hummus, scrambled eggs with zucchini or eggplant. The meat version includes lamb chops, Cypriot sheftalia sausages, souvlaki or grape leaf doves with meat filling, skewers, chicken breast and even liver. Fish mees are already shrimps, squid in breadcrumbs and, of course, octopus. Clams or small fish are also served. And, of course, ubiquitous halloumi cheese!

Restaurants in Cyprus

We can recommend you a few restaurants, or actually pubs that we visited during our trip. We were most captivated by the location of the restaurant by the sea, near the Edro 3 wreck. This is the Sea Caves Lounge Bar near Peyia (Peja). It's wonderful here, especially after dark. Lighting, views of palm trees and the sea, selfie hearts. Very nice. We usually order different dishes to exchange, but here we both ordered Moussaka. The set also included a salad, fries and pita bread. The dish cost 13 euros (x2 is 26 euros + liter water 2 euros) and was very filling and delicious, but what here may not taste in such a romantic atmosphere, on a wonderful island of love.

If you go to the temple of Aphrodite in Kuklia, we recommend Gabriels Tavern Kouklia. Here, too, we tasted local specialties. We wanted to take meza, but you have to order two portions, and that's too much for us. So we took grilled meat with lamb at the forefront, halloumi cheese, plus salad and fries. The food was delicious, and we got dessert for free, i.e. orange cake with tangerines. We saw ripe oranges on the trees here many times. We bought Cypriot coffee, which perfectly matched this dessert. We paid 26 euros for the whole thing, including 16 euros for a set of grilled meats, 5 euros for a salad, 2 euros for liter water and 3 euros for two coffees.

The third place where we tasted Cypriot cuisine was Kykkos Restaurant/Cafe. It was in the mountains, where there is not much infrastructure, all the more operating in December. Because it must be admitted that some premises are closed at this time of the year or operate on selected days. This restaurant is located near the famous monastery we described above. Here, food is served as a buffet. You can take as much as you can fit on a large plate. Of course there was moussaka, stuffed eggplants and lamb. And a variety of additives, including hummus and tzatziki. At the end, you get baklava for dessert. The whole price is 15 euros per person and you get a glass of wine, white or red, at your discretion.

I also liked the restaurants in Paphos, on the seaside promenade. They have a unique atmosphere and invite you with a beautiful view. However, we were here in the morning after breakfast and although I wanted to experience the atmosphere of this place, we had neither the desire to eat nor especially the time. I recommend it to you. Similarly, in the village of Omodos in the Troodos mountains, I was delighted by the very atmospheric pubs with tables outside.

Accommodation in Cyprus

When we were in Cyprus, we slept in Paphos, at the Nereus Hotel. It is very conveniently located, about 1 km from the nearest beach, not far from the promenade. It looks very nice, it is large and very decent for its reasonable price. It provides a very good and quite rich breakfast, also warm. The only drawback is that the same products are available every day. It offers a bar, billiards and even a swimming pool. The room is lovely and includes everything you need, a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair and armchair, as well as a kettle with a set of coffees and teas. Plus, of course, a private bathroom with a bathtub. There's also air conditioning, and it didn't work on the first day, but the next time we reported a problem, we were offered another room with a working air conditioner. We ordered the hotel in advance by booking, it cost about PLN 250 per night per room. We had to pay only a few days before leaving for Cyprus.

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What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Wreck of the Edro III ship in Cyprus, distance: 1.6  km
• Avakas Gorge in Cyprus, distance: 4  km
• Paphos Cyprus, distance: 16.2  km
• Cyprus, distance: 16.2  km
• Aphrodite Baths and Aphrodite Trail in Cyprus, distance: 19  km
• Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus, distance: 36.6  km
• Troodos Mountains Cyprus, distance: 49.1  km