When visiting the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, there are a few foods you won’t want to miss. While Greek influence is strong, Cypriot cuisine has a unique spin on some of the more typical Greek dishes.
Souvlaki is a favorite “fast food” on the island of Cyprus. Skewered lean meat, usually lamb, pork or chicken, is tucked inside a wrap of Cypriot pita bread. Lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and onion are some of the accompanying condiments. White cabbage and green chili peppers are other common additions, as well as tzatziki dip made from yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and spices. In addition to the regular souvlaki, you can also get it “mixed” with sheftalia, a kind of spiced and minced pork sausage. You might see either version being served street side or as a to-go food from neighborhood restaurants. Don’t miss it!
If it’s vegetables you prefer, Cyprus is known for its fresh vegetables including asparagus, artichokes, and elongated Cypriot potatoes. Many meals are complemented with a fresh village salad made from cucumbers, peppers, black olives, onions and tomatoes. It’s often tossed with local olive oil and feta cheese. While this may sound typically Mediterranean, in Cyprus fresh coriander is usually sprinkled on the salad giving it that extra Cypriot touch.
Cyprus also has plenty of delicious desserts that you can’t miss, even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth! It’s worthwhile checking out flights to Cyprus when your sweet tooth strikes for some fresh Cypriot baklava. Baklava is a sweet concoction of finely chopped nuts, usually walnuts and almonds, combined with sugar, cinnamon, honey and lemon juice and wrapped in paper-thin layers of filo pastry. This syrupy nut and cinnamon mixture is a common basis for Cypriot desserts, similarly featured in daktila, a kind of finger shaped pastry.
Photo Credit: Flickr user Geoff Peters 604
As this post’s topic is about Cyprus, I was wondering whether you know how feasible backpacking is in the island. I highly prefer the backpacking method of travel: hostelling, taking public transportation, that sort of thing. So as I am shopping around for my summer destination, Cyprus came to mind. Browsing the guidebooks for this country however suggests that this isn’t a good backpacking destination: there’s a great lack of hostels, and most interesting things to see are only accessible by a rental car, as public transportation is limited. So I am getting the impression that Cyprus is more for those package tourists who would just want to spend a week relaxing in a villa. Do you think that’s a correct estimation, or does Cyprus have something for the backpacking traveler too?
Hi Jeruen – I can’t really speak about backpacking Cyprus as we haven’t tried to backpack it ourselves. We’ll post something to our community on Facebook and see if we can get some information for you. Check back at http://www.facebook.com/ishouldlogoff. Hopefully we’ll get some good answers and even better information! You can also use wikitravel, which has been invaluable for us in places that had lots of “traditional” tourism.
Thanks!
Looks so freaking good 🙂
I know! These food posts have me salivating. I think we’re going to have to stop writing about good.
Oh that dish looks something to die for! I’m also curious about the baklava because I went to Istanbul last January and really loved the baklava. I’d love to know how the Cypriot baklava tastes like compared to what I had in Istanbul.
No written description can ever do food justice like tasting it can! Sounds like you need to take a trip!