Local Information - Cyprus

A land of infinite possibilities.

Just about 70 miles from the far eastern end of the Mediterranean lies the beautiful island of Cyprus.

Allegedly the birth place of Aphrodite, its wooded and, in parts, mountainous interior is surrounded by 400 miles (650 kms) of coastline. You won’t need to go far to find long sandy beaches on the east coast and rocky coves in the west.

Nestling in the foothills of the mountains you’ll often stumble on traditional villages set in citrus and olive groves or scented forests of pine and cedar.

Cyprus’s strategic location off the coast of Turkey has meant that it has had a number of rulers over the centuries. Greeks, Egyptians, Phoenicians, North Africans, Persians, Romans and Byzantines have all invaded and ruled the island.

Each of these invading nations has left many cultural and archaeological treasures behind them – from medieval castles to Roman temples. The trail of past civilisations goes back many thousands of years.

Cyprus is a great place for sightseeing, with many mesmerising heritage sites around the island. You’ll discover that the ancient world lives side by side with a modern, vibrant Cyprus and there’s a friendly welcome for all its visitors.

Modern day Cyprus has lively, exciting, cosmopolitan resorts. Often described as the jewel of the eastern Mediterranean, Protoras is a leading beach resort on the south-east coast. And if you go there, don’t miss the magnificent Fig Tree Bay, considered to be one of the island’s best beaches.

Once the island’s administrative capital, Larnaca still retains its elegant, colonial-style charm. A magnificent mile-long, palm-lined promenade dominates the bustling town… stretching from a luxury yacht marina at one end to an ancient medieval fortress at the other.

Cuisine

Plenty of international cuisine is available but you’ll want to sample some of the local specialties, too.

A good place to start is to order a Meze – an assortment of small dishes of a variety of tidbits… in a way, it’s rather like Spanish tapas. If you are fortunate enough to be invited to a Cypriot’s house, don’t be surprised at the vast number of dishes there may be to sample during one Meze meal – perhaps 20 or 30!

However, doing your own thing, you’ll probably want to try perhaps half a dozen. Just ask the waiter for the menu – if there is one – or for some of his recommendations according to the type of things you like – fish, meat, vegetables, etc.

Of course, near the coast you’ll find plenty of fish restaurants selling the day’s super-fresh catch. In many cases there may be no menu, the waiter will simply tell you about the dishes of the day and how they are prepared… grilled or fried, salty or sour, spicy or plain. And inland, you’ll find freshwater fish for sale, too – trout, for example.

Especially in summer, you’ll find a variety of stuffed vegetable dishes as starters or as main courses – served either hot or cold. Most commonly, these will be tomatoes, peppers, onions, courgettes… and of course, "Koupepia" – stuffed vine leaves.

The filling is frequently minced meat, rice, grated potatoes and a few herbs or spices but every chef has his or her own particular recipe. They are delicious.

Barbecuing is very popular, too – watch out for "Souvla" – essentially a skewer – of mainly grilled lamb or chicken; "Shiftalis" – small (very, very tasty) minced meat sausages; "Kleftiko" – often a special dish for a celebration – usually goat or lamb wrapped in foil and traditionally baked in a special earthenware oven.

And of course… "Mousaka". A typical summer dish, eaten either hot or cold and made from chopped onion, minced lamb, chopped tomatoes, courgettes, aubergine, with various herbs – often cinnamon, all-spice, oregano, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Topped off with a creamy Bechamel sauce – it’s delicious with a simple salad of chunky tomato, cucumber, parsley and mint.

And to wash it down?

Try the local wheat beer from KEO – the Cypriot brewery. Or maybe one of the local wines?

Wine making from local grapes has been undertaken in Cyprus for thousands of years… records show as far back as 2000 BC… and today there’s a thriving export industry.

Cyprus’s modern-day wine making industry is far removed from where it was, say 30 years ago. Using vines imported from other parts of Europe, today, you are just as likely to see Cabinet Sauvignon, Grenache and Shiraz grape varieties alongside Cypriot Mavro and Xynisteri.

Around the world, frequently you’ll find brandy distillation alongside wine making and Cyprus is no exception, having been a prolific brandy producer for a long time. Try, for example, Haggipavlu Antica or Loel VSOP.

These local brandies vary from other European varieties in that the alcohol concentration is lower - 32% rather than something closer to 40% and it will have been distilled from the local Xynisteri white wine crop. Very often you’ll notice a sweet aftertaste – maybe of vanilla.

Cyprus brandy is probably most well known as being the key ingredient in the Brandy Sour cocktail which originated here at the Forest Park Hotel up in the Troodos Mountains.

Cyprus is a fabulous island and maybe just the place for…

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