Cyprus
Afelia
Αφέλια
Pork cubes marinated in red wine and cracked coriander seed, then braised in the same wine until the sauce reduces to a glaze.
western-asia
Cyprus
Explore 73 foods connected to Cyprus, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
73 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides
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The local shortlist
Cyprus Essentials
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
Traditional foods from Cyprus.
73 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Cyprus
Agros Rose Syrup
Τριαντάφυλλο Αγρού
Damask rose petals from the mountain village of Agros distilled and cooked into a dark pink cordial and rosewater.
Cyprus
Anari
Αναρή
Fresh whey cheese made from the liquid left over from halloumi, soft and barely salted, or salted and dried hard for grating.
Paphos, Cyprus
Apochti
Απόχτι
Pork loin salted, soaked in wine and coated in ground coriander and cinnamon, then dried without smoking.
Greece
Avgolemono
Αυγολέμονο
Greek egg-lemon sauce or soup: whisked eggs and lemon juice tempered into broth, silky and tangy. Used as a sauce for dolmades and meatballs, or as a chicken soup, a national staple.
Turkey
Ayran
Ajran
Ayran is a cold drink of yogurt, water and salt, whisked until lightly foamy. In Bulgaria it is a summer fountain and meal drink, never a sweet yogurt.
Lebanon
Baklava
بقلاوة
Layers of paper-thin phyllo brushed with butter and filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios, baked crisp then drenched in lemon- or rose-scented sugar syrup. One square, cut diamond-small, is the shared Ottoman dessert of the whole eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus
Bourekia
Μπουρέκια
Small fried pastries filled with fresh anari, cinnamon and sugar, dusted with icing sugar while still hot.
Cyprus
Brandy Sour
Μπράντι σάουρ
Cyprus brandy with lemon squash, a dash of bitters and soda over ice — invented on the island in the 1930s.
Cyprus
Carob Syrup
Χαρουπόμελο
Carob pods boiled down into a dark, treacly syrup once called the island's black gold, poured over anari and bread.
Limassol, Cyprus
Commandaria
Κουμανδαρία
Sweet amber wine made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes in fourteen designated mountain villages, aged in oak.
Cyprus
Cracked Green Olives
Ελιές τσακιστές
Green olives cracked with a stone, cured in water and dressed with lemon, coriander seed and garlic.
Cyprus
Cypriot Coffee
Κυπριακός καφές
Cypriot coffee is finely ground coffee brewed unfiltered in a small briki and served thick and strong in a small cup.
Cyprus
Cypriot Daktyla
Δάκτυλα
Daktyla are Cypriot finger-shaped pastries of thin dough filled with nuts and scented with cinnamon, then fried or baked and syruped.
Cyprus
Cypriot Trahanas
Τραχανάς
Cracked wheat soured with sheep's milk, dried into hard shards and later boiled into a thick soup with halloumi cubes.
Cyprus
Cyprus Flake Salt
Αλάτι σε νιφάδες Κύπρου
Cyprus flake salt is hand-harvested sea salt formed into delicate white crystals as brine evaporates in shallow pans.
United Arab Emirates
Dolmades
Ντολμάδες
Greek stuffed grape leaves with rice, herbs, and olive oil, rolled into small parcels. A meze and Clean Monday staple, tangy and herby, served cold with lemon, a national dish.
Cyprus
Eliopita
Ελιόπιτα
Eliopita is a Cypriot olive pie filled with chopped black olives, onion and herbs inside a yeasted dough.
Cyprus
Flaouna
Φλαούνα
Easter pastry filled with a mixture of local cheeses, egg, mint and raisins, brushed with egg and crusted with sesame.
Paphos, Cyprus
Geroskipou Sugared Almonds
Κουφέτα αμυγδάλου Γεροσκήπου
Whole almonds coated in successive layers of sugar syrup by hand, giving an uneven, matte shell rather than a machine-smooth one.
Cyprus
Halitzia Tylliria
Χαλίτζια Τηλλυρίας
Goat's milk cheese matured in brine, made only in the villages of the Tylliria region, sharply sour and crumbly.
Cyprus
Halloumi
Χαλλούμι
A Cypriot-origin cheese popular in Greece, made from sheep and goat milk, with a high melting point. Grilled or fried until golden, a meze and salad staple, salty and chewy.
Cyprus
Hellimli
Χαλλουμωτή
Bread or cake dough studded with chunks of halloumi and dried mint, baked until the cheese softens inside.
Cyprus
Hiromeri
Χοιρομέρι
Whole pork leg salted, pressed under weights, steeped in wine and smoked, then air-dried for months.
United Arab Emirates
Hummus
حمص
Chickpeas boiled soft and beaten with tahini, lemon and garlic into a smooth paste, swirled with olive oil — the shared Levantine staple claimed by every coast of the eastern Mediterranean, eaten with pita at any hour.
Cyprus
Kaikanas
Καϊκανάς
Kaikanas is a Cypriot semolina pudding cooked with milk, sugar and cinnamon until thick and spoonable.
Cyprus
Kaloirka
Καλορκά
Kaloirka are Cypriot ravioli-like pasta parcels filled with minced meat and sealed before boiling.
Cyprus
Katimeria
Κατιμέρια
Katimeria are Cypriot fried pancakes folded around fresh anari or drizzled with honey.
Greece
Kefalotyri
Κεφαλοτύρι
A hard, salty Greek cheese of sheep or goat milk, aged for months. Grated over pasta, fried as saganaki, or served in slices, a national staple, a versatile table cheese.
Cyprus
Keftedes
Κεφτέδες
Greek meatballs of ground pork or beef with herbs, onions, and bread, fried until golden. A meze and family classic, served with tzatziki and bread, a national staple.
Limassol, Cyprus
KEO
ΚΕΟ
Pale lager brewed in Limassol since 1951, sold in returnable bottles at every taverna on the island.
Cyprus
Kiofteri
Κιοφτέρι
Grape must boiled with flour into a thick paste, poured into trays with almonds and dried in the sun into a chewy sheet.
Cyprus
Kleftiko
Κλέφτικο
Lamb on the bone sealed with garlic, lemon, bay and cinnamon in a wood-fired clay oven and left overnight until it falls apart.
Cyprus
Kolokasi
Κολοκάσι
Taro corms cut with a knife into rough chunks, browned and stewed with pork or chicken, celery, tomato and lemon.
Cyprus
Kolokotes
Κολοκοτές
Cypriot pastries of dough filled with pumpkin, bulgur and cinnamon, baked at Christmas.
Cyprus
Koupes
Κούπες
Bulgur dough shaped into a hollow cigar around minced pork or lamb with onion and cinnamon, then deep-fried.