Cypriot food: discover authentic cuisine

KOUPES – oval-shaped bulgur wheat cases stuffed with meat filling, a street food.

ELIOPITA – olive bread with onions and mint.

FLAOUNES – Easter cheese-filled bread flavored with mastic resin, mahlab, raisins or sultanas.

PILAFI POURGOURI – a classic bulgur pilaf that’s often served with tomatoes, onions, and sometimes chickpeas or vermicelli.

SPANAKOPITA – very popular in Cyprus, made primarily from spinach, mixed with halloumi or feta cheese, herbs, and wrapped in phyllo pastry.

PASTITSIO – layered pasta bake with a bottom layer of tubular pasta with cheese and egg, a middle layer of seasoned ground beef or lamb cooked with tomatoes, onions, and cinnamon, and a top layer of creamy béchamel sauce.

VARIOUS PICKLED VEGETABLES – cauliflowers, carrots, cucumbers.

GEMISTA – stuffed vegetables, typically bell peppers, tomatoes, or zucchini, filled with rice, herbs, and occasionally minced meat.

KOUPEPIA – grape leaves stuffed with ground pork or veal, rice, fresh herbs, and seasoning, cooked with tomato and lemon juice.

LOUVI ME LAHANA – a dish of black-eyed peas cooked with wild greens such as chard or spinach.

FASOLADA – bean soup made with white beans, tomatoes, carrots, and celery.

KOLOKASI – a dish made from taro root, which is stewed with tomatoes, onions, and celery, sometimes with pork.

VLITA – a simple dish of boiled wild greens, such as amaranth, served with olive oil and lemon juice; a common side dish.

TSIMATA – pickled fruits: figs, green plums, cherries, grapes, watermelon rinds, citruses, green almonds, pomegranates.

SOUVLA – larger cuts of grilled meat, served in larger portions as a main course with bread and salad.

SOUVLAKI – a small skewer of grilled pork, chicken, and lamb in pitta with tomato, onion, parsley, and tahini sauce.

SHEFTALIA – pork or lamb sausages made with minced meat, wrapped in caul fat before grilling. Sheftalia is often served in pita bread, salad, yogurt, or tahini sauce.

KLEFTIKO – is slow-cooked lamb shanks marinated in olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice and traditionally cooked in a sealed clay oven.

TTAVAS –slow-cooked meat chunks in a clay pot with onions, tomatoes, potatoes, rice, cumin, and cinnamon. The dish is usually cooked in its own juices, resulting in a hearty, flavorful stew. Various types of meat can be used: afelia tava (pork), arni tava (lamb), and moschari tava (beef).

APHELIA – pork dish marinated in coriander seeds and red wine, browned and simmered in marinade.

STIFADO – rabbit or beef stew with fried onions, wine, tomato juice, honey, garlic, cinnamon, and cloves.

KOTOPOULO KOLOKASI – chicken and taro stew with onions and celery, served with tomato and vegetable sauce.

MOUSSAKA – a layered lamb, eggplant, and béchamel casserole in Cyprus featuring zucchini, halloumi, and more cinnamon than in the Greek version.

TSAMARELLA – salted and cured goat meat, a traditional lunch meat.

PSARI STA KARVOUNA – grilled fish is a staple in Cyprus, often cooked whole over charcoal. The fish—commonly sea bream (tsipoura), sea bass (lavraki), or red mullet (barbouni)—is seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs, and then grilled.

KALAMARAKIA TIGANITA – squid rings coated in flour and fried until golden, served with a wedge of lemon.

OCTAPODI STA KARVOUNA – octopus, boiled to tenderize, marinated in olive oil, lemon, and herbs, then grilled over charcoal.

GARIDES SAGANAKI – prawns cooked in a rich tomato sauce with feta cheese, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs.

MARIDES TIGANITES – Fried small fish, lightly dusted in flour and fried whole, served with lemon wedges.

TARAMASALATA – fish roe dip with soaked bread, olive oil, lemon, and salt.

AVGA ME PATATES – a rustic dish of fried eggs with potatoes.

AVGA ME HALOUMI – a simple dish where eggs are fried or scrambled with halloumi cheese.

GRILLED HALLOUMI – often served as part of a meze or as a main dish with vegetables or bread.

PITAROUDIA ME HALLOUMI – fried patties made from grated halloumi, eggs, and sometimes herbs like mint. The mixture is shaped into small patties and fried until golden brown.

TYROPITTA — cheese pie. The Cypriot version often uses a mixture of halloumi and anari cheeses wrapped in layers of phyllo dough and baked until golden.

LOUKOUMADES – fried doughballs in syrup.

DAKTYLA KYRION – ladyfingers, fried phyllo, drenched in syrup, scented with orange water.

GLYKA TOU KOUTALIOU – preserved fruits in syrup, served as spoon sweets, quince, cherries, fig – can be made almost from any fruit.

PALOUZES – a traditional pudding made from grape juice, boiled with flour until it thickens into a jelly-like consistency, and it’s flavored with rose water, cinnamon, or chopped nuts.

KARYDOPITA – walnut cake soaked in syrup, made from ground walnuts, eggs, and semolina.