Food in Cyprus

Hotels & Resorts


Sampling the local cuisine on your holidays to Cyprus

Cyprus holidays are all about the wonderful weather, the friendly people and long days of relaxation; but while on your Cyprus holidays, make sure that you also spend some time trying out the delicious local cuisine. Cyprus is an island that has been influenced by many other cultures over its long history, so you can sample traditional Cypriot food alongside many international flavours – expect a taste of Arabic, Turkish, Greek and English cuisine while on your Cyprus holidays.

 

Dining out in Cyprus is very much a family affair; if you venture out to the local tavernas while on your Cyprus holidays, expect to see vast gatherings of whole families - several generations coming together to share food, gossip and laughter, especially at weekends. The owners of these local establishments group together several tables for local families to gather around, serving up traditional fare and local wines. The menu for such occasions will often be the traditional Cypriot meze; a variety of portions for sharing, consisting of all kinds of dishes. Quite often, a meze spread will include a little of everything that they usually cook and serve; meze actually means ‘mixture’ – here, variety really is the spice of life! So while on your Cyprus holidays, make sure that you enjoy at least one meze night; the chance to taste almost every traditional Cypriot meal on offer.

Traditional Cypriot food to try while on your Cyprus holidays

Eating out on your holidays to Cyprus can leave even the fussiest eater bowled over by the classic Cypriot fare on offer and you can find a wide range of eateries to suit any budget. The weather provides an ideal climate for farming, so you will almost definitely come across locally grown produce such as halloumi cheese (delicious when grilled or fried and only made in Cyprus), olives, vine leaves (served stuffed with rice, vegetables and sometimes meat – called koupepia), fresh fruit and vegetables and herbs. Cypriot food is full of flavour, but doesn’t tend to be strongly spiced, so it’s ideal even for those with delicate taste buds.

 

Other local dishes to try on your Cyprus holidays are kleftico (lamb cooked in a traditional clay oven), moussaka (meat and vegetables in a special sauce), shieftalies (tasty mini sausages), keftedes (meatballs) and various types of kebabs. There are plenty of vegetarian options too, as meat was traditionally a Sunday-only treat for locals – but if you are a carnivore, why not try something completely different and have a taste of the local delicacy, sheep brains?!

Eating out on your Cyprus holidays; local tavernas and Cyprus hotel restaurants

If you’re taking your holidays in Cyprus, the chances are that you will be staying in a Cyprus hotel or beach resort. While it’s important to get out and sample a taste of the real Cyprus, don’t let that put you off eating at your resort – there are some truly incredible restaurants located within many of the Cyprus hotels.  If you’re staying in the Pissouri area, we can heartily recommend the Apollo Restaurant at the five star Columbia Beach Resort – you can sample a traditional Cypriot meze here, as well as many other superb dishes. The Columbia Beachotel, overlooking Pissouri Bay, also has a choice of 3 fantastic restaurants; all with great reputations among both visitors and locals, so they may be worth a look when on your Cyprus holiday in or around Pissouri.

 

There are many other eateries in the Pissouri area that are worth a visit during your holidays to Cyprus; try local tavern Yialos, the Moonlight Tavern and Perry’s for great settings and great tasting food.


 

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