Cypriot cuisine
Cypriot cuisine blends Greek, Turkish, and Levantine influences.
The cooking of Cyprus reflects the island's location, drawing from Turkish, Greek, and broader Mediterranean and Levantine influences. The name of the iconic cheese, halloumi, originates from Arabic.
Fresh vegetables like courgettes, olives, okra, green beans, artichokes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and grape leaves are common, alongside pulses such as beans, broad beans, peas, black-eyed beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Fruits and nuts include pears, apples, grapes, oranges, mandarins, nectarines, mespila, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, figs, watermelon, melon, avocado, citrus, lemon, pistachio, almond, chestnut, walnut, and hazelnut. Key herbs and spices are pepper, parsley, rocket, celery, fresh coriander, thyme, and oregano. Cumin and coriander seeds provide the island’s characteristic aromas. Mint grows widely and appears in many dishes, especially those with ground meat; the Cypriot version of pastitsio uses little tomato and plenty of mint, as do keftedes (meatballs), which sometimes also include potato. Coriander is used in salads, olive breads, spinach pies, and some tomato-based hot dishes.
Charcoal-grilled meats—souvla, souvlaki, or şiş—are prepared on skewers and commonly include pork, kid, beef, lamb, or chicken, along with sheftalia (sausage wrapped in caul fat), grilled halloumi, mushrooms, and loukaniko (pork sausages). These are often stuffed into pita or flatbread with a salad of cabbage, parsley, onions, tomatoes, and cucumber. Gyros (or döner) are also eaten, featuring sliced grilled meat with salad and dressings, made from lamb, pork, or chicken, and rarely beef.
Bulgur is a traditional carbohydrate, often steamed with tomato, onion, and sometimes vermicelli pasta. Natural yogurt is a staple, and the two combine in tarhana (trahanas), a preserved milk and cracked wheat mixture, reheated in water or broth, sometimes with aged halloumi. Bulgur also forms the dough for koupes (içli köfte), deep-fried cigar-shaped bulgur shells stuffed with minced meat, onions, parsley, and cinnamon, served with lemon juice.
For Greek Cypriots, Orthodox fasting days restrict animal products, leading to meals of pulses cooked in tomato sauce or simply dressed with olive oil and lemon. On stricter days, even olive oil is omitted, and raw onion, garlic, and dried red chili are eaten alongside these austere dishes, though this practice is dec
- field
- Cuisine
- nationality
- Cypriot
- known_for
- Halloumi, souvla, souvlaki, sheftalia, makarónia tou foúrnou, magarına bulli, afelia, tarhana
Lore & Background
Frequently used ingredients include fresh vegetables such as courgettes, olives, okra, green beans, artichokes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and grape leaves, as well as pulses like beans, broad beans, peas, black-eyed beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Common fruits and nuts include pears, apples, grapes, oranges, mandarin oranges, nectarines, mespila, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, figs, watermelon, melon, avocado, citrus, lemon, pistachio, almond, chestnut, walnut, and hazelnut. Best-known spices and herbs include pepper, parsley, rocket, celery, fresh coriander, thyme, and oregano; traditionally, cumin and coriander seeds make up the main cooking aromas. Mint grows abundantly and is used in many dishes, particularly those containing ground meat, such as the Cypriot version of pastitsio and keftedes.
Reader's Guide
Cypriot cuisine reflects the island's geographic and cultural crossroads. Meats grilled over charcoal—souvla, souvlaki, or şiş—are central, often served with pita or flatbread and salad. Bulgur is the traditional carbohydrate other than bread, used in dishes like tarhana and koupes. Seafood includes calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, red mullet, sea bass, and gilt-head bream, often featured in meze. Vegetables such as potatoes, artichokes, okra, cauliflower, and aubergines are prepared in various ways, including baking, frying, and pickling. Pasta dishes like makarónia tou foúrnou and magarına bulli are national favorites. Preserved pork was historically the main source of red meat before refrigeration. For Greek Cypriots, Orthodox fasting days influence meals, with pulses and simple dressings replacing animal products. The cuisine's significance lies in its adaptation of neighboring traditions into a distinct Cypriot identity, with halloumi as its most iconic export.
Did You Know?
- Halloumi, a staple of Cypriot cuisine, traces its name to Arabic.
- The Cypriot version of pastitsio, known as makarónia tou foúrnou or fırında makarna, contains very little tomato and large amounts of mint.
- Bulgur is the traditional carbohydrate other than bread, often steamed with tomato and onion and sometimes with vermicelli pasta.
- Magarına bulli, made of bucatini pasta and chicken, is widely known as one of the national dishes of Cyprus.
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