You may remember from our post on the meats of Turkey that we were overwhelmed by the carnivorous cornucopia there. Things are not so different in Cyprus, but – at least in the Greek part of the island – the meat of choice here is definitively pork. One of us eats this far more happily than the other, but we’ve both made sacrifices and partaken of the local specialties. There are a lot of them to choose from. But we’ve slowly and painfully narrowed them down to these favourites. Some of these dishes are recognizably Greek; the first two seem to be distinctively Cypriot.
Afelia
This one is a real winner! Pork, often neck or shoulder, cut into chunks, marinated in red wine and simmered for a couple of hours with coriander seeds. Wow. (This combination, red wine and coriander, is also popular for potatoes in Cyprus). We once made a pork, coriander, and wine dish but it was nowhere near as good – so we’re very impressed.
Sheftalia
Pork or lamb sausage (or, more usually, both), seasoned with onion, parsley and pepper, and cooked in caul fat. Our sources tell us it’s an easy ‘starter sausage’ because you don’t have to mess around with casings. We might stick to letting other people make it for us, but it’s darn good. The fat melts right into the meat, so the dish is very rich. You can get this on the street, or in a fancy restaurant, and we like both options!
Moussaka
If you know Greek food at all, you probably know this one. It’s like lasagna only it isn’t. (There’s a whole ‘nother dish, pastitsio, that takes the place of lasagna on the Greek food pyramid.) Potatoes and eggplants are key to this dish. But also, the flavour profile is rather different (despite the inclusion of minced lamb or beef and tomatoes and cheese, often parmigiano). It’s a layered and baked dish, with all of the above, held together by a thick and nutmeggy, cinnamony bechamel. We don’t want to go into too much detail here, especially about the amount of oil and dairy used in the traditional version (a LOT). Think of it as a once-in-a-while indulgence. (Even if, like us, you eat it every time you can get your forks on it.)
Kleftiko
Kleftiko is a lamb dish with red wine, tomatoes, onions, garlic and lemon. You can either whack in a whole leg of lamb of have it pre-cut into chunks. Sounds just like any old stew, right? Not so: it’s much drier. More importantly, it’s baked in parchment paper. Long story, but apparently if you’re a bandit (‘kleftiko’ means ‘stolen’) you wrap your food in paper, either so you can grab it when the police come, or to keep the smells from letting your neighbours know you’ve just stolen their livestock. After tasting this stew, we are whole-heartedly on the side of the bandits.
Stifado
This is a stew with beef, lamb, or whatever’s around, in shallots and red wine, and tomatoes. We’re sure we tasted nutmeg and allspice too. This also sounds like just a normal stew but it is somehow magical. And we didn’t even have it on a cold winter’s night. (Though we did have it with the traditional Cypriot sides, bulgur/vermicelli, roasted potatoes, and bread. What a country!) Also, talking of stew, here’s our basic recipe, duded up with juniper berries.
Other
There’s also souvlaki and kebabs, which we assume you’ve run into if you’re a meat-eater. Also, loukaniko, above, pork-and-lamb sausage with a citrusy, herby flavour profile. And we haven’t even mentioned the local take on more widespread meat dishes, roast chicken and lamb and the like.
All of these dishes have in common big, bold flavours, and most of them require long cooking times. But they’re all ‘home cooking’ – which tells you a lot about Cyprus: these are a people willing to put the effort into good food. One dish we are longing to try – but haven’t found chalked up on the menu anywhere yet – is snails with bulgur. But never fear: we’re assiduously scouring the tavernas.
