Going on holiday is great, isn’t it? Plenty of time to relax, have a few drinks and get a tan. Plus, perhaps best of all, we get to sample some food we’ve never tried before! A
holiday to Cyprus is one place where foodies love, with plenty of familiar and unusual dishes to try.
Here are our top 5 Greek-Cypriot dishes, let us know if you love these dishes as much as we do in the comments below!
Pork Souvlaki
First on the list is one of my favorites and perhaps the most well know dish on the list, pork souvlaki. The dish itself can also be made with chicken, lamb or beef but believe me stick with pork. Pork souvlaki consists of small cubes of meat (use shoulder cut for more flavour) skewered and placed under the grill, or for more flavour, over a charcoal barbecue. There are two ways of cooking this dish, one is by simply adding salt and pepper half way through cooking or the more traditional way is to make a marinade. The marinade is made up of basic ingredients: a mixture of olive oil, lemon, oregano, pepper, garlic and if you wish for a more spicy taste add smoked paprika. For the best results the pork should be marinated for at least 2 hours or overnight preferably. This dish should be served with a big Greek salad, flat or pitta bread and Tzatziki.
Makaronia dou Fournou
Second on the list is Makaronia dou Fournou, which is macaroni in the oven. This is a Greek Cypriot dish which is pretty similar to the Greek pastitsio. The dish has several layers just like a lasagna. The bottom layer is called bucatini and consists of large pasta tubes blinded with egg and halloumi. The second layer is a mixture of quality pork or beef mince (I prefer pork) tomatoes and onion. On top of the sauce there is another layer of the large pasta tubes and on top of that is a thick creamy Béchamel sauce with grated halloumi, to finish off the dish simply sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Once cooked in the oven, let it stand for 30minutes and serve with a Greek salad. This dish may take some time to prepare but it is well worth it when relaxing on a
Cyprus holiday.
Keftedes
Third on the list and every kids favorite is keftedes which translates to meatballs. This dish is extremely simple to make and fits all occasions, whether it’s an afternoon snack, addition to a meze meal or served as a main course. You basically mix the following ingredients in a bowl then let sit for an hour before frying. Pork mince, two large potatoes (grated), one onion grated, parsley finely chopped, an egg, dried mint, oregano, sprinkle of salt and pepper and olive oil. Once ready to go, roll the ingredients into a ball and fry for approximately 10 minutes in 2-3cm of sunflower oil until golden brown. Best served with a Greek salad, tzatziki or my preference, brown sauce.
Tzatziki
Fourth on the list can be either described as a dip or a cold dish, and that is Tzatziki. Tzatziki can accompany more or less any Greek/Cypriot starter or main dish or simply enjoy on its own with pitta or flat bread. This dip/dish is widely sold in almost all supermarkets but I prefer to make it from scratch. The process takes literally minutes, all you need to do is add the flowing ingredients into a food processor and refrigerate for at least two hour. The ingredients are Greek yogurt, a large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced, olive oil, half a lemon, chopped dill and salt and pepper to taste.
Lamb Souvla
Last but not least on the list is THE KING in my eyes, which is Lamb Souvla. This main course dish is basically large chunks of lamb shoulder or middle neck skewered and rotated over a charcoal barbecue. For the best results, cook for roughly for an hour, adding salt, lemon and oregano after 30 minutes.
Do you have a favourite which you look forward to devouring once on a
cheap Cyprus holiday? Do let us know!
