Cypriot cuisine

Baklava (, or ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with either syrup or honey.

Ayran ( ) is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is consumed across Central Asia, the Balkans, and the Middle East. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are carbonated. It is a national drink of Turkey.

Turkish gelatinous candy

Tzatziki ( ), also known as cacık () or tarator, is a class of dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sometimes with lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. It is served as a cold appetiser (meze), a side dish, and as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros sandwiches and other foods.

Tahini (; , or, in Iraq, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, but more nutritious. The seeds are more commonly roasted than raw. Tahini can be served by itself (as a dip), made into a salad dressing, or used as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, or halva.

dish made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta, olives, salt, oregano, and olive oil

Börek (also burek or byrek) is a family of pastries or pies made in the Middle East and Southeast Europe. The pastry is made of a thin flaky dough such as filo with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes. A börek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. They are usually baked but some varieties can be fried. Börek is sometimes sprinkled with sesame or nigella seeds, and it can be served hot or cold.

thumb|Coarse bulgur

thumb|A Portuguese-made tagine pot A tagine or tajine, also tajin or tagin () is a Maghrebi dish, and the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called or .

Tabbouleh (), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper. Some variations add lettuce, or use semolina instead of bulgur.

Halloumi, or haloumi, is a cheese originating from Cyprus. It is traditionally made from a mixture of goat milk and sheep's milk; however, due to industrial tactics to increase profit, modern halloumi increasingly contains cow's milk. The cheese's texture is often described as "squeaky". It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat alternative among vegetarians. Rennet (mostly vegetarian or microbial) is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.

thumb|right|upright|An ouzo bottle Ouzo (, ) is a dry anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Cyprus and Greece. It is made from rectified spirits that have undergone a process of distillation and flavoring. Its taste is similar to other anise liquors like pastis, sambuca, mastika, rakı, and arak.

Souvlaki (, ; ) is a Greek food item consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot. It can be served with or inside a rolled pita, typically with lemon, sauces, vegetables such as sliced tomato and onion, and fried potatoes as a side. The meat usually used in Greece and Cyprus is pork.

Kibbeh (, also kubba and other spellings; ; ) is a popular dish in the Arab world and the Levant in particular, made of spiced lean ground meat and bulgur wheat. Kibbeh is considered to be a national dish of Lebanon and Syria.

Greek iced coffee drink

Muhallebi ( or ; ) is a milk pudding commonly made with rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina, popular as a dessert in the Middle East. While the dessert is called muhallebi in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, in other countries in the region (Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Israel) it is called malabi, mahalabiyeh or mehalabiya.

Taramasalata or taramosalata (; from 'fish roe' < + Greek: 'salad' < ) is a meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe (colloquially referred to as caviar) of the cod, carp, or grey mullet (bottarga) mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds. Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice. While not traditionally Greek, smoked rather than cured cod's roe is more widely available in some places, and often used. Bottarga is usually much more expensive than cod roe.

Avgolemono ( or literally egg–lemon) is a family of sauces and soups made with egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken.

Skordalia (alternatively skordhalia or skorthalia) (Greek: , also called , aliada/aliatha) is a thick purée in Greek cuisine, made of garlic in a base of potatoes, walnuts, almonds or liquid-soaked stale bread mixed with olive oil in to make a smooth emulsion, to which some vinegar is added. It is usually made in a mortar and pestle. Skordalia is served as a garnish or side dish. It is mainly served with batter-fried cod, especially during Lent and on the Greek national holiday of March 25th. In the Anglosphere, it is promoted as a dip.

culinary traditions of Cyprus

Mulukhiyah (Arabic: ملوخية, romanized: mulūkhiyyah), also known as mulukhiyya , molokhiyya, melokhiyya, molohiya or ewédú, is a type of jute plant and a dish made from the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, commonly known in English as jute, '''Jew's-mallow, nalta jute, or tossa jute'. It is used as a vegetable and is mainly eaten in Egypt, the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Israel), Sudan, Cyprus, Libya, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Algeria. It is called saluyot in the Philippines. Mulukhiyah'' is rather bitter, and when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth;

Fasolada () or fasoulada () is a Greek and Cypriot soup of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables. It is sometimes called the "national food of the Greeks".

Galaktoboureko (, , ) is a dessert popular in Greece and the eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is made of custard, layers of filo dough and covered in syrup. Galaktoboureko is made with a type of pudding called muhallebi or semolina custard. In Albania, it is a dessert sometimes prepared during the Orthodox Easter, although Qumështor, an Albanian custard that includes no filo dough is traditionally preferred. It is popular in Cyprus as galatopourekko.

traditional soup prepared from stinging nettles

Pastitsio (, pastítsio) is a baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce, which came from the Ionian Islands to Greece. Variations of the dish are found in other countries near the Mediterranean Sea.

Kefalotyri or kefalotiri () is a hard, salty white cheese made from sheep milk or goat's milk (or both) in Greece and Cyprus. A similar cheese, Kefalograviera, also made from sheep or goat milk (or both), is sometimes sold outside Greece and Cyprus as Kefalotyri. Depending on the mixture of milk used in the process, the color can vary between yellow and white.

Tarhana is a dried food ingredient, based on a fermented mixture of grain and yogurt or fermented milk, found in Central Asian, Southeast European, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Dry tarhana has a texture of coarse, uneven crumbs, and it is usually made into a thick soup with water, stock, or milk. As it is both acidic and low in moisture, the milk proteins keep for long periods. Tarhana is very similar to some kinds of kashk.

thumb|Packaged mahleb with English, Armenian and Arabic text

syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water

thumb|right|Finikia The melomakarono ( plural: μελομακάρονα, melomakarona) is an egg-shaped Greek dessert made mainly from flour, olive oil, and honey. Along with the kurabies, it is a traditional dessert prepared primarily during the Christmas holiday season. They are also known as finikia.

Zivania or zivana () is a Cypriot pomace brandy produced from the distillation of a mixture of grape pomace and local dry wines made from Xynisteri and Mavro grapes. The name of zivania is derived from zivana () which means pomace in the Greek dialect of Cyprus. Zivania is colourless and alcoholic with a light aroma of raisins. Its alcohol content varies, with 45% by volume being the typical value. As defined by law, zivania cannot have more than 60% alcohol content. Zivania contains no sugar and has no acidity.

Tiropita or tyropita (Greek: τυρóπιτα, "cheese-pie") is a Greek pastry made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with a cheese-egg mixture. It is served either in an individual-size free-form wrapped shape, or as a larger pie that is portioned.

Tsoureki () also known as bsatir, čʿorek, katʿnahuncʿ (), çyrek (Albanian), kozunak (), cozonac (Romanian), paskalya çöreği (Turkish), or šurēk (), is a sweet holiday bread made with flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. It is commonly seasoned with lemon and orange zest, mastic resin, or mahleb.

'''Ka'ak' ( , also transliterated ), is a baked good of varying types produced throughout the Arab world and the Near East. The bread, in Middle Eastern countries, is similar to a dry and hardened biscuit and mostly ring-shaped. A similar pastry called "kue kaak''" is also popular in Indonesia.

Piccalilli is an English adaptation of Indian pickles, a relish made from chopped and pickled vegetables and spices. The style was intentionally exotic but adapted to English taste. Early versions were published by Hannah Glasse in 1758 and by Elizabeth Raffald in 1769; they salted the vegetables and left them to dry, before adding vinegar. A piccalilli has been sold commercially by Crosse & Blackwell from the 19th century onwards. The English diaspora brought the relish to North America, where it has been adapted into forms such as "neon relish", and back to the British Raj in India.

Dakos or ntakos (), also known as koukouvagia or koukouvayia (κουκουβάγια) or kouloukopsomo, is a Cretan horiatiki consisting of a slice of soaked paximadi that is topped with tomatoes and cheeses such as feta or mizithra. The salad is then flavored with herbs such as dried oregano. Ingredients such as olives, capers, and caper berries are also often added to the dish.

Turkish sweet bun (çörek) with tahini

Loukaniko (Greek: λουκάνικο) is a type of Greek sausage made from pork or lamb and typically flavored with orange peel, fennel seed, and various other dried herbs and seeds, and sometimes smoked over aromatic woods. They are also often flavored with greens, especially leeks.

thumbnail|Afelia dish Afelia () is a traditional Cypriot pork dish. It is pork marinated and cooked in red wine with coarsely crushed coriander seed. In order to prepare the dish, ingredients like salt, pepper, oil etc. are included. During the British era (from 1878) the use of butter instead of oil was noted. Afelia is usually served with potato dish, bulgur and yogurt.

cheese dish fried in oil

snack food

Flaouna () (Turkish: Pilavuna) is a cheese-filled pastry from Cyprus, also consumed in parts of Greece. Most recipes may include raisins or be garnished with sesame seeds. Flaounes are traditionally prepared for Easter. Regional names for flaouna include vlaouna, fesoudki (Greek:φεσούδκι) in Karavas, and aflaouna in Karpasia.

Turkish Cypriot confectionary similar to murabba

Daktyla () is a leavened 'country' or 'village' bread from Greece, but also popular in Cyprus and Turkey.

' () or must jelly (also mustpie and mustcake) is a traditional Greek kind of pudding made of grape must mixed with flour and boiled until thick. , must biscuits or must cookies' are the biscuit (cookie) version.

Lazarákia (, "Little Lazaruses") are small, sweet spice breads made in Greece and Cyprus by Orthodox Christians on Lazarus Saturday, the Saturday that begins Holy Week. They are eaten to celebrate the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. They are shaped like a man wrapped in a shroud, supposedly Saint Lazarus of Bethany, with cloves for eyes. They contain several sweet spices and are a fasting Lenten food, meaning that they do not contain any dairy products or eggs. For that reason, unlike the tsourekia, they are brushed with olive oil instead of egg or butter for a gloss finish.

Sheftalia (; ; ) is a traditional sausage that originated in Cyprus. It is made from caul fat, or omentum, the membrane that surrounds the stomach of pig or lamb, to wrap the ingredients rather than sausage casing. It can be regarded as a type of crepinette.

salad based on eggplant

pastry

thumb|Kleftiko with potatoes Kleftiko (, ) is a traditional Greek dish of slow-roasted marinated lamb, most often cooked and served with potatoes. Bell peppers, onions, and cheese can also be added.

Shamishi (, ) is a traditional Cypriot delicacy, which is served usually during name days.

Turkish and Greek dish common to the Aegean made with colocasia and lamb, also on the island of Cyprus