Cypriot cooking draws from both Greek and Turkish traditions, and the overlap is considerable — mezes, grilled meat, olive oil, fresh herbs, and the produce of a warm Mediterranean island. Eating in Cyprus is generally unpretentious and good value.
Meze is the quintessential Cypriot meal: a long procession of small dishes — dips, salads, grilled halloumi, olives, keftedes (meatballs), souvla (spit-roast meat), fresh fish, and whatever the kitchen wants to show off that day. A full meze can run to twenty or more courses. It is a social meal meant to be shared slowly, preferably with wine and loud company.
Halloumi is Cyprus's most famous food export — a semi-hard cheese made from sheep and goat milk, grilled or pan-fried until it develops a golden crust while keeping a squeaky, springy texture inside. The authentic version, made traditionally, is Protected Designation of Origin within the EU. Eat it fresh at a local restaurant.
Souvla is large chunks of meat (usually pork or lamb) slow-roasted on a long spit over charcoal — a fixture of Sunday lunches and family gatherings. Souvlaki, the smaller skewered version, is the everyday street food equivalent.
Kleftiko is lamb baked in a sealed clay oven until it falls apart — deeply tender, flavoured with lemon and herbs. Most traditional tavernas do it on weekends.
Commandaria is a sweet, amber-coloured dessert wine made in the Troodos foothills from sun-dried grapes. Cyprus claims it is one of the oldest named wines in the world, with production records going back 3,000 years. Order a glass at the end of a meal — most restaurants have it.
The wine-producing villages around Limassol (Omodos, Kilani, Arsos) are worth visiting both for the wineries and for the food. Restaurants in these hill villages tend to be more traditional and cheaper than the coast.
In Northern Cyprus, the food is broadly similar but with a stronger Turkish influence — more lamb, more aubergine dishes, and loukoumades (honey doughnuts) as a common street sweet. Turkish coffee and tea are the default drinks.