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Page 10
WHAT TO EAT AND
DRINK
The meals
offered in Northern Cyprus as a rule follow the European cuisine, but there
are many local and oriental specialties which can be enjoyed both in the
hotels and in smaller restaurants and coffee houses.
The following
is a list explaining a few of the delicacies which are considered as
specialities peculiar to the Turkish Cypriot
People.
MEZE:
(appetizer)
served on a collection of saucers accompany one's sunset drink and can even
take the place of a main meal. Usually served with Local brandy or Raki. It
includes snips of local cheeses, such as halloumi, kaskaval, fetta, made
from mixed goat and sheep's milk; green or black olives; octopus; houmous-a
mixture of ground chickpeas mixed with sesame oil and parsley and sometimes
with red pepper as well; a variety of sliced meats and sliced fresh or
pickled vegetables; and yoghurt.
Of the more
substantial meze one can name dolma (stuffed vine leaves), kebab varieties,
kofte, bulgur kofte and borek.
To describe
Kebab varieties: ordinary kebab; these consist of pieces of lamb grilled on
a charcoal fire on a skewer.
DONER KEBAB:
large slices of lamb meet all
placed on a large skewer and slices cut off: it is served either on its own
or with yoghurt. The third kind of kebab is called sheftali, and is made of
minced lambs meat stuffed in the diaphragm of lambs, slowly grilled on a
charcoal fire. The kebab varieties are also served as main meat dishes, as
well as being served as meze. When served as a meat dish it is served and
eaten in a pancake like envelope called pide, with sliced tomato, cucumber,
onion, parsley and spices.
Kofte,
is mince meat and minced potatoes put in a ball shape and fried. Bulgur
Kofte is mincemeat stuffed into a covering of coarsely crushed wheat locally
known as bulgur.
Borek,
is a semolina pastry, like a pie but fried and filled with mincemeat or
hellim cheese. All with the exception of kebab varieties and the bulgur kofte,
can be eaten either cold or hot.
Soups:
apart from the well known varieties of soups the most important specialty is
the Pacha. It is a thick stew from lambs head served with garlic, lemon and
toast. It is a strong broth, advisably taken in the Winter months.
Tarhana :This
is a kind of bulgur and yoghurt made into pastry and dried in the sun. After
being cooked diced and fried hellim
cheese is poured into the soup.
Fish :
All varieties of fish peculiar to the Mediterranean are available during
four seasons.
Meat dishes:
As was said before, the kebab varieties are also served as a
main meat dish. Others are: Tava; a mixture of meat, onions, several kinds
of vegetables and herbs baked and served in earthenware dishes direct from
the oven. Bumbar: is lambs intestine cleaned and filled with mince meat,
rice, crushed tomatoes and mixed with spices. Bumbar after being boiled is
grilled and served with bulgur pilaf.
Mousakka:
layer of sliced potato, marrow or eggplant with mincemeat in
between the layers and on top .
Sweet dishes:
Visitors are recommended to try kadeyif and baklava. That
sweet dishes are taken seriously can be seen from the fact that every
household has its stock of fruit preserved in syrup: apricot, quince,
cherry, walnut and many others which are offered to the guest on arrival
with a glass of cold water.
Another desert
mostly served at breakfast, is helva, a kind of nougat made with sugar and
crushed sesame.
Fruits :
During summer
season melon, cherry, apricot, peache, plum, apple, fig, pear and grape are
plantiful. Cyprus oval orange, grapefruit and tangeine is produced and
exported also.
Liqours :
Several brands
of wine and brandy is produced in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Another traditional liqour is Raki. This liqour is produced by the
distillation of grapes together with aniseed. Beer is produced and also
imported, especially from mainland Turkey.
Soft drinks:
Apart from the
usual carbonated drinks well known in many countries, specialties are Sumada,
made from almonds; and Rose cordial, distilled from leaves of roses.
Coffee, made in
the Turkish style, may be regarded as a national institution rather than a
drink. It is taken very sweet, sweet boiled, medium, or without sugar. When
the coffee man is serving a party, the cups are arranged in a tray with the
handles pointing outwards in the case of very sweet, and at a degree towards
the centre of the tray for the less sweet coffee.
The cup without sugar points directly to the centre of the
tray. |
