A culinary travel guide to my home of Cyprus
I am always astonished at the vast number of people who don’t realise Cyprus, my home, has been a divided island since 1974 when Turkey invaded – commonly referenced as the ‘Cyprus Problem’, with the ‘Green Line’, a UN buffer zone as our border. We refrain from labelling the Mediterranean island as south and north, given there’s only one legally recognised country – the Republic of Cyprus.
My birthplace of Famagusta on the east coast, a mostly shelled ghost town to this day, has been Turkish occupied ever since. I was one year old at the time, and with my parents (thanks to my British father), we were evacuated on a nine-hour Hercules flight to the UK. My mother’s parents and two sisters managed to escape to Nicosia, now the last officially divided capital city in the world, where they had to rebuild their lives – as did we in the UK and Caribbean for six years before returning to Cyprus for my schooling and the birth of my sister.
If you’re after more intel on our ‘problem’, here’s an impartial and succinct Reuters report of the key issues published on the 50th anniversary last year. And for a little more historical context, have a read here.
Moving onto happier subjects – food and travel. For the first time since moving to Dubai (from London) 26 years ago, I have my own summer abode in Cyprus making it easier to spend substantial time exploring the island.
We’re the third largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily and Sardinia) – and about the same size as Lebanon, which means planning is required to decide where to explore. As per the last census, our population has yet to hit one million – we’re at 920,000. A handy breakdown on Cyprus’ key destinations here.
To fully appreciate and experience Cyprus’ love for food, one has to head off the beaten track, steering well clear of the island’s hugely, and sadly, commercialised resorts (which boast gorgeous beaches by the way). That’s not easy when as a visitor, you want to stroll out of your hotel into a neighbourhood brimming with restaurants. If you do, you will, mostly, be seriously disappointed. A hire car is money well spent.
To ease the research, I have compiled my largest culinary travel guide to date covering the Republic of Cyprus with headings for tried and tasted restaurants, tavernas, cafés, bars, wineries – alongside trademark dishes and produce to look out for, local wine recommendations, and boutique hotels. All wrapped up in my very own personal Google maps link with 125+ recommendations, which I will update as I uncover new spots.
Before we kick in, nothing expresses summer on a plate in Cyprus more than watermelon, often paired with halloumi. Here are three shades of watermelon in solidarity with our Palestinian neighbours.
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