Cypriot Cuisine

A Cypriot meze is a sequence of many small dishes rather than one fixed platter. It can include olives, tahini, tzatziki, village salad, halloumi, sausages, grilled meat, seafood, and vegetables, with the selection varying by tavern.

Halloumi is a brined Cypriot cheese traditionally associated with sheep's and goat's milk, often with cow's milk also used in modern production. Its firm structure lets it brown on a grill without melting into liquid, and dried mint is a common flavoring.

Sheftalia are Cypriot sausages made from seasoned minced meat wrapped in caul fat rather than a standard sausage casing. They are commonly grilled and served with pita, lemon, salad, or alongside souvlaki.

Foods such as molohiya, hummus, tahini, and louvi reflect Cyprus's connections with the Levant and wider eastern Mediterranean. Pastitsio-like makaronia tou fournou and meat cooked with coriander also show how Greek, Ottoman, British, and regional traditions overlap.