Gastronomic overview. We study the national Cypriot cuisine and find out what you should definitely try. We tell you about the prices in Cyprus in 2021 for food and drinks in cafes and restaurants, as well as for groceries in stores.
Food in Cyprus: traditions of national cuisine
The national cuisine of Cyprus is influenced by Greek, Turkish and British cultures. They love vegetables, oils, yogurt, lemon, garlic, parsley, coriander, basil, oregano and other spices. Desserts with honey and nuts are reminiscent of oriental sweets.
Food in Cyprus is not as spicy as in Turkish cuisine. Food is cooked in vegetable oil or lamb fat, salads are seasoned with olive oil. Soups are made from chicken, thyme, lentils, egg yolks with herbs and lemon. Traditional ingredients for salad: vegetables, chicken, cheese, olives, seafood. Rice, legumes, vegetables, bulgur, pasta are used as a side dish.
Poultry, lamb, pork, beef and fish are cooked here, but the choice of meat dishes is much greater. Meat is fried, stewed in pots in the oven or grilled. Residents of Northern Cyprus do not eat pork.
The fish is fried or grilled. Shrimp and mussels are usually frozen, while local fish, small squid and crabs are fresh. Sometimes the catch is laid out on the showcase so that the client can choose the fish he likes.
In taverns, salad, potatoes, bread and sauce are served along with the main course. All this is sprinkled with lemon juice before serving, or a lemon cut into quarters is brought to the visitor.
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What to try in Cyprus
To get the most out of the national cuisine of Cyprus, you should try meze... If in Greece this is an appetizer, then in Cyprus a whole lunch is served, consisting of various dishes and snacks: garlic-cucumber salad in yoghurt filling (tallaturi), pea mousse (hummi kopanisti), vegetable salad with cheese and olives, eggplant appetizer, meat or fish dishes.
They cook well on the island moussaka - Eggplant baked with cheese and egg with meat and vegetables. Rice is interestingly prepared - it is fried in olive oil with spices, and then wrapped in grape leaves, the dish is called dolmades... Very often locals order giant beans stewed with vegetables.
The locals cook especially tasty meat dishes - tavas (meat with vegetables in pots), kebab - here it is served on a flatbread with red peppers, onions and herbs. In almost any tavern in Cyprus, you can try lamb, chicken or pork kebabs - souvlaki... And pork kebab marinated in wine and coriander is called handsomely.
Lamb lovers will be able to appreciate the taste of melting in your mouth kleftiko: young meat is stewed in the oven, served with tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers and onions. Stews are no less tasty - for cooking stifado fried beef is stewed in wine and spices. There is a stifado made of rabbit, poultry and pork. Spicy grilled sausages are perfect for beer - lucanica or basturma.
What else to try in Cyprus? Sheep cheese is a must halloumi, locals love to add it to other dishes or grill it. A popular hot appetizer is feta cheese, which is baked with vegetables and olives in a pot.
Separately, it should be said about the drinks of Cyprus and sweets. The island has an excellent selection of white and red wines, and the Crusader drink is still produced here - wineCommandaria "... Country grape vodka "Zivania " it is especially good if it is slightly frozen before use. Also tourists recommend "Ouzo" and local beer "KEO". In addition, other alcohol is inexpensive here - liqueurs, gin, whiskey. The coffee is very tasty - with cardamom and cinnamon. For dessert, you can order baklava, Turkish delight or glyco - fruits cooked in syrup.
Prices for food and drinks in Cyprus in 2021
Exchange rate: 1 euro ≈ 87 RUB.
Food prices in Cyprus differ slightly in different places: for example, in Paphos and Ayia Napa, which are popular resorts, it is somewhat more expensive to eat in taverns. Average cost: soup costs 3-6 euros, omelet with additional ingredients 4-6 euros, salads 3-9 euros, fish dishes 10-15 euros, meat dishes 6-15 euros, shashlik 12-16 euros, meze about 15 to 20 euro (fish is usually more expensive).
Pathos
Salads from 4 euros, moussaka - 9 euros, pasta - 9 euros, fish up to 15 euros. Soft drinks from 2 euros, cocktails 5-7 euros, frappe 1.5-2 euros, coffee 2-2.5 euros, a glass of wine from 3 euros. You can have dinner for two for 40 euros, for lunch - for 30 euros.
Prices in a grocery store in Cyprus (Paphos)
Limassol
A lunch consisting of a fish main course with juice and dessert will cost 25-30 euros for two, a dinner with meat, salad and wine - 40 euros. Salads from 4 euros, meat dishes from 9 to 15 euros, fish dishes from 15 euros. Coffee with dessert - 8 euros, a glass of wine or beer - 2-3 euros.
Larnaca
You can have lunch for two for 15-20 euros, dinner already for 40 euros: a fish dish with shrimps and mussels costs 20 euros, barbecue, potatoes and salad - 15 euros. Dinner at an elite establishment 60-70 euros.
Ayia Napa
You can dine for two for 25-40 euros, for dinner - 50 euros. A sandwich costs from 6 to 8 euros, a meat dish - 9-15 euros, a salad with cheese and chicken - 8 euros, mussels with octopus - 18 euros, beer - 3 euros, coffee from 3 euros, fresh juices - 3-4 euros, wine from 7 euros.
Protaras
In taverns, meat and fish dishes start at 7 euros, salads from 5 euros, meze costs 15 euros, sweets - 5 euros. A hearty lunch for two - 15-20 euros, with wine - 25 euros.
Food prices in Cyprus in 2021
In shops in Cyprus, food prices may vary depending on the city and the size of the shop. Large chain supermarkets (for example, Papantoniou) often offer discounts and promotions, so it is cheaper to shop there. Also, tourists recommend buying food in the markets, where you can bargain.
According to reviews, seafood and dairy products are expensive in Cyprus: 1 kg of dorado - 9 euros, cod - 12 euros, 1 liter of milk - 1.5 euros, half a liter of kefir - about 2.5 euros. Cheap alcohol, meat, cheese, seasonal vegetables and fruits: chicken (kg) - 5 euros, olive oil (0.5 l) - 5 euros, ice cream (kg) - 3 euros, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes (kg) - 0 , 35-0.5 euros, melon (kg) - 0.7 euros, apricots and peaches (kg) - from 1 euro, cherries and strawberries (kg) - 6.5 euros.
The prices for groceries in Paphos stores are approximately as follows:
- water (1.5 l) - from 0.5 euros;
- wine (bottle) - from 3 euros;
- juice (1 l) - 2 euros;
- cheese (300 gr) - from 4 euros;
- bread - from 1 euro;
- milk (1 l) - from 1 euro;
- bananas (kg) - 0.5 euros;
- grapes (kg) - up to 2 euros;
- desserts (pcs) - 0.8 to 4 euros.
Cost of groceries in Limassol shops:
- yogurt (300 gr) - 3.2 euros;
- cheese (500 gr) - 4.2 euros;
- sausage (kg) - 5 euros;
- bacon (200 gr) - 1.9 euros;
- tomatoes (kg) - 0.85 euros;
- oranges (kg) - 0.75 euros;
- watermelons (kg) - 1.3 euros;
- sweet pastries (pcs) - 2-6 euros.
Cuisine and prices in North Cyprus
If the cuisine of the southern part of the island clearly inherits Greek traditions in cooking, then Turkish motives are clearly traced in the cuisine of Northern Cyprus. The menu includes kebab, meze, hummus and jajik, sheftalia, dolma. For dessert, you can order coffee with pyrohu or ekmek kadaif. It is recommended to try grape vodka (raki), local wines are not popular. Soup costs 5-6 liras, meat up to 20 liras, fish up to 30 liras, set lunch - 8 liras.
According to reviews, food prices in northern Cyprus are lower, here is the approximate cost of products in Turkish lira (2021):
- milk (1 l) - 3 lira;
- bread - 0.65-4 lira;
- olive oil (0.75 ml) - 15-20 lire;
- tomatoes, potatoes (kg) - 2-3 lira;
- apples, bananas (kg) - 3-5 lire;
- cheese (300 gr) 6-8 lire;
- chicken fillet (kg) - 28-30 lire;
- beef (kg) - 20-40 lire;
- fish (kg) - from 20 liras.
Travel tips and reviews
Someone found the prices for food in Cyprus high, while other tourists consider them to be Central European. But no one has yet complained about the taste of the dishes, and the generosity of the Cypriots, manifested in their huge portions and compliments from the chef, invariably cheers up.
To choose a good tavern, you need to look for the ones where the locals eat. You can also just walk around and take a closer look at the visitors. Tourist cafes also cook delicious food, but prices are high, so get away from the coast.
The portions are such that one dish for two is quite enough - especially for meze. Otherwise, no recommendations - just try and enjoy the amazing taste of the dishes of the national Cypriot cuisine.
