This is the third blog about North Cyprus and the focus will be about food and subjects effecting food. If I were to come up with one word about North Cyprus food, I would have to say it would be “fresh.” From the meat that makes the main courses, to the fruits and vegetables that are harvested locally and used in its recipes. The produce goes from the market to the seller extremely fast and I think they are the right size for their produce, so the crop sells and there is no more, no less for the island. The breads that are baked daily, to sweets like baklava, which is made fresh from dough, and honey or syrup. Turkish delights are made from starches, sugar, and rosewater. I think pizza is healthy here. As long as you do not eat five of them.
From my backyard in Kyrenia…
The items that I have seen around the island are mostly citrus, lemon and orange trees everywhere. There are a lot of olive orchards when you head out to Turtle beach and Acapulco beach. I have seen lamb and sheep, but never a cow or a pig in Cyprus. Keep in mind the majority of the population in TRNC is a Muslim. You will not see pork or ham on any menus. You might be able to find it at a grocery store meat counter or on the shelf. You can hear the call to prayer five times a day. The Turks here do drink alcohol, and they do have nude beaches around. So, its tolerated. There are A LOT of casinos, bars, and nightclubs here. There are some Greek orthodox churches still around Kyrenia.
The drinks here are diverse. All day most drink chai which is black tea. You cannot drink the water from the faucet so you need to carry bottled water with you or buy it from shops around town. You can try Turkish coffee just be careful to not drink the grounds of coffee in the little cup that settle at the bottom. I would ask for semi sweet just to be on the safe side. Now if you are in a traditional place, you might ask for your fortune to be told. Take this with a grain of salt. You drink the coffee until you can just taste the coffee grounds. Stop drinking coffee. You put the coffee saucer over the top of the coffee cup. You spin the cup three times. Then you carefully flip the cup over so that the coffee grounds will go down the sides of the coffee cup but stop at the saucer. You then leave the cup and saucer on the table to cool down and dry. Once dry, leave for the fortune teller to read your fortune for you. It is a fun thing to do and to hear.
Alcoholic drinks include the brandy sour which is the island drink, and you might be offered a dessert of fruit and baklava. Raki is the Turkish word for Ouzo which is another alcoholic drink from Cyprus. The word raki in Turkish means lion’s milk. When you combine water to raki it turns a milky white color. I joke in Turkish is that if you drink enough of it, you will feel like you milked a lion in the morning. It tastes like black licorice or anis. I personally do not like the smell or taste. It is pretty powerful and usually comes with water to dilute the alcohol.
Now to my favorite alcohols, the first is Efes which is the Turkish beer. Closest think I can think of is like an Amstel, or Peroni beer or Carib beer if you are in the Caribbean area. On a summer day, you do not want heavy beer. This beer will keep you cool in the summer and not fill you up nor is it a flavored beer.
A few years ago, a new winery opened close to Kyrenia, a short taxi ride to Gillham, Ethel winery and hotel. Took a taxi there and did a wine tasting. Great wine and bought a case. We had dinner at the hotel which was a BIG grilled grouper, and the chef came and greeted us, and we thanked him for an excellent dinner as well as wine pairing. They will take care of you.
Since no other country recognizes the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) then no one will trade or buy or sell any goods to and from them. I think there is limited trade with the Greek side or mainland Türkiye. But they must get their Tesla’s, BMW, Mercedes, and even some Fords from somewhere. Samsung and LG products are there as well if you want some electronics. But I would not buy them there as I think they would be more expensive. Duty Free products such as hard alcohol and cigarettes you can buy there cheap. The Duty-Free shops are open, and I think open late during the tourist season as the flights in and out of Cyprus are at odd times.
My return flight on British Air left Larnaca at 0700 in the morning. So, I had to get up at 0300 in the morning to leave my hotel at 0400 in the morning. It was an hour taxi ride to arrive at Larnaca airport at 0500 which is two hours before take-off. Security and customs usually take thirty to forty-five minutes. So, you are at your gate for about an hour to shop at the many liquor and perfume stores or get something to eat. I noticed about a pizza shop inside the airport is that it has a menu in two languages. English and Greek. I picked up some rose water and olive oil in the airport as well as some Benson and Hedges gold cigarettes. (I only smoke when I am out of the country)
Let us start with meat and fish, which is the primary protein of the Mediterranean diet. Large quantities of yogurt are also consumed and provide a healthy alternative to French fries as a side dish. Lamb and to a lesser extent beef is the primary red meat consumed in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC). Lamb Shish kebob would be the most ordered dish in North Cyprus. It is grilled, and you can catch the smell on the streets of Kyrenia in the evening as restaurants are firing up their grills for the evening rush of customers.
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Grilled seafood is another part of the Mediterranean diet. Grilled fish (Sea Bass, Brim, Grouper, and Octopus, and Calamari) are commonly ordered at the seafood restaurants on the North side of Cyprus, especially at Kyrenia Harbor, where they display the fresh catch of the day. Usually again, the seafood is grilled, add some garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon just and there it is. Simple, but I guess you could ask for it to be fried. But why would you ruin it? Let the pro’s chefs do what the pro chefs know best. It is healthy, leave it alone. I miss the food already…
Shish kebob is cubed beef sirloin or lamb, on a skewer over a charcoal grill. Doner kebob is a Turkish dish of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced thin. You can either eat it on a plate which will come with Turkish rice, or it is wrapped in pita and eaten as a sandwich. The sandwich is usually made from a shop with the rotisserie near the front of the restaurant so you can smell it as you walk by and see the kebob expert shaving the meat into pita bread with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and parley. Some yogurts or lemon juice for flavor.
Another dish that I really like but a little harder to find would be Iskandar kebob, which is a Turkish dish featuring thinly sliced döner kebab meat over pieces of pide bread, topped with a rich tomato sauce, melted butter, and often served with yogurt. Iskandar is actually a name for Alexander the Great. So, I am assuming this dish was one of his favorites. Uludağ Iskender is the restaurant within walking distance of good Iskandar kebob.
Part of the Med diet (I am getting tired of writing out Mediterranean.) is the Meze which is a selection of small, savory dishes, similar to tapas or antipasti, common in the Eastern Mediterranean, often served as appetizers or a light meal. This could include hummus, olives, anchovies, yogurt with mint. cucumber (cacik), salad. Meze usually accompanies the main course, so do not eat all of these small plates as you will not be able to eat your main course or your dessert.
Finally, the fruit that is primarily used as a dessert in its meals is from oranges, and the pomegranate to melon, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Deserts usually consist of some form of baklava, and fruit. The desert is usually accompanied with a Turkish brandy, chai, or Turkish coffee. You can also have it with whatever you like of course. The Turkish will smoke a cigarette, eat some desert, drink a chai or brandy, and relax and talk among family and friends for hours. That I think is the key to the Med diet, you eat, talk, relax. In America, I think we are rushed to eat and finish as soon as possible.
I think another key is some of the crap that we put in our food in America. We put additives and preservatives and all sorts of chemicals in our food which is not natural. And we wonder why we cannot lose weight even when we diet, we wonder why we have diseases that no other country has. It is because these chemicals which are missing from the Med diet because its all made fresh, do not contain crap like we put in our food in America. Sorry America, but until we stop buying or accepting these products. We are going to stay unhealthy and die earlier. We spend tons of money on health insurance that does not make us healthier. It is like saying a Dexcom meter helps with diabetes. It does not. All it does is report that your numbers are better or worse.
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