Cyprus Cuisine and Winery

It is of course impossible to talk about Cyprus without mentioning the food. As with most Mediterranean countries food plays an important role and is to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace with friends and family. Cypriot food bears a distinct resemblance to Greek cooking, but also has Turkish and Lebanese influences.

As in other Mediterranean countries, eating is an activity to be savored and enjoyed and is certainly not to be rushed in any way. Cypriot cuisine features lots of fresh fish, meat, beans, pulses and vegetables flavored with lemon, fresh herbs and spices.

According to tradition, the Cypriots are the eldest wine producers in the world. Until lately, clues showed that the production of wine in Cyprus began around 2000 B.C. Recently though, Italian archaeologists studied the number of containers which were found in 1993 by the Cypriot Archaeologist Porfirios Dikeos in Erimi.

This proved that the containers which were 5500 years old were used for wine. Therefore, Cypriots produced wine a lot earlier before Greeks, possibly even 1500 years earlier. Cyprus Commandaria is one of the oldest wines in the world, representing an ancient wine style documented in Cyprus back to 800 BC and has the distinction of being the world’s oldest named wine still in production, with the name Commandaria dating back to the crusades in the 12th century.