Cyprus

It is easy to imagine how the Greek goddess of love was born from the waves of the Cypriot beaches. With three hundred sunny days a year, Cyprus is a visited tourist destination with an interesting history. Its name was given 3500 years ago, when the precious copper- cuprum was found here. Many Greeks were attracted to the island to raise it as a symbol of strength and power.

Ten different nation have ruled the island for 27 centuries. Cyprus has been inhabited since the dawn of human civilization. It was ruled by Rome, ancient Greece, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Venice in different periods of its history. The influence of these cultures can be observed on the found artifacts and works of art. One of the first settlers were the Mycenaeans and Phoenicians, and later Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians settled there. In the Middle Ages, the Crusaders captured the island. The offensive is led by Richard the Lionheart. In the 13th century the island was attacked by the Mamluks, but they stopped near Limassol. Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, but there are still two active military bases on the island under UK jurisdiction. In 1963 – 1964 riots broke out, organized by Greek nationalists. In 1964, the bases of the UN peacekeeping troops were located in the country, whose mission continues to this day. In 1974, Turkish troops landed, following a pro-Greek coup organized by the colonel’s regime to join Greece, and settled on the north coast of the island. They occupied about a third of the island and occupied its northern part after a short period of violence between Greeks and Turks. Thousands of Greek Cypriots have been forced to flee their homes to the south overnight, lose all their property and never return to their homes. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established. The occupied territories are divided by a 180 km long “Green Line” guarded by UN troops. This border passes through the capital Nicosia, which is the last divided capital in the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2007, parts of it were destroyed on its southern half. The island is extremely rich in historical sites – the castle of Paphos, the excavation of a complex of ancient villas, the Tombs of the Kings, Christian basilicas, ancient pagan temples, fortifications and Neolithic settlements. Currently, Cyprus is divided into two – Turkish and Greek, but still 80% of its population are Greeks.

There are many myths about the birth of Aphrodite from sea foam. The most famous is how the naked goddess appears off the coast of Cyprus in the heart of a beautiful shell, and there she is greeted by the goddesses Ori, daughters of Zeus and Themis. Aphrodite is revered as a giver of abundance, a goddess of forests, a companion and a good helper to those who sail the seas. It is depicted with a retinue of wild beasts – lions, wolves, bears. The goddess is the basis for starting the Trojan War, because she offers the Beautiful Helen to Paris, and also because she inflames his love for her. Her specialty is love, but not romance. Rather, she masters the instigation of lust and human passion. Aphrodite tries to intervene in the Trojan War on the side of the Trojans. She saves Paris in his battle with Menelaus. She is one of the few goddesses who is married. Zeus suspects that because of her great beauty there will be many admirers and marries her to Hephaestus, which does not prevent her from cheating on him with Ares, Adonis, Hermes and others. Even the gods are no strangers to anything human. 🙂 Back in school, ancient Greek myths and legends were one of my favorites. Great tales and characters, which, however, bring a lot of revenue to the treasury of Greece to this day. As one of my teachers used to say – how do these Greeks do it – they wrote that Zeus was sitting on this stone and contemplating Olympus and here is a stream of tourists to touch the stone, and we in Bulgaria have so indisputable and real historical treasures and we can not we do tourism. She told me that back in 1986-1987, but it still sound relevant now. Unfortunately.

When you are in Cyprus, it is a must to try the traditional cheese of the island called halloumi. It is served as an addition to various dishes, baked or fried, but without melting. Cypriots use it daily in salads, sandwiches, with eggs for breakfast, as an ingredient in many gourmet recipes, and in the summer with watermelon. In supermarkets you can find it softer and with less salt, as was the case in Western cuisine, while homemade is harder and saltier. It is traditionally prepared from a mixture of unpasteurized goat’s and cow’s milk. The main feature is the high melting temperature, and warming makes it soft and elastic and improves the taste. It is often served or wrapped in mint leaves. Many Cypriots prefer it aged – then it is drier, firmer, with a yellow tinge and more intense taste. Although produced and popular in the Mediterranean, halloumi is a traditional Cypriot cheese from Byzantine times.

The Greeks made Souvlaki famous, but the Cypriots have their own version, which is an extremely common fast food on the island. But unlike most snacks, it is not unhealthy at all, but low in fat. Cypriot souvlaki is a simple dish and is a loaf of bread with 2-3 pieces of roasted pork or chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and sometimes cabbage and onions. Cypriots usually squeeze a little lemon on the souvlaki. The meat is well roasted inside and out and is not seasoned.

Cyprus is home to the oldest wine brand still in production – a sweet dessert wine called Commandaria. You can find it in every supermarket and every traditional restaurant. It is served after dinner to improve digestion and goes with nuts, dried fruits, dates, mature cheeses, including halloumi and some dark chocolate. Commandaria is amber in color and very sweet, with a taste reminiscent of raisins, caramel and dried fruit. This smoky – caramel taste is due to the specific production process involving sun drying before pressing and fermentation. The process itself is described in ancient documents from 800 BC. Commandaria has been enjoyed for millennia by ancient heroes, crusaders, knights and kings. It is said that Richard the Lionheart was served this wine at his wedding in Cyprus, so it is called “wine for kings and king of wines”. It is believed that then Commandaria won the first competition for the best wine. So, if you want to feel the taste of history and feel like a king, open a bottle of Commandaria and let its aroma and taste carry you through time and legends.

From the “island of love” I chose to make a slightly unconventional cheesecake with apples today. 🙂 Here are the necessary products:

for the base:

175 grams of biscuits to your liking

75 grams of butter

for cream:

500 grams of cream cheese

15 grams of cornstarch

150 grams of sugar

100 ml cream

2 eggs + 1 yolk

vanilla

for the apple layer:

200 grams of apples (peeled, cleaned and cut into cubes)

15 ml of lemon juice

50 grams of brown sugar

for the crispy crust:

100 grams of flour

80 grams of butter

70 grams of brown sugar

Steps of preparation:

We start with the fruit layer. Put the apples with the lemon juice and sugar on the stove and cook on medium heat until the fruit is soft and the sauce is reduced to almost one tablespoon. Do not stir often so as not to spoil the pieces of fruit. When ready, set aside to cool.

The base of the cake is simple and it’s made for wichever cheesecake. Crush the biscuits into crumbs with a blender and pour the melted butter over them. In a tray with a diameter of 20-22 cm, put baking paper on the walls, and maybe below. I did not put the bottom, because the base is greasy and does not stick. Pour the biscuit mixture and press well with a flat-bottomed cup or your hands. It should be well soldered so as not to break the base of the dessert after baking. Refrigerate for half an hour to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the cream. It is made elementary. Beat the cream cheese, cream, sugar, starch, eggs and vanilla until smooth and thick.

All that’s left is the crispy crust, which is even easier to make. Mix the butter, flour and sugar.

When all the ingredients are ready, it’s time to assemble the cake and bake it. Pour the cream on the base.

Arrange the fruit on top of the cream. I was sorry I followed the recipe. I think this cake can handle at least another 200 grams of apples, but next time I will know.

Finally, make the mixture into crumbs and spread it on the layer with the fruit.

Bake for one hour in a preheated oven at 160 degrees. Then leave the cheesecake in the oven for half an hour after turning it off and opening the door. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Let me tell you, this is a cross between cheesecake and crumble. Cramble is a dessert made from stewed fruit and flour crumbs. The recipe came from Britain and Ireland, becoming popular after World War II, when countries were recovering and food supplies were running low. The main ingredients are sugar, butter, flour and fruit. In this case, I did not expect such a successful combination between these two desserts, but the cake is great. It is not heavy, but you can still feel the wonderful aroma of butter and brown sugar. And the crust on top is phenomenal and gives a wonderful crunchiness to the dessert. I highly recommend that you make this wonderful cake. 🙂

Next destination – Kyrgyzstan.