Despite the fact that Cyprus has constant sunshine, the summer holidays are more of a festive occasion than anything else. Aside from the beach and bathing, the August period is more of a free-spirited behavior. You can move around in shorts, feel relaxed in your demeanor, and in general there is a feeling of a festive occasion and psychology, to invite friends over for a light dinner/lunch (is there such a thing in Cyprus?) and have all kinds of conversation (Cypriot men usually discuss sexual jokes and football and women about fashion and gossip about who wears what). In small societies, holidays can be boring at times and what is needed is good company (ie people with the same attitude and similar interests). We are not a country of book readers, nor a country of athletes, but we are inclined towards food, drink and conversation, as a source of entertainment.
So how can we make use of our vacation home and get a return on our investment in entertainment and events?
- There are events all over Cyprus ranging from small towns to cities, such as Limassol and Pafos, from “shoushoukkos” festivals (Limassol) to “reci” = wedding food (Paphos) and sougla parties in Larnaca, all organized by local municipalities and villages. . authorities. Cultural events are almost everywhere, from Ayia Napa to Paralimni, in every city and the main event with the Aphrodite Opera in Paphos. Yes, the latter costs around €80 each, but operas of a similar standard in Europe cost 4 times as much. A Dutch friend of ours says: “I never miss the Paphos opera, because for the same money I can get an opera and 7 days of vacation to accompany it.”
- Going back to using the outdoor barbecue at home is “the” favorite entertainment event of the locals and during the summer fish is dinner/lunch the main food to adopt. Fish in Cyprus has all kinds of “strange” delicacies (not necessarily to the liking of foreigners due to their appearance) such as squid (cuttlefish), octopus (fish with legs) and red mullet (Barbouni in the local language) with the commentary of why do you eat these minnows? But then fish, if cooked at home, tends to have a smell, so most housewives/locals don’t adopt this as a preference, opting instead to eat in restaurants.
- However, summer vacation is all about having a “free spirit,” as we said before, so experiment with new ventures and show off to your friends. If what you want to do is fish do it outside but make sure the charcoal is on low heat and put the grill on first and once it is hot then place the fish on top otherwise the fish will stick to the grill. If you prefer octopus, boil it for about 20 minutes and then over charcoal, otherwise it will be tough.
- For those halloumi lovers, buy the more expensive halloumi which is more difficult. Slice and grill the halloumi first and then take a pita (cut ¼ pieces), place the already grilled halloumi on the pita and a slice of tomato. Place pitta with halloumi and tomato back on the grill. An all-time hit to impress your friends (recipe from Phidias).
- For wine drinkers, make absolutely sure your white wine is chilled. Beer is not the same if it is not ice cold. Do not depend on your fridge and place the bottles in the freezer of your fridge (same with beer), but be careful not to freeze them. Leave the beer cans for 30 minutes and the wine bottles for 15 minutes. Very cold wine tastes better and with our temperature a cold beer is not fashionable. For red wine, put the bottle in the regular fridge for about 15-20 minutes to chill. Much better flavor.
- For the most exclusive and while the barbecue is being done, put some walnuts on the grill (cut a small slice to cook better) and for those who have no problem with their teeth, put sweet corn on the charcoal, salt on top. when finished. Fantastic appetizer.
- For those who don’t eat meat but say chicken and aren’t sure how to grill, coat the chicken pieces with yogurt, place on the grill and wait until the yogurt is lightly browned. The chicken is juicy and tasty and the meat does not burn.
- For those who want to remember the traditional aperitif, opt for the brandy sour. Use Cyprus brandy, Angostura bitters (5 drops), lemon squash (small) and soda, as well as ice, remove it and at the end place a slice of lemon on top. Unique in Cyprus not found anywhere else in the world. For those with a sweet tooth, before placing the ingredients, wet the glass (long glass) and place the lips of the glass on a plate with sugar. The most attractive appearance, the low cost and a unique drink that will impress your friends.
- For salads, use good quality tomatoes and purslane, thinly sliced onions, and good quality black olives. Olive oil and salt on top. More refreshing.
- For those who want to fry up and get their guests involved in the garden, invest in a very large, shallow pan and a gas bottle with a top base. The local meatballs (kioftes) are amazing in terms of flavor (ask your local butcher for the mix). Easy to cook, you can’t go wrong. Place lemon before eating.
- For the fries the secret is that you fry the potatoes for 10 minutes, take them out to cool and put them back in the pan. The result is that the potatoes will be crispy without oil. Use olive oil instead of regular frying oils.
- As for the music, he uses the Theodorakis style (Zorba Greek music) and Xarchakos bouzouki, but very Europeanized and soft to the ear.
- In terms of discussion topics, dispense with the financial crisis and the depressing topic. Don’t mention medical and other problems that we all have, but keep it up after the holidays. Tell each other how young you look for your age. We all need an ego boost.
- If you have non-locals that you want to impress with your cooking skills and have fun with, give each guest a souglakia (cebap) skewer and have each cook their own. Make sure you have grilled pita bread (the thin kind), lemon, parsley, and tomatoes.
- Invest in a good wine to start with and after the first bottle no one will know the difference if the second one isn’t as good!!
As you may have noticed, despite the fact that it is a real estate section, we are also on vacation. A friend of ours who dined with the president of a company (perhaps the richest company in the world) after a very expensive dinner, the president, asked his host for a dinner of souglakia and a particular brand of local wine insisting on a date of invitation. .
We have a policy, not always maintained, if you want to make a good impression, ask your friends/customers at home. It does not matter if at the end of the day the cooking is not up to par. They will love it.