It was getting late and we were already very hungry so everyone was happy to see sign post to Lofou (Λόφου) where I had planned dining in a “traditional taverna”. We got there quickly and without wandering around, as from the very beginning of the town there were signs pointing to it. It has to be – otherwise no one would find it in the labyrinth of narrow streets of Lofou. The owner asked whether we wanted menus or meze. Meze, of course, was our dream that day.
I didn’t really know what to expect: I only knew that it was a mix of some traditional Cypriot and Greek food. What I got was beyond my imagination.
At first, some cold starters were served:
- beets
- sour potatos with capparis
- olives
- bread
And three kinds of sauces: one of them was the famous tzatziki (τζατζίκι), others I couldn’t recognize. Apart from the sauces, the starters were known to us and I was getting a bit impatient. They didn’t let us wait though and after a while we were served a Greek salad and grilled haloumi (χαλούμι) cheese. I’m a big fan of cheese and I find that one delicious – it’s made from a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, usually garnished with mint. It has a relatively high melting point so it can be easily grilled or fried.
Haloumi initiated a series of hot dishes. A few minutes later, we got pita with cheese (molten and yellow one this time). In Poland, a pita is usually a hard bread stuffed with all kinds of vegetables and some meat, a bit similar to (Polish) kebab. It’s often a fast-food here so I was surprised to see that it was soft and tasty. Then, a vegetarian dish was served (we ordered one non-meat meze): small peppers in a sauce. Unfortunately I haven’t found a Greek name for this so I don’t know what it was but I’d love to cook it one day, it was lip-smacking. Meanwhile, they gave us pickled pepper and rice which went good with pepper sauce.
My next favorite was an omelette fried with spinach – seriously, if I go there again, I’ll definitely order a vegetarian meze. But meat plates were on their way… we got grilled poultry and lamb – they were just fine, for me it’s quite difficult to tell the difference between pork and lamb as I don’t eat the latter often. The next plate was a lot more tasty for me: it was lamb in wine. Fortunately some of us didn’t like meat in wine so I gained one or two pieces, exchanging them for grilled chicken. Oh, I laughed when they brought French fries, it was funny that they serve it with a traditional dish – I don’t think they originate from Cyprus.
We were already sated when we got another three dishes: couscous, grilled vegetables and another kind of meat. I think it was the sheftalia (σεφταλιά) of which I’d heard before. It was the most appetizing meat it my opinion: special sausages garnished with onion, pepper and some other spices.
The owners were nice and smiling. I think in Cyprus it’s a good habit to exaggerate a bit after eating in a taverna and to thank the people who run it in more than one word. They seem to appreciate it – we had a little conversation when leaving, they revealed to us the Turkish delight (sweets) and told us about flaounas (I hope I spell it right), a special cake/bread cooked for Easter. Their way of saying goodbye with a honest smile and meze still in my mind (and stomach) made me want to come back there some day.
