Food & Drinks

halloumi

North Cyprus offers a culinary journey as rich and diverse as its history. Rooted in Mediterranean, Turkish, and Middle Eastern traditions, and shaped by local produce and centuries-old techniques, the cuisine of Northern Cyprus is a feast for all senses.

Whether you’re dining in a rustic village tavern or a seaside restaurant, every meal here reflects a deep love for food, sharing, and tradition.

A Meze Culture Like No Other

A typical Cypriot meal often begins with meze — a colorful array of small dishes that turn every dinner into a celebration. These include:

  • Halloumi – the island’s world-famous white cheese, served grilled or fresh.
  • Molohiya – a rich stew of chicken or lamb and mallow leaves, brought from Egyptian culinary tradition and adapted locally.
  • Kolokas – a starchy root vegetable similar to taro, stewed with meat or tomatoes.
  • Pirohu – tender pasta parcels filled with fresh cheese or mint, often served with melted butter.

Each dish is deeply rooted in home cooking and is meant to be shared at the table, often accompanied by fresh-baked bread, olives, tahini, hummus, and seasonal salads.

Traditional Mains – From Oven to Fire

North Cyprus is home to unique kebabs and slow-cooked dishes rarely found elsewhere:

  • Şeftali Kebab – despite its name (“şeftali” means peach), this dish is a juicy sausage made from minced lamb wrapped in caul fat and grilled to perfection.
  • Küpkebabı – lamb slow-roasted in sealed clay pots or ovens until meltingly tender.
  • Hırsız Kebabı – “the thief’s kebab,” an old recipe of shoulder of lamb baked slowly in an earthen oven, often overnight.
  • Herse – a comforting dish of wheat and ground meat, traditionally made in large cauldrons for festivals and celebrations.
  • Pasta bake and roast potatoes – familiar comfort foods with local flair, often cooked with olive oil and aromatic herbs.

Sweet Traditions

Desserts in North Cyprus are deeply traditional and made to be savored slowly with coffee or tea. You’ll find:

  • Sucuk – grape molasses thickened into chewy fruit “sausages” with whole almonds inside.
  • Köfter – a sweet treat made of flour and grape molasses, shaped into bite-sized pieces.
  • Paluze – a silky-smooth pudding made from grape juice and starch, similar to blancmange.
  • Ekmek Kadayıfı – shredded bread soaked in syrup, layered with soft cheese or clotted cream.
  • Sütlü Börek – a baked dessert of filo pastry soaked in milk, somewhere between pudding and pie.
  • Sini Katmeri – a flakey pastry filled with white cheese and ground almonds, traditionally baked in large pans.
  • Macun – spoon sweets (fruit preserved in syrup) made from walnut, bitter orange, bergamot, or even baby aubergine.
Macun

Wine & Local Delights

Don’t leave without tasting the verigo grape, grown locally and used both for eating and for making wine. In recent years, North Cyprus has seen a revival of small-scale wineries producing aromatic reds and whites that pair beautifully with meze and grilled meats.

Most restaurants across the island serve both local specialities and international cuisine, offering plenty of choices for every palate — but to truly experience the culture, it’s best to order something traditionally Cypriot.