ARTS & LIFE
Blending plates beyond borders
The moment our plane landed the Lefkoşe (Nicosia) airport, I realized how much I missed the island. North Cyprus used to be a regular stop for me, especially in early spring when it was just the right time for wild asparagus, the so-called “Ayrelli” in Cypriot Turkish. Cypriot cuisine is like a cornucopia of Eastern Mediterranean tastes, with many dishes similar to the usual dishes in Türkiye, yet so different, in such a local way. In certain ways, the Cypriot food sounds like the same language spoken with a strong local accent. And when it comes to accents, Cypriot Turkish is sometimes like a different language, especially when it comes to food names. It is fun to decipher the origin of certain words, actually the names give hints to various cultures that dominated or had influence on the island. Having such a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean, the island had always been a target for all imperial powers who wanted to control the sea trade. For thousands of years there has been a multitude of cultures in the history of the island; to name a few, Hittite, Mycenaean, Assyrian, Persian, Ancient Greek, Genoese, Eastern Roman, Syrian, Lusignan, Venetian, Ottoman and British states ruled here. The first known copper deposits in history belong to Cyprus, making it an important source of the metal and a major income for the island. The island actually takes its name from the Latin ‘cuprum,’ which means copper. The biggest trade item after copper was centered astonishingly on carobs; for centuries, carobs loaded from Cyprus ports opened trade routes to many civilizations in the Mediterranean. Today, one can still see carob warehouses from years ago in Girne (Kyrenia) Harbor. Beyond its own trade assets, the location of the island has also been a major factor influencing the Cypriot food situated at the crossroads of trade routes.