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- Traditions and Customs

The traditions and customs of a society can best be observed in ceremonies and on special occasions. Between the Turkish Cypriot community, some of these are wedding ceremonies, feast days (Ramazan), birth, children’s starting to school , etc. Another important characteristic of the Turkish Cypriot is their hospitality. In the past, the importance of the guest was proportional with their social status and their age. Serving the guests usually started with coffee or sherbets, especially those of honey, rose and carob. Fruit paste serving was also of importance.

- Folk Dances

The Turkish Cypriot people do their folk-dances at the ceremonious occassions such as marriages, kina nights, harvest days, etc. These dances are generally played in the following sequence : meeting dances, henkerchief dances, “zeybek” dance, women dances, dramatic dances, and butcher dances. Meeting dances are made up of women and men meetings. The women’s dances are generally slower in tempo.

- Traditional Hand Crafts:

*Yemeni (Traditional Head Scarf); Yemeni was widely worn by Turkish Cypriot woman. It was a symbol of richness. The material for Yemeni was produced at home by using thin cotton thread and was finely decorated with pretty symbols of flowers, leaves, and branches. The edges were sown with various motifs.

*Lace-Work of Lefkara; This is one of the most important handicrafts of Cyprus. The linen that is to be worked on is first tied and stretched on a pillow. Different techniques like cutting out and sewing in shapes are used to decorate the final product. After the motifs are completed, an arch is sewed all around the lace. In the past, they mainly used for personal use. Currently, they are produced mainly for economical purposes, and are sold to the tourists.

*Hesap Works; Hesap works were produced both for economical and personal use. This name is given to these works because while decorating them with different motifs, each strand is counted one by one.

*Silk Works; One of the most widely used handcrafts in Cyprus was the use of silkworm cocoons. After carefully removing the silkworm in them, the holeless cocoon was used in either picture works or in decorating dresses. Pictures were worked on white, black, or claret red colored Japanese linen.

*Plant Knitting; It is the name given to the use of the leaves ir thin branches of plants, as they are or by cutting them into thin ribbons , in different ways. Mesarya and Karpaz regions are the main regions where plant knitting is practiced.

T U R K I S H C Y P R I O T C U I S I N E

Cypriot cuisine has been influenced by different cultures throuhout history. Therefore there isn’ t any dish, which we would call ‘ Cypriot ’ only. However with little variations from their originals Cypriots have developed quite tasty dishes. Each dish has a peculiar taste and cooking and presentation reflects the character of the people of Cyprus. ‘ Molhiya ’ Arab in origin, has developed completely, appealing to Cypriot tasta both in preparation, taste and presentation. Some dishes even vary from region to region in name, preparation and taste. North Cyprus is fascinating and appealing to people who eat well and enjoy eating.

A great variety of vegetable dishes, grills, pastry, fish, soups, kebabs, lahmacun, pides are to name but a few. A big list of mezes, sweets, cakes, eaten either as starters or as afters can be named. In addition to local cuisine Chinese, Italian, French and Indian foods are well represented in various restaurants.

v SOUPS

Lentil soup

Tarhana soup

Rice soup

Noodle soup

Vegetable soup

Humus soup

Paça soup

Chicken broth soup

Noddle lentil soup

v MEZES

Humus

Cacık

Tahin

Pickles

Potato salad

Samarella

Lettuce & yogurt salad

Broad bean paste

Fried hellim

Çakızdez

Octopus

Calamary

Gabbar

Tongue of lamb

Brain salad

Pastırma

v PILAFS

Rice Pilaf

Bulgur pilaf

Mücendra pilaf

Herse

v MAIN DISHES

Şeftali Kebap

Fırın Kebap

Şiş Kebap

Köfte

Musakka

Molehiya

Bamya

Yalancı Dolma

Et Dolması

Bumbar

Okra

Leeks

Baked beans

Green beans

Kolokas

Cauliflower

Spinach

v PASTAS & PASTRIES

Tatar Böreği

Pirohu

Hellim cheese pie

Nor cheese pie

Minced meet pie

Spinach pie

Pumpkin pie

Mushroom pie

Olive bread

Hellim bread

Bidda

Sesami bread

Tahinli

Pilavuna

v SWEETS

Fırın Katmeri

Samsı

Tel kadayıfı

Ekmek kadayıfı

Şamişi

Lokma

Şammali

Bişi

Sucuk

Köfter

Paluze

Golifa

Simit helvası

Erişteli sütlaç

v JAMS, MARMELADS & GLAZED FRUITS

Green walnuts

Bitter orange skins

Bergamot skins

Quince

Date

Green figs

Watermelon skins

Pumpkin

Stawberry jam

Orange jam

Plum jam

Grape jam

Glazed peach

Glazed apple

Glazed plum

Glazed pear

v DRINKS

Şerbet

Lemonade

Ayran

Zivaniya

Wine

Rakı

Brandy

Beer