Diving into the Cuisine of Cyprus- CHoW DC

I attended my first meeting of the Culinary Historians of Washington last Sunday. 
I met with Amy Riolo at her mentor's house, Sheliah Kaufman, where I also met Beyhan Trock, a lovely woman who is working on promoting her first book. I felt so honored to be in the same room with these smart, beautiful women who do things I only dream about doing with my life.
The guest speaker was a man named William Woys Weaver. 

William Woys Weaver

He was an exquisite speaker, and I learned a lot about Cyprus that I'd never known. Ok. I'll admit- before this, I really couldn't even tell you where Cyprus was located or what language is spoken there. Now I have a wealth of knowledge, no only about the cuisine, but the history as well. Here are some of the things that I learned:

The Republic of Cyprus

• Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus,  is located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon and North of Egypt.
• Cyprus is the 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. 
• Cyprus is separated into 5 districts; the capital is Nicosia, the largest city. 
• People from Cyprus are referred to as Cypriots
• Much of the trade in and out of Cyprus has historically taken place at the port city of Ayas. Early trade, exotic spice, silk, and rugs, came from Asia. 
• Cyprus is home to 23 species of oregano, the only country in the Mediterranean to boast that.
• Most of the villager's diets are based solely on legumes and plants. 



Halloumi Cheese

• Halloumi is a traditional cypriot cheese made from a mixture of sheep's milk and goat's milk. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture similar to mozzarella, and has a salty flavor. 

Here are some Cypriot food items and terms that I learned:

• Yachni: a method of sweating vegetables with onions- developed among ancient Greeks
• Snails: considered a delicacy among Cypriots, snails are removed from their shells and usually eaten as part of a rice dish
• Stifado: a snail dish cooked with cinnamon, onions and tomatoes. 
• Taro: used since the times of the Roman Empire, it is often stewed with celery and coriander seeds and sometimes tomato sauce. "Baby" taro is called "poulles" on the island of Cyprus and after being fried is stewed in a sauce of crushed garlic and fresh lemon juice and water.  
• Tahine: has been part of the Cypriot diet since ancient times. 
• Sesame oil: is the basic cooking oil used on the island. 
• Skourathes: the Cypriot term for baby leeks, often used in dishes both raw and cooked.

I learned so much about this small country from a mere hour-and-a-half long presentation. I never would have known some of these things if I hadn't just opened my mind to this wonderful group of people. Next month, we are meeting on March 11. The speaker is a man by the name of Warren Belasco, who will be talking about the culinary history of Washington, DC. I urge anyone in the DC/Metropolitan area who is interested in food, history, or simply learning something new, to come join us. Visit the website www.chowdc.org for more information. 

Until next time, keep cooking!