Culture

After the Turkish occupation of the north in 1974, Cyprus was split into two linguistic states. The Turkish speaking north, and the south which speaks both Greek and Turkish.

Greek Cypriots have a distinct dialect, but standard modern Greek is used for official government business.

Turkish Cypriots speak Turkish, even in a distinct dialect, although it is not as far from the Turkish standard as Cypriot Greek is from the Greek standard. That’s partly due to Cyprus’s separation from mainland Greece in the late middle ages for hundreds of years.

Maronite Arabs and Armenians on the island likewise speak Greek Cypriot. Those communities were forced to pick either Turkish or Greek as part of the new Constitution in 1960. They try to preserve their own languages as well.

Other notable languages spoken in the south are English, Russian and Armenian. It is estimated 76% of the southern Cypriots can speak some English.

Eating Out in Cyprus

Eating out around Cyprus can mean a simple, tasty, economical meal such as kebabs or burgers, all the way to a gastronomic feast. International cuisine is widespread throughout all districts and of a reasonably high caliber.

The most popular of foods in Cyprus to eat out is of course souvlaki, cooked outside on the bbq, and there is hardly a street to be found in Cyprus that doesn’t have a kebab shop with the mouth-watering smell of kebabs wafting down the streets.

The small traditional Cypriot tavernas are also very popular and can be found throughout all districts, in villages and in tourist areas, where one can choose from fresh local dishes of meat, fish, vegetables, and salads.

On a typical menu, you could expect to find dishes such as:

• Stifado (Beef or rabbit stew casseroled with wine, vinegar, onions, and spices)

• Moussaka (Baked lamb and eggplant casserole covered with a thick layer of béchamel sauce)

• Kleftiko (Shoulder of lamb cooked slowly for around 24 hours in a clay oven with lemon juice, and cinnamon)

• Fasolada (A soup made of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables)

• Koupepia (also known as Dolmades)(Vine leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice seasoned with mint, onions, and spices)

• Loukanika (Pork sausages soaked in red wine, then smoked, and seasoned with coriander and red pepper)

• Tzatziki (A mixture of yogurt with finely cut garlic, cucumber, olive oil and a little pepper)

• Tahini (Crushed sesame seeds with olive oil, lemon, and garlic)

• Taramosalata (Fish roe blended into a creamy pink dip of pureed potatoes with olive oil, parsley, lemon juice and finely chopped onion)

• Haloumi (White soft cheese usually grilled, made from either goat or sheep milk and sometimes spiced with peppermint)

• Sheftalia (Grilled fresh sausage made of minced pork, chopped onions, bread crumbs, chopped parsley, white pepper, and salt).

These are just a few of the local divine dishes you will find around Cyprus. Of course one can always try smaller amounts of many local foods in a traditional Cyprus Meze (Mezedes), which includes many small dishes of meat, fish or vegetables.

Throughout Cyprus, but more especially in the seaside resorts, you will find many seafood restaurants serving a variety of shellfish and fresh fish dishes, including calamari, octopus, red mullet, and sea bass.

Some of the local tavernas and fish restaurants can get very busy, especially at weekends when the locals frequent them, so it may be advisable to reserve your table.

If you are looking for a more International theme, then there are many restaurants in all towns offering menus such as Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Indian, French and of course English, plus many more.

Some of the major hotels also have excellent restaurants that are open not only to their hotel residents but also to the public.

Sweet food dishes are also trendy in Cyprus, with many local delights available for dessert dishes usually consisting of fresh fruits, which may be served alone, or served in combination with a selection of sweet pastries.

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Food Delivery in Cyprus

Homemade souvlaki and pita.When living in Cyprus, ‘eating in’ usually means firing up the bbq and eating in the garden. With the mild year-round climate of Cyprus, the bbq is an essential part of life. With Cyprus having an abundance of fresh meat, fish, vegetables, and salads, one can easily maintain a healthy diet.

Of course, there are other times when you might not want to cook or go out, and this is no problem. There are plenty of Take-Away food outlets that also do home deliveries, such as pizza, fried chicken, burgers, or even a traditional Cypriot meal, with delivery costs being low.

You can also pick up all kinds of Take-Away foods to eat at home, and some of the favorite choices are spit-roasted whole chicken, or bbq corn on the cob, which is usually sold by street vendors.

Bakeries and Delicatessens are plentiful, and the vast range of bread, sweet delicacies, and pastries, as well as mouth-watering cakes that will get your taste buds flowing.

There will be other times when you may be hosting a formal dinner party but would prefer to have professionals provide the catering, and this is another service that is easily found in Cyprus, offering excellent Cypriot or International cuisine.

Its a good thing to at least try to learn some Greek, even if only a few words. Learning modern Greek should be sufficient to get you by.

However, there is a dialect in Cyprus, much like in different parts of the United Kingdom. Cypriots may not fully understand some Greek words, but don’t let that put you off.

What languages are spoken in Cyprus?

After the Turkish occupation of the north in 1974, Cyprus was split into two linguistic states. The Turkish speaking north, and the south which speaks both Greek and Turkish.

Other notable languages spoken in the south are English, Russian and Armenian. It is estimated 76% of the southern Cypriots can speak some English.

If you have a basic understanding of Greek, you will slowly pick up the Cypriot dialect(s). You should first try to learn the Greek alphabet which consists of 24 letters as below:

Greek Alphabet and How to Pronounce it

Letter	Upper	Lower	Sounds Like
Alpha (owl-pha)	A	α	ah
Beta (veeta)	Β	β	v as in vote
Gamma (gahma)	Γ	γ	hard ‘g’ before a,o,u. Otherwise ‘y’.
Delta (thelta)	Δ	δ	th
Epsilon (epseelon)	Ε	ε	eh
Zeta (zeeta)	Ζ	ζ	z as in zebra
Eta (eeta)	Η	η	ee as in sleep
Theta (theeta)	Θ	θ	soft th
Iota (yota)	Ι	ι	ee as in sleep
Kappa (kahpah)	Κ	κ	k as in keep
Lambda (lamtha)	Λ	λ	l as in large
Mu (mee)	Μ	μ	m as in mark
Nu (Nee)	Ν	ν	n as in noon
Ksi (xee)	Ξ	ξ	the letter x
Omicron (oh me chron)	Ο	ο	o as in own
Pi (pee)	Π	π	p as in people
Ro (row)	Ρ	ρ	r as in robot
Sigma (seehgma)	Σ	σ, ς	s as in seagull
Tau (taf)	Τ	τ	t as in toad
Upsilon (eepsilon)	Υ	υ	ee as in sleep
Phi (fee)	Φ	φ	f as in food
Chi (xhee)	Χ	χ	throaty ch as in chaos
Psi (see)	Ψ	ψ	ps as in lopsided
Omega (o may gah)	Ω	ω	o as in on

Greek Pronunciation Video

Learn the Greek Language

To help you get started with the Greek language, including discovering your first words and putting sentences together you could try learning Greek online which can be done in your own time and at a pace you are comfortable with.

If you need to learn Greek fast, we recommend Greek Pod 101. The videos and podcasts of Greek Pod 101 are much better than just reading an instruction book. There are free and paid memberships, depending on how fast you want to learn the language.

Book Language Course

If you prefer to learn at your own pace there is a great book/cd set called Living Language Greek – Beginner through Advanced.

It comes with 9 CDs and a 300-page book that steps you through reading and writing in addition to just speaking the language. It’s probably the top of the line for learning Greek.

Learning Greek while in Cyprus

There are also over 300 Government adult training centers throughout Cyprus where you can take a course at evening school to learn ‘Greek for foreigners‘.

These courses are Co-financed by the European Social Fund of the EU and offered free to EU citizens, which makes them extremely worthwhile if you plan to live in Cyprus.

Private language training schools are also numerous and can be found in every major city. These courses can be more flexible with your time, some offering day or evening classes.

The whole course is completed faster than the government courses, so this may be a better option if you need to learn Greek fast.