All your relatives and friends are happy to look at your vacation photos and listen to stories about conquering new lands after another trip. Joy will be multiplied if a modest but valuable gift is attached to the story. What souvenirs to bring from Cyprus to relatives and friends, if this island has become a holiday destination?
Commandaria
In the early 13th century, the ruler of Cyprus, Hugh I de Lusignana, endowed the Order of Hospitallers with the land where the Grand Commandaria was founded. This name was given to a drink that local knights made from growing grape varieties Mavro (red) and Xynisteri (white). Thanks to its refined sweet taste with hints of ripe fruit, spices, honey and nuts, dessert wine with a strength of 15-16% was appreciated in Europe and even won first prizes in wine competitions in France in 1213 (known as the “Battle of Wines”) and England in 1362 ("The Feast of the Five Kings"). "The wine of kings andking of wines" - legends attribute this quote about Commandaria to Richard the Lionheart, who knew a lot about fine drinks.
In the Middle Ages, most of the Commandaria was exported, today this wine is sold anywhere on the island, but knowledgeable people recommend buying it at the Kykkos monastery. The cost is 10-15 euros per bottle. The main wine company of Cyprus, KEO Group, produces a drink with the label Commandaria St. John.
Zivania
The monastery also cooks and sells zivania. Men will appreciate Cypriot whiskey (or fire water) with a strength of 40-49%. Only in this place a secret set of spices is added to the drink, which saturates it with a golden hue and original taste. Cost - 4-5 euros for a small bottle of 350 ml.
The production of the drink started in the 14th century, the technology has been preserved since then. The distilled and aged infusion of grape pomace and dry wines is distilled in a special cauldron. Depending on the choice of one of the three processes, a drink of different quality is obtained. The tincture was also used for medicinal purposes: for treating wounds, rinsing with toothache, and with hypothermia. But the best use is as an aperitif, chilled to slightly mist the bottle.
Giving such a gift, you are presenting not just a strong drink, but a piece of the history of the island. Deciding what to bring alcohol from Cyprus as a gift, this is the best option, but you need to remember about the baggage allowance.
From authentic spirits, you should also take a closer look at the wines of St. Panteleimon”, “Agios Onoufrios”.
Halloumi cheese
Another useful souvenir from Cyprus that will not be difficult to bring is the traditional pickled halloumi cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk with a unique shade of dried mint, which is added when it ripens. A minimum of fat (10%) will not increase waist size. Halloumi has been made in Cyprus since medieval Byzantium, today it is produced everywhere by large enterprises and home farms.
Hallumi is loved by Cypriot chefs, and not a single feast is complete without his participation. Attach cooking recommendations to the present: with fresh hot bread, fried until golden brown, grilled, with aromatic herbs, baked in pitta, added to a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, capers or pizza along with slices of smoked pork - halloumi will have to taste in any form. The cost is from two to ten euros.
Olive oil
With lemon, basil, oregano, organic… Olive oil is the first thing that comes to mind when you wonder what you can bring as a gift from Cyprus.
The village oil mills are the place where extra virgin olive oil is produced. Harvested olives are thoroughly washed by the locals to remove debris. As a result of grinding in a special vat with millstones, mashed potatoes are obtained, which are diluted with water and placed in an apparatus where oil is extracted. After filtering, all that remains is to substitute the jugs and taste the fragrant product of the first direct pressing (extra virgion), dipping fresh bread in it.
Out of 100kg of olives produces about 20 liters of oil, and the most valuable is from unripe fruits. At the oil mill, fresh oil for bottling during the harvest season can be purchased at a price of 5 euros per litre. Factory-made oil in a supermarket will cost an average of 8 euros per liter, a souvenir option - about 11 euros.
Carob syrup
The carob tree, or carob, is one of the ancient symbols of Cyprus. In the era of the Romans, carob seeds were used as a measure of mass, one seed is 0.19 grams.
Today, the tree is valuable for its fruits - long brown pods about 20 cm long. Beans ripen inside, from the sweet pulp of which they make syrup, chocolate paste, similar in taste to condensed milk, and even liquor. Local donkeys also like to eat them raw.
If the question arises of what to bring from Cyprus, Ayia Napa organizes excursions "Culinary Traditions of the Country", where carob syrup is recommended to be purchased at Dipotamos Donkey Farm.
Carob tree syrup, in addition to its wonderful taste properties, has healing properties. Traditional medicine recommends using it for coughs, colds, to restore the nervous system.
Cypriot honey
Bee breeding in Cyprus is a craft that has evolved over the centuries. Until the end of the 19th century, beehives were clay cylinders measuring 90 x 60 cm, embedded in the walls of residential buildings. The climate of Cyprus is ideal for beekeeping. Eucalyptus, carob, orange groves, lavender, almond and thyme blossomsall year round, changing each other. Orange honey (orange), light and fragrant, is in the greatest demand. What to bring from Cyprus to strengthen the body? For colds, it is better to take thyme honey to calm the nerves - honey from lavender. Fragrant honey, royal jelly, pollen and propolis can be purchased at Cypriot apiaries, travelers also recommend visiting Cyherbia Medicinal Herb Park or Machairas Monastery.
Traditional sweets for small and big sweet tooth - what to bring from Cyprus? Reviews of tourists all as one offer to sample any of the culinary creations, whether it is honey-soaked baklava or the closest relative of churchkhella suzuko - thickened grape juice and honey with almonds inside. Turkish lukumi with a Cypriot accent, generously flavored with pistachios, bergamot or mint, and nuts in honey and sesame. Pastelli, or pastelaki, from carob beans and kataifi from the thinnest strands of dough with the addition of nuts, syrup. Green walnut jam, coconut sweets and halva. Enough list to think about buying a large suitcase for the return trip.
Spices
Housewives will be delighted with a set of fragrant spices and spices. Thyme, mint, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, all kinds of pepper. On the packaging, they usually write in which dishes it is best to use. Their weight is small, the price is pleasant, 5-12 euros.
If the question of what to bring from Cyprus from the grocery department is still relevant, then you can add delicious smokedalmonds, herbal teas with a rich taste and aroma (rose, mint), dried and s alted olives, traditional tzatziki (tzatziki) sauce, fish caviar appetizer called teramosalata.
Stocking food is great, but it's worth thinking about something more durable. What to bring from Cyprus as a gift, if we ignore the topic of gastronomy?
Lefkarian lace
In the foothills of the Troodos, the small village of Lefkara is comfortably located, which is famous for embroidery and lace. The tradition dates back to the 15th century, when doges ruled Cyprus and visiting Venetians taught local girls the art of embroidery. The Cypriots turned out to be good students and, having contributed to art, created a whole trend - lefkaritika. In this type of needlework, Cypriot folk motifs are made with special skillful stitches. Hard work is not for the lazy - the craftswoman works on one thing from three to six months. Therefore, the price of a small napkin is 20 euros, while a tablecloth can cost up to 900 euros, depending on the size. The colors of leftkaritika are exclusively white, beige and pistachio shades. Stunning shawls, fans, handbags and even umbrellas will be a great solution when answering the question of what can be brought from Cyprus for a woman of any age.
Leonardo da Vinci himself was once a buyer of this beauty, he bought an embroidered canvas for the altar of the cathedral in Milan.
Silver
Not only Lefkara is famous for its lace makers, but also products of local craftsmen made fromsilver. Light and durable, with openwork patterns, the products are made of the finest silver thread. This is the secret of jewelers who use this technique to make rings, earrings, brooches, pendants, chains, rims for dishes and much more. It is simply impossible to resist buying such a thing that will please more than one year. The average price of a bracelet is 20 euros, earrings - 40 euros.
Pafitika
Another way to please loved ones is to buy textiles, if the question is, what can be brought from Cyprus, Paphos (where the name of the products came from). Clothes, curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths are decorated with bright geometric patterns, their price is more affordable - from 5 euros.
Greek olive oil cosmetics
It would be a crime to have olives in the resource and not use them for making cosmetics. Based on olive oil and other natural ingredients that grow nearby, the Greeks produce products whose quality will satisfy the most demanding customer: shampoos, balms and hair masks, soaps of various types and varieties (with honey, herbs and essential oils), for babies and ladies of "Balzac age", remedies for healing burns, cuts, insect bites.
What to bring from Cyprus? Reviews on the side of natural cosmetics. It is difficult to meet a woman who refuses products that preserve youth and smoothness of the skin, beauty of the hair, and the best assistant in this matter is olive oil and derivatives.
Pythagorean Cup
People with a sense of humor will be amused by the mug of Pythagoras (a fair cup, or mug of greed). This is a special container with a column in the middle, which allows you to get drunk only if filled to a certain level. If there is more liquid than necessary, it will spill out. The legend claims that Pythagoras invented this bowl in order to save drinking water in Samos. Price - 10 euros.
Collectible figurines
All souvenir shops sell figurines of the symbol of Crete - the donkey. Made of clay, textiles or wood - funny, charming, cost from 3 euros. This smart independent animal has always been an indispensable household helper, the donkey lived in every house. Today, donkeys are under the protection of the state, it is not worth offending him, for this a fine and imprisonment are provided.
Good luck in love, which will not hurt to bring from Cyprus, will bring a figurine of Aphrodite made of alabaster, clay, porcelain. Just a couple of euros.
Replica of a terracotta figurine
This is an ornament shaped like a cross. The original is in the Cyprus National Museum. It is not a symbol of existing religions, but is related to the idols worshiped by the first inhabitants of the island. Price - from 5 to 15 euros.
What do tourists bring from Cyprus besides this? Sea sponges, magnets, linen bags, bottle gourds painted with an archaic pattern, T-shirts with inscriptions (and not always censored ones), tunics with Greek and Cypriot symbols, beautiful ceramics (door plates, dishes). As well asgreat impressions, bronze tan, good mood and bright emotions that you just need to share with loved ones.
