Olive oil
The best Cypriot olive oil is... French. A biologist engineer from the Drôme, Nicolas Netien obtained the right to plant 6,000 olive trees in the no-man's land of the buffer zone near the village of Evrychou in 2015. Thanks to organic cultivation, a novel irrigation system and oxygen-free pressing, he gets what is considered the best olive oil in the world. Marketed under the Astas brand, it has the highest polyphenol content ever recorded: 3,760 mg/kg, compared to an average of 253 mg/kg for conventional extra virgin olive oil. This makes Nicolas Netien's oil a concentrate worthy of a medicine, since polyphenols are nicknamed "cancer killers". And it is as a medicinal oil that it is sold at a golden price: 100 € per liter, which also makes it the most expensive olive oil in the world. In Cyprus, a few stores offer it, such as Kantina, at 48 Sofouli Street, in South Nicosia. Apart from this exceptional product, you can find the good organic oil Oleastro from the village of Anogyra (near Limassol). In the northern part of Nicosia, the oil from the cooperative in the village of Komi Kebir/Büyükkonuk, on the Karpas peninsula, is a good choice.
Icons
Most of the Orthodox icons for sale in Cyprus, including in the monasteries, come from Greece or Italy. If you just want to decorate your living room with them, that's fine. But for religious use, buy from the few specialized workshops that still produce them. Because, to have the status of a sacred image, an icon must have been made by a monk or a very pious person. For this, we recommend theChrysokondylia workshop of Myrianthi Constantinidou, at 4 Ellados Street, in Paphos. Also, if you plan to carry your icon in the cabin on the return flight, be sure to pack it well. The airline reserves the right to place some hand luggage in the hold just before boarding.
Lefkara Lace
It is produced by hand, according to the Venetian technique of punto tagliato ("cut stitch") and only by the women of the village of Lefkara, near Larnaka. The tradition dates back to the 14th century and was perfected by the Venetian nobility in the 16th century. Since 2009, it is classified on the representative list of the world intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. Following Byzantine or Venetian geometric patterns, tayiada lace - its local name, derived from the Italian tagliato - combines four elements: the hem stitch, the cut, the satin stitch filling and the needlepoint edging. The result is quite expensive: 180 € for example for a square piece of 1 m of side which requires one year of work. But smaller pieces are offered from 10-20 €. Although there are stores selling them all over the island, there is no guarantee of authenticity. It is better to go there. And as Lefkara is the capital of Cypriot handicrafts, you can complete your shopping in the workshops of basketry, silver filigree or pottery.
Loukoums
Called lokum in Turkish, loukoumi in Greek and turkish delight in English, this 15th century Ottoman specialty travelled almost all around the Mediterranean and the Middle East before really settling in Cyprus in 1895, in the Athanasiou confectionery in the village of Geroskipou, near Paphos. This factory, now renamed Aphrodite Delights, remains a reference. The "Turkish delight of Geroskipou" was the first confectionery in the world to benefit from a PGI (protected geographical indication). However, there are other good artisanal loukoums elsewhere on the island such as in the village of Lefkara, which, in addition to its lace makers, houses the house Kramvidou founded in 1904.
Candied fruit in syrup
Almost any fruit or vegetable can be made into "spoon sweets" (glyka tou koutaliou), a specialty of Byzantine origin. Cherries, mini eggplants or orange peels are first dehydrated, then soaked in lemon water (to preserve the colors) and finally boiled with sugar and herbs for several days. We particularly recommend karydaki(ceviz macunu in Turkish), candied whole nuts. The nuts, picked green when the shell is not yet formed, give the syrup a very delicate flavor. To buy them, we recommend the village of Kakopetria, in the Troodos, which organizes in September the festival of "sweets with a spoon".
Carob
Nicknamed the "black gold of Cyprus", the fruit of the carob tree is available in many sweet preparations. Among those that you can bring back in your luggage in the hold, you can choose between karoupomelo (carob syrup), pastelli (carob caramel) or pastellaki (crushed nuts with carob syrup). You will find these products all over the island, but especially in the village ofAnogyra, the "capital of carob", near Akrotiri.
Rugs and kilims
Expensive decorative objects, carpets are made of knots and kilims are woven. Both are mainly sold in the northern part of the country, in Kyrenia and Famagusta. Most are imported from Turkey, Iran or China. This does not mean that they are bad, but the seller will often try to persuade you that they are Cypriot carpets and kilims. Indeed, there is still a small production in the villages of the Karpas peninsula, and it is at the weekly market in the village of Komi Kebir/Büyükkonuk that you are most likely to find these rarities, on Sundays from 11am to 4pm. But before you spend several hundred or thousands of euros, make sure you have the certificate from the Northern Cyprus Artisans' Cooperative (El Sanatlari Kooperatifi). Ask for the provenance and year of manufacture. Favour carpets and kilims that are coloured with natural dyes and hand-made, as they are more resistant. Finally, the determining factor in assessing the quality of a carpet is the density of knots. For an average quality, count between 50 and 60 knots per cm². The quality becomes really good from 150 knots per square centimetre. Similarly, for a kilim, the weave must be very dense.
