A Taverna Experience Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zivania

Zivania is a colourless drink, normally containing 45% alcohol by volume, protected since 2004 as a product unique to Cyprus. Zivania is distilled from grapes. It is served ice-cold and not mixed with anything else. Apart from being a potent drink, zivania is also used for medicinal purposes such as treatment for colds, as a pain killer, etc. Grappa is an Italian alcoholic drink, Arrak is Arab and Schnapps is German.

Answer: Kaskavali

Kaskavali is the Cypriot version of the Italian caciocavallo cheese. The cheese is made with fresh milk and the necessary bacteria without the addition of anything else. Kasseri is a Greek cheese, Edam is Dutch and Cheddar English.

Answer: Tzatziki

Tzatziki is made by mixing yogurt, cucumber, mint, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. The result is a thick sauce that it is served with a variety of dishes. Gazpacho is a Spanish soup, skordalia is a dip that contains lots of garlic and hummus is made using tahini and chickpeas.

Answer: Halloumi

Halloumi is normally made using goats' and sheeps' milk. Nowadays it is mixed with cows' milk as well. Halloumi can be served raw, fried or grilled. Feta is Greek cheese and both Mozarella and Ricotta are Italian.

Answer: Lountza

Lountza is made by maturing pork loin in a mixture of red dry wine, salt, coriander, black pepper and cumin. The maturing takes a couple of weeks. The meat is then smoked every day for a period of three weeks. The daily smoking process takes one to two hours.

It can be served uncooked, fried or grilled. Syglino or pasto is Greek smoked pork, pancetta and prosciutto are Italian smoked pork delicacies.

Answer: Sheftalia

Sheftalia are made using pork minced meat, salt, pepper, cinnamon, mint, parsley and onion. A small quantity of this mixture is shaped like a small sausage and wrapped in caul fat (the membrane that surrounds the stomach of lamb or pig) to make one sheftali. We continue until all the mixture is wrapped up.

The sheftalia are then placed in a refrigerator until the time that are going to be grilled. Loukaniko is Cypriot sausage, pastourma is another type of sausage highly spiced and with lots of garlic added and gyros is sliced meat often served in pita bread.

Answer: Ttavas

Ttavas is normally cooked using beef or rabbit. The meat is cut into small pieces fried until brown and then wine and vinegar are added to the meat. After that we add tomatoes, lots of onions, cumin, salt and pepper and cook until the meat is tender. Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish, cacciatore and saltimbocca are Italian meat dishes.

Answer: Afelia

To make afelia cube pork meat, preferably leaving the bone, fry them until golden brown add red wine, salt and pepper. Once the meat is cooked sprinkle it with crushed coriander seeds. Bulgur is coarsely ground wheat cooked with tomatoes, onions, fide (vermicelli) and meat stock. Souvlakia are small pieces of meat that are cooked on skewers, falafel is made using chickpeas and seesh kebab is made using minced lamb. Falafel and seesh kebab are not Cypriot dishes.

Answer: Kleftiko

Kleftiko , meaning stolen, is a way of cooking meat long and slow. The origin of the name dates from the time when thieves (kleftes) would steal an animal (mainly sheep or goat) and to escape being traced, they would cook the animal in a covered pit. Nowadays a clay oven is used instead of a covered pit and you but the meat from the butcher. So Sunday roast is out, ovelias is lamb cooked very slowly over charcoal and kokoretsi is grilled offal. Ovelias and kokoretsi are Easter delicacies!

Answer: Anari

This is how you make bourekia with anari. Mix fresh unsalted anari with ground cinnamon, rose water and sugar. Roll the dough and cut it in pieces. Place some of the mixture in the centre of the piece of dough and fold it into a triangular or semi circular shape. Deep fry until the dough is golden brown and serve sprinkling the pies with caster sugar. Halloumi is used in making savoury pies. Ricotta and mozzarella are Italian cheeses.