­
  • Home
  • About
  • Chef Interviews
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Contact us

Food and Wine Gazette

Food and Wine, travel and gastronomy

  • News
  • Interviews
    • Chefs
    • Winemakers
    • Artisans
    • Entrepreneurs
  • Series
    • 10 things we learnt from …
    • A perfect day in …
    • 10 wineries from one region
    • Weekly roundup
  • Features
    • Reportage
    • Childhood Memories
    • Book reviews
    • Film reviews
    • Weekly roundup
  • Food
    • Chef Profiles
    • Restaurants
      • Concepts
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
        • Bruges
        • Gent
      • UK
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Netherlands
    • Recipes
    • Focus on one ingredient
    • Producers
    • Shops
  • Drink
    • Wine
    • Producers
    • Bars
  • Traveling
    • Itineraries
    • Cities
  • Countries
    • Belgium
    • France
    • Italy
    • Germany
    • Netherlands
    • Denmark
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Malta
    • Argentina
  • Blogs
    • Ivan Brincat
    • Notes from Far and Away – Isabel Gilbert Palmer
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Features / Book reviews / Book Review: Cyprus A culinary journey

Book Review: Cyprus A culinary journey

July 1, 2015 by Ivan Brincat 2 Comments

Cyprus a Culinary journeyThere is probably no better day to write this article on a book I really enjoyed reading. As I sit in the terrace in Brussels at 10.20pm in the evening, the temperature it is still light, the temperature is 29⁰C and humid.

The only missing thing is a sea-breeze and the sound of the sea hitting the rocks which epitomises a hot Mediterranean summer.

I have to admit that I still have to visit Cyprus though after reading Cyprus a Culinary Journey, I feel I know this Mediterranean island considerably better than I did before I started this ‘culinary journey’.

Our Cypriot friends and avid readers of this site gave me this book a few months ago and I have been wanting to write about it for quite some time.

The book is edited by Marianne Salentin-Trager but it is the work of eight foodies from Germany who were in love with the island and who realised that there was no German cookbook on Cypriot cuisine. We went through the English version of the book though it is also published in German.

Part travel book, part recipe book, this is a beautiful snapshot of an island seen from the eyes of ‘foreigners’ in love with the country and its culinary heritage.

The result is a well-written book which takes you on a trip around the island. It is well designed, with great photography and excellent storytelling.

It is divided into six sections to depict the different facets of Cyprus from Nicosia to Paphos, Roodos, Limassol, Larnaca and the wines of Cyprus.

Each section has photos of the regions or cities depicted with great portraits of people going about their daily lives. You get an excellent description of the place and its people and it is really like taking a trip to this eastern Mediterranean island. There are things which of course remind me of my home country Malta.

The recipes in each section are beautifully presented with excellent photography and simple instructions to follow. There are simple recipes which give you a flavour of the island such as  barbecued halloumi or traditional Cypriot sausages marinated in red wine and spices. There are others like tomatoes and eggs which remind us of a Maltese dish called ‘balbuljata’ which is one of the few things that my father could cook. And there are interesting recipes such as a slow-braised shoulder of beef, a rabbit stew, octopus cooked with Commandaria wine and another octupus recipe which I will definitely try with salicornia and cherry tomatoes. The cold cucumber soup with mint, is perfect for this hot weather.

There are also various portraits such as the one of Yiorgos Nikola – the fishermen who explains that on a good day “I can sell 15 kilos, but if my catch contains a lot of sardines, I don’t earn a lot. My father often returned with 60 kilos. But due to more boats and global warning, there are fewer and fewer fish.” It’s a story we have heard time and time again.

For the section on Cypriot wines, the authors of the book go on a tour with Astrid Zieglemeier to visit vineyards and winemakers of the island. They speak with winemakers who explain what is going on in the Cypriot wine scene.

This is a book which will make an excellent addition to your bookshelf. It is a beautiful portrait of an island and one which invites you to visit. If you plan to go to Cyprus any time soon then this is really a book you should savour. But even if you just like to discover different cuisines and cultures, then we would also recommend this book. Who knows, you might even be tempted to take the trip.

We know this is a place we will be visiting soon.

Don't miss out

Receive our weekly newsletter every Sunday morning

This field is required.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Book reviews, Features

We use cookies to analyze site traffic, and understand where our audience is coming from. To find out more please read our Privacy Policy. Privacy Policy

Comments

  1. Marianne Salentin-Träger says

    August 12, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Thank you very much for the wonderful review Ivan Brincat! We are more than delighted! When every you plan to caome to Cyprus, please let us know!
    Best wishes
    Marianne and the book team

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A culinary guide to Cyprus – the island with a love for food | FooDiva says:
    July 25, 2021 at 10:56 am

    […] The gorgeous and award-winning coffee-table cookbook that tells many a delicious tale, Cyprus, a culinary journey. Read Food & Wine Gazette’s review here.  […]

    Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

This field is required.

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • My top patisseries in Brussels
  • Two Sicilian recipe books to make your mouth water
  • Iris, a spectacular restaurant in a floating Salmon Eye to open in Norway under the helm of Anika Madsen
  • A review of Francis Mallmann's book: Seven Fires - Grilling the Argentinian Way
  • A review of Massimo Bottura's great book Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef
  • The art of making the perfect risotto with Carlo Cracco
  • Francis Mallmann: 'Get out of your chair and go out' - Chef's Table review
  • Manu Buffara: 'You need to know your land, your food, your culture, then you can cook with your soul'
  • The return of Hertog Jan: The devil is in the details
  • Sestri Levante - a gem of a town in Liguria

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

Connect with us on Facebook

Archives

  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • September 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you want to keep in touch, please subscribe to our newsletter. We will point you to the most popular content from time to time.

Search

Tags

Alinea bars beer Belgium best chefs best chefs in the World book review Books brussels Brussels restaurants Burgundy Burgundy wine Burgundy wines cheese chefs craft beer Days out in Belgium fish food food and drink food and wine France Gent Gozo Grant Achatz Italy Liguria Malta Massimo Bottura Michelin stars Modena Noma Osteria Francescana places to eat recipes Rene Redzepi restaurant review restaurant reviews restaurants Sicily Travel trips from Brussels Valletta wine wine region

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d