Cyprus Week Food Fest at Galadari

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 01:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Cheranka Mendis

Galadari Hotel will host a Cyprus Week Food Festival starting this Thursday at the Coffee Shop, offering guests authentic flavours of the country made under the watchful eyes of two special chefs flown in from Cyprus.

Promising a week of Cyprian food, wine and dance, the festivities are a brainchild of Honorary Consul of Cyprus Premanie Perera and will showcase the best of Cyprian culture.

The food will be prepared according to traditional recipes that have been followed through centuries using special ingredients brought down especially for the festival. Executive Chef Andreas Georgious and Executive Sous Chef Stelios Stylianou of Hilton Cyprus have paid a special visit to ensure that the diners will receive a typical Cyprian meal at the hotel.

Some 100kg of ingredients have been flown in for the festival from Cyprus which includes the famous Halloumi cheese which is a semi-hard unripened brined cheese which is used for frying and grilling as well as for eating due to its high melting point, special olive oil, spaghetti from Cyprus, rosemary and for the first time, special Cyprian wine.

“We are using the traditional recipes and the ingredients that are used for the dishes. We are keen to present to Sri Lanka the real cuisine from our country,” Stylianou said. “Cyprians use a lot of olive oil along with ingredients such as thyme, oregano and rosemary. We use a lot of cheese, especially Halloumi cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables in our dishes.” He noted that Cyprians are also famous for their pork dishes which will not be featured in the buffet following the hotel’s Halal status.

A special macaroni with minced meet which he assures is like no other macaroni dishes tasted before, moussaka, prawns flambé (to be tasted with a glass of Ouzo) and special dishes made with Cyprian potatoes which, Stylianou acknowledged as having a unique taste due to the red earth, the plants are cultivated in will be on offer at the festival.

“We are excited to let the Sri Lankans and other hotel guests taste our cuisine,” he said.

A seven member dance troupe, ARADIPPOS from Cyprus, has also been flown in for the event. They will be performing on all seven days at the venue every evening.

The Cyprus Week will be held at the Coffee Shop from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. from 20 to 26 September.

Pix by Upul Abayasekara