I learned many things, including the fact that the Medieval court was made up of French speaking crusaders whose rule ended ended in1489. Then, it passes into Venetian control until1570 -they were there for the local plants which produced substances that were used in the glass making that Venice was known for.
Then Ottomans took over in the 16th century.
Aramaic speaking Northern Syrians went to Cyprus and left a strong influence on the island. Cyprus'
5 Geographic areas produce their own regional cuisine.
From 700-900 ruled simultaneously by Caliph of Baghdad and Byzantines.
Cyprus was end of silk road, and for this reason its culinary ingredients hailed from around the globe. Rock sugar from Syria, pepper and red anice from India, and beans from Egypt were just a few. Hindu traders brought spices and rice in medieval times.
But that doesn't mean that Cypriots didn't have their own local specialities to enjoy. Home to 16 varieties of grapes, they were making wine in bronze age! Cyprus was the source of sacred wines for Egyptian temples and Jewish temples in Jerusalem.
Cypriot sugar was believed to be the highest grade available in the Mediterranean. One tablespoon in 1411 would be $5.65 - which makes it comparable to edible gold leaf today!
Great that you've had interest attending and blogging about this Amy. It's a pleasure to read about the Culinary Historians of Washington persistent interest in the Medieval Cuisine of Cyprus - we make a brief mention back to this post, for the interest of people wanting to read the account of the presentation. Best. http://winecyprus.tumblr.com/post/17718093009/food-and-drink-in-medieval-cyprus
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ReplyDeleteYummy.. I wanna taste the cuisine delights of Cyprus when I get to have Cyprus luxury holidays. Their dishes seems to look so yummmy. One of the things to look forward to.
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