Vegetarians may have limited options at times, especially In the South, where some restaurateurs think that offering overpriced plates of chips and tomatoes justifies claims of catering to meat-avoiders. Meze opening courses, fortunately, are largely meat-free, consisting principally of hummoslhumus (chickpea pate), tahiniltahin (sesame puree), olives, fried halloumilhe/im cheese and other titbits; explicitly vegetarian maze is now offered. Unfortunately, inferior rubbery haloumi -full of added yeast and powdered (cow) milk, squeaking on the teeth when chewed -abounds; when you finally get the real thing (from sheep or goat milk, with the butterfat oozing out to the touch) you'll never willingly go back to the other. In the North, tahin is often served with lemon juice on top, in the style known as e~eksiksin; originally this was eksisi ("sour"), but in a story illustrative of the coarse Cypriot sense of humour, a Greek Cypriot diner failed to get his tongue around the term and it came out as eseksik-sin ("may a donkey f*ck it"). The meyhane- keeper and the customer came to blows over the perceived insult, but the name stuck forever after.
Salads are offered with all entrees, usually a seasonal medley of whatever's to hand: lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, cheese and onions (the latter served on a separate plate). Chefs who try harder may treat you with rokka (rocket) greens with their pleasant peppery taste, coriander sprigs or purslane weed -this last much tastier than it sounds. Caper plants are served pickled whole, thorns and all; artichokes -for which the main season is December to April -are typically served raw. Other spring greens, especially popular amongst the Greek Cypriot community as Lenten garnishes, include khristagathi (dock), strouthondhia (wild baby spinach) and pangali. Northern specialities include gomec (mallow greens), said to help settle the stomach, and molohiya, (sometimes mulihiya or melokhia), another steamed, flavourful leaf of the mint family, originally introduced from Egypt some time in the nineteenth century.
In the South, fava beans are pureed into louvana soup, not to be confused with louvia (black-eyed peas); ospria is the general term for any pulse dish, and what vegetarians should always ask for -it's often not on the menu, considered unfit to sell to foreigners. In winter especially trakhanasitarhana, a soup of grain soaked in yoghurt, is prepared, though it is often made with chicken stock, Healthier starch sources than the ubiquitous potato include chunks of mild-flavoured (taro root) brought to the island from Egypt or Syria over a thousand years ago, and pourgouri (cracked or bulgur wheat). Sliced kouloumbra or kohlrabi root is a refreshing, slightly sweet garnish found in many meze arrays.
