Ospria_Pulses

Traditional Cypriot Recipes

Ospria (Pulses)

Staple diet of all Cypriots.  Growing up in the UK, I did not like to eat pulses but as I got older my tastes changed and I cannot do without them in my diet.  I remember when I was a girl growing up in London, people used to joke about pulses, they claimed that only cattle ate them.  Now that it has been proved that they are nutritionally good for you it is acceptable to eat them.

Ospira are usually cooked or served with lots of olive oil which accounts for the tough constitution of the traditional Cypriot.  They are a must for the vegetarian table.

There are traditional vegetables used in the preparation of a lot of these Ospria dishes.  These are the leaf vegetables which can be found in abundance in the fields of the countryside in late winter early spring.  I will be adding more information and photos of these later on to the site. The local names for them are 'lapsanes', 'similouthkia', 'trisadgies', 'moloshes', 'mangalous' and 'lahana' to name but a few.

We will start with

Revithia (Chick Peas with sauce) [Vegetarian]

Fasolia Vrasta me horta - Boiled Beans with Vegetables [Vegetarian]