In a corner of my bedroom I have a wooden chest. It’s my grandfather’s old travelling trunk, which has journeyed across fields and seas, safeguarding the possessions of several generations as it accompanied my family members on their travels – through holidays, wars, and immigrations. That solid box of history now holds several generations of culinary secrets and traditions, which I’ve been collecting for a lifetime, as my mother did before me. These include cookery books and magazines dating back over half a century, housewife guides to train young brides in the art of home keeping, recipe notebooks scrawled in the rushed hand of family and friends… I’ve collected these treasures over the years, and added my own secrets and discoveries to them. Each individual page, each tip, ingredient or instruction will transform a kitchen through new smells, colours and tastes. The memories, culture and traditions of Greece and Cyprus are revived through these simple culinary creations. It is these that Rena and I want to bring to you through Yummy Cyprus. We’ve been great friends for years, and have spent countless hours enjoying and sharing stories of our past and present, of our children and grandchildren, of our travels and home – and these have always been shared in the kitchen, while we peel and mix, chop and bake, preserve and prepare delights of one form or another. Between us over the years we’ve kept our homes alive through our kitchens. Those hubs of activity and family life have seen a constant flow of children and friends, visitors, relatives and grandchildren – around bubbling pots, baking ovens, hanging herbs, baskets of ripened tomatoes and freshly picked lemons, jars of olives, slabs of feta and cans of thick, cloudy olive oil. The Mediterranean cuisine has become quite an international phenomenon, with supermarkets and restaurants around the world taking our humble foods and making them fashionable. But to us, our food is our way of life; a simple, healthy, satisfying and enjoyable transfer of our culture through our kitchens. We’d like to invite you into our kitchens to share this experience with you. Join us through Yummy Cyprus for group or private cookery sessions, where we’ll share our treasure chest of traditional culinary delights. Welcome to Yummy Cyprus!
|