Desserts and Sweets

Most of Cypriot desserts take their origin from the Middle East. They often consist of fresh fruit, served alone or with a selection of sweet pastries, or fruit preserved in syrup. The most popular sweets are lokma (or loukoumades), Cyprus doughnuts with honey syrup; daktyla, ladyfingers with almonds, walnuts and cinnamon, and shammali; orange semolina cakes.

In cafes or restaurants, popular snacks include "kolokoti", a pastry triangle stuffed with red pumpkin, cracked wheat, and raisins; "kadaif", oven-baked sweet vermicelli; "baklavas", a puff pastry with filling from almonds and cinnamon poured with sugar syrup. A traditional sweet treat are lokum, Turkish delights flavored with rose water and dusted with powdered sugar.