Flaounes

Flaounes (singular flaouna) are the cheese pastries Cypriot families bake for Orthodox Easter. A risen dough, flavoured with mastic and mahleb, is wrapped around a rich filling of grated cheese bound with egg, with fresh mint and often raisins folded in. The parcels are brushed with egg, dipped or sprinkled with sesame seeds, and baked until golden. The traditional filling uses a special sheep and goat cheese known as flaouna cheese, made in the Paphos area, though many cooks now use halloumi or a mix.

Flaounes are tied closely to Easter custom. They are made in large batches in the days before the holiday, using eggs and cheese that are avoided during the long Lenten fast, and eaten once the fast ends, often in place of bread on Easter Sunday and for weeks after. For many Cypriots they are a symbol of the resurrection and one of the strongest food memories of the season. They can be shaped square, round or triangular depending on the family and region.

Where to try it

• At bakeries across Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca in the run-up to Easter.
• In village homes and bakeries in the Troodos mountains and Paphos hills.
• Around the Orthodox Easter period, which usually falls in spring.

If you visit Cyprus around Orthodox Easter, flaounes are the food to look for, sold warm from bakeries and central to the holiday table. They are good warm or cold and travel well for a day out. Outside the Easter window they are harder to find, so the timing of your trip matters. Pair a fresh flaouna with a morning at Omodos village or a quiet stop at one of the mountain monasteries.