Kleftiko

Kleftiko is one of the dishes most associated with a Cypriot night out. Lamb or goat, often on the bone, is seasoned with garlic, lemon, bay and herbs, then sealed up tight and baked low and slow for many hours, traditionally in a dome-shaped clay or brick oven. The seal traps the steam so the meat cooks in its own juices until it is tender enough to fall off the bone. Potatoes baked alongside soak up the fat and juices.

The name comes from the klephts, bands of mountain fighters during Ottoman rule. The story goes that they would cook stolen meat in a sealed pit in the ground so no steam or smell would escape and give away their position, and the slow, sealed method carried into the kitchen. The Greek word kleftiko means stolen, which is where the dish gets its name. Modern kitchens that lack a clay oven seal the meat in parchment or a covered dish instead, but the long, sealed, low-temperature bake is the constant.

Where to try it

• At tavernas across Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca, often clay-oven baked.
• At village restaurants in the Troodos mountains with a wood-fired oven.
• As a centrepiece of a special-occasion meal rather than a quick lunch.

Because kleftiko takes so long to cook, many tavernas prepare a set number each day, so it can sell out, and some take orders ahead. It is a heavier, slow dish, so it suits a relaxed evening rather than a beach-day lunch. Pair it with a robust local red, and consider it after a day's sightseeing at Ancient Kourion or the Tombs of the Kings.