Sheftalia

Sheftalia are Cyprus's traditional grilled sausage, but they have no casing in the usual sense. Minced meat, most often pork or a mix of pork and lamb, is seasoned with grated onion, parsley, salt and pepper, then shaped into small parcels and wrapped in caul fat. Caul fat is the thin, lacy membrane from around the animal's stomach, known locally as panna. On the grill the caul melts and bastes the meat from the outside, keeping it moist while the surface crisps and browns.

That self-basting trick is what makes a good sheftalia: juicy inside, lightly charred outside, with the onion and parsley running through it. They are cooked over charcoal, the same coals that handle souvla and grilled halloumi, and they turn up on almost every meze and mixed-grill order on the island. Served hot in warm pitta with salad, sliced onion, parsley and a little lemon, they are also one of the most popular grab-and-go meals in Cyprus.

Where to try it

• At grill houses and tavernas across Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca.
• In a pitta wrap as street food in Ayia Napa and the resort towns.
• On a mixed grill with souvla, koupepia and grilled halloumi.

If you have only one Cypriot grilled dish, many locals would point you to sheftalia. They pair naturally with a cold drink after a beach day at Nissi Beach or Fig Tree Bay. They are not spicy, so they suit most palates, and a squeeze of lemon is the usual finishing touch rather than chilli or heavy sauce.