Stifado

Stifado is a slow stew defined by its onions. The name points to a dish made with a lot of small whole onions, which cook down soft and sweet against tender chunks of meat. In Cyprus it is most often made with beef or with rabbit or hare, browned and then simmered for a long time until everything is meltingly soft. The Cypriot style is built on red wine and vinegar with warm spices, cinnamon, bay leaves and plenty of peppercorns, giving a deep, slightly sharp, aromatic sauce.

The dish is generally traced to the Venetian period on the island, before the Ottoman era, and the older versions did not use tomato, which arrived later. Many traditional Cypriot cooks still keep stifado tomato-light, leaning on the wine, vinegar and spice instead. It is a cool-weather dish, the kind of thing that suits a winter evening in the hills more than a summer lunch on the coast.

Where to try it

• At village tavernas in the Troodos mountains, especially in the cooler months.
• At traditional restaurants in Nicosia and Limassol.
• Often offered with rabbit, which is the older, rural version.

If you visit Cyprus in winter or spring, stifado is a good way to taste the island's slow, spiced cooking, a contrast to the summer grills. It is rich, so pair it with bread, a simple salad and a local red wine. The wine-and-spice character makes it a fitting meal after a cold-weather drive up to Mount Olympus or a visit to Kykkos Monastery.