by Nathan Morley
NICOSIA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot restaurateurs are tempting travellers with unique breakfasts made exclusively from locally-produced food in an attempt to 'spice up' the traditional tourism product.
The idea, which has been branded 'the Cyprus Breakfast', is to serve up modern, creative and innovative cuisine inspired by tradition and the famed Mediterranean cuisine.
With millions of tourists arriving on the island every year, the government hopes to spread tourism wealth across the economy, by linking gastronomy to the agro-sector and local products. The local diet is rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains and fish.
Current breakfast favourites range from grilled Halloumi, a traditional squeaky white Cypriot cheese, sunblush tomatoes and olives to dark-brown Carob juice, which is hailed for its digestive properties.
Most breakfast buffets continue to serve small plates of nuts, mixed with local yoghurts and honey, which are a longtime favorite with holidaymakers.
"Our cuisine is welcome by everybody. The food has a very unique and nice smooth taste," George Damianou, president of Cyprus Chefs Association, told Xinhua on Monday.
In fact, Halloumi, once an obscure local product, has become one of the best selling exports in recent years, with plans afoot to have the delicacy on sale in China in the near future.
"Actually the Chinese love Halloumi, and we have to take this advantage, as we don't have a lot of Chinese guests in Cyprus. I believe this is one of the targets of our Ministry of Tourism now, so we hope to surprise the Chinese," Damianou added.
With the scheme in full swing, it is hoped travellers to Cyprus will spot the new symbol outside restaurants, designed to flag up the addition of the traditional breakfasts to their menus.
"We want to take Cyprus breakfasts to another level," Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios told Xinhua. "Through our food, we can really show how hospitable our country is. We take huge pride in our local produce and in our recipes."
"We want to show that we respect our ancestors and what historically import recipes and products they have left us."
Perdios was appointed in January to oversee the planning and development of the tourism sector, which attracts visitors from the UK, Russia, Germany and Scandinavia. He says it is logical that the state tourism organisation promotes the link between local producers and the hospitality sector.
"Because we realize how unique our gastronomy is, we feel that Cyprus gastronomy - especially the Cyprus breakfast - has the potential to be an international brand."
Perdios also hailed a pilot program, which has seen local breakfasts served at restaurants in the eastern city of Larnaca over the last few years, that will now be rolled-out nationally.
Those taking part in the scheme are urged to be creative and deliver a 'different breakfast experience'. As it stands, 57 businesses have enrolled in the project, with a target of 150 signing up by the end of 2020.
Perdios said the endeavour has been worth the time and patience.
"Our wish is to see this concept develop. For us breakfast is not about milk and cereals or baked beans on toast. We feel that our (breakfast) has a little bit more love," Perdios added.
