Agros: for gourmets and lovers of original products
You can’t even imagine how many interesting things are hidden from the eyes of people who stay exclusively on the coast! Perhaps, in the Cyprus villages you can meet both, the ancient culture and traditions of the island and the modern way of life. In addition, you will not find anywhere else such amazing taverns and wineries, like the ones that are located high in the mountains.
The hotels and taverns in Agros
Our way leads us to the village of Agros. On Friday night we go there to get some rest and visit the famous Rose Festival, which is held annually in the village in May. And since plenty of activities are planned, we decide to spend the night there. The place of our refuge becomes the hotel “Rodon”, whose name is translated from Greek as the ”rose bud”. The hotel is pretty big for the village, and Agros is considered one of the largest villages in Cyprus. In the “Rodon” you will not experience the so-called agro-tourism as it is a modern hotel, which fully corresponds to its class (3 *) with its large territory and two swimming pools, one of which is large enough.
In summer, the hotel is popular among locals who come here to relax from the sweltering heat. Therefore, in the summer months if you plan to visit the hotel, the room should be booked in advance. The cost of rooms at the hotel range from 66 euros, there is even an executive suite offered for the “exorbitant sum” of 100 euros.
The first item on our visit becomes a rustic tavern. On Friday evening, we are the only guests, but according to the tavern owner’s words, every weekend (Saturday and Sunday), he prepares 150-200 orders for meze. The tavern’s customers come from the surrounding villages and cities. Moreover, the quality is remarkable and the meze is worth driving the extra 40-50 km to try it. The cost of a meal is 16,5-18 euros per person.
After a hearty dinner in the tavern and breathing in the mountain air, we decide to go to bed early, so we can go “to explore” the interesting places of Agros early in the morning.
In the morning – the roses factory
Our original purpose was to be acquainted with the rose factory, so in the morning we set off to the first place. Agros has several factories and one of the most famous is the Venus Rose Cosmetics, whose products are supplied not only to the local market, but also in several European countries and in Russia.
The company’s owner, Mr. Tzolakis kindly tells us about the technology of manufacturing rose water, which is then used for making rose tea (by the way, it helps with headaches and problems with the stomach), natural cosmetics, liquor, handmade candles with a unique smell and other original products.
The time for pink roses to bloom in Agros is in May. Typically, the “harvest” continues for 20-25 days. During this time,Mr. Tzolakis, his family and assistants get up early, because roses need to be gathered the moment when the buds are darkened by sunlight, otherwise they will lose their magical aroma. To obtain 1 kg of rose petals, it is necessary to collect about 400-500 buds. Daily plantation picks are about 27-30 thousand buds. Then the buds are placed in a huge vat, which by heating and subsequent distillation, releases natural rose water.
Jam from apricots and aubergines …
Having heard plenty about roses and packed all the purchased products in a bag, we are moving on – to the factory of Niki Agathokleous’ sweets. This is one of the most famous factories in Cyprus, whose products are available in many supermarkets and local shops. For more than 25 years, these traditional jams and preserves, “glyco” as they are known, have been in demand among locals and visitors to the island.
The factory is ready to offer 50 varieties of traditional “glyco”. There are the usual kinds of jam and preserves from apricots, cherries, melon and watermelon, and quite unusual ones from carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, bergamot, walnut, etc.
It is necessary to pay attention to a variety of jams, which do not contain sugar, which can be enjoyed even by those people to whom sugar is contraindicated for health reasons.
The cost of a jar of jam is from 2 to 8 euros, depending on the volume and type.
The village smokehouse
Finally, as the English say, the last but not least point of the program is the village’s smokehouse. In Agros there are two, but we recommend Kafkalia.
The smokehouse was founded 26 years ago, and its owner proudly shows us their products and the smokehouse itself. However, there is no need to demonstrate the products, since as soon as you cross the threshold, you are wrapped in such scents that without buying, you just can not leave.
Lunza (smoked pork) and lukanika (sausage from pork meat, which can be eaten raw, or cooked over a fire), zalatina (pork, soaked in vinegar, lemon juice with the addition of spices and gelatine) and pasturma (smoked beef with spices) – thes are only a few of the meats waiting for you in the smokehouse.
Here we also bought delicious homemade red wine that is wonderfully suited for the meat products. And how could it be otherwise?!
Parting – lunch in a rural tavern
We will finish our trip with lunch in another village tavern, located in the center of the village. Despite the small size of the central “square”, about 5-6 such “power points” are located here. And all of them are filled with customers on Saturday. Lunch in a rustic tavern with a carafe of house wine will cost you significantly less money than a visit to a restaurant in the tourist zone (we’ve paid about 50 euros for two).
And now – back to Limassol! Of course, we will return to Agros more than once, but when we do not know, because there are still many villages, which are a unique opportunity for us to experience real Cyprus.
Kakopetria and Arsos, Pedoulas and Platres – it can take a long time to enumerate the names; each of them hides a mysterious world that combines modern life and technology and centuries-old history and traditions of Cyprus.
