Sandwiches as Cyprus’s national fast food

Strange as it may seem from today’s perspective, sandwiches in Cyprus were, it turns out, practically a national dish for quite some time. At the very least, the method of making sandwiches – introduced by the British – which is convenient for eating on the go or simply for a quick bite, very quickly caught on with the locals.

The souvlaki and gyros outlets we’re used to today were still quite rare in the middle of the last century, as the price of meat (or, more accurately, customers’ incomes) meant there was little demand for spit-roasted dishes.

Fast food in Cyprus

For a long time, kupes – Middle Eastern kebabs wrapped in bulgur dough – were the traditional and affordable meal for city passers-by or workers on their break. They were usually sold by numerous street vendors with trolleys, where baked goods were displayed behind glass panels. Their convenience and low price made these patties very popular in the local fast-food scene.

This new product, which also utilised traditional local triple buns, made it possible not only to prepare them in advance but also to assemble the sandwiches to the customer’s taste.

The advent of refrigerators and electric hobs helped sandwiches to become widespread. Alongside frappe, sandwiches began to be sold at periptero kiosks. The ability to store ready-made sandwiches was one of the reasons for the disappearance of street vendors with their trolleys.

Specialised kiosks and mobile food vans became an integral part of the scene at Cypriot crossroads, where people could eat without having to wait for their meal to be prepared and served. The fact that there was no need for an open flame made it possible to set up stalls in high-demand locations without having to pay rent for permanent premises.

Cypriot gyros and souvlaki

However, the fall in pork prices was the main reason why sandwich shops disappeared from everyday life. The numerous snack bars serving gyros, souvlaki and sheftalia, now familiar to everyone, began to appear on every corner.

Sandwich-making has been relegated to places where it is physically and legally impossible to grill meat on a regular basis, as well as to all manner of temporary public gatherings such as football matches or folk festivals.

Of course, there are still some places where sandwiches are prepared not only away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But this is now more a matter of tradition, with not only the regulars of past decades but also their children and grandchildren heading there for a snack and a cup of coffee.

And as in any place where Cypriots linger for more than a minute, they are always greeted by the inevitable coffee and a chat with the shopkeeper, who has usually been the owner for those same few decades. And finding something to talk about is no trouble at all for people who have been seeing each other every day for the last three decades.