Turkish delight - the ultimate temptation for young Edmund in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - is not only a Turkish confection but also Cypriot. In fact in the South it is always sold as Cyprus delight, just as cafés serve Cyprus and not Turkish coffee. Wouldn’t tempt me to betray any of my principles but to each his or her own.
Interestingly, sugar has a long - and for some time lucrative - history in Cyprus. Sugar cane has grown here since the tenth century. During the Lusignan period (1192-1489) though it became a major export, supplying much of Europe with the rare luxury. Ultimately this came to an end as by the 16th century sugar from Brazil was much cheaper despite the distance as it was produced by slaves, allowing the Portuguese to dominate the sugar market. Also, sugar cane demanded a great deal of water and drought could be a problem so in Cyprus in the Ottoman period it was replaced with cotton.
There were several sugar plantations during the age of sugar cane though, including one in Lapta where we are now staying. And one legacy remains. Both North and South treasure traditional homemade preserves made from whole fruit, or walnuts, or other things such as watermelon rind, preserved in a syrup of paralysing sweetness with a hospitality from which no escape is possible.