The French antiquarian Edmond Duthoit was in Cyprus in 1865. Writing to his parents from Cornos, just a few days before his departure, the artist mentioned an unforgettable culinary experience which may sound familiar to those of you who have visited Cyprus on a Sunday or a feast day:
Fifty feet away from the table, a tender mutton had been slaughtered and cut to pieces, a big hearth of blazing fire let out the smoke of 10 spits two metres long that were being turned by urchins. In order to accelerate the roasting, the mutton was cut into small pieces and put on enormous skewers. The sight was extremely picturesque, the dinner succulent, the toasts numerous and noisy; we drank to the health of King George, to the liberation of Cyprus, to France the protecting power, to our own health.
The 'What I Saw...' series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
