The Cyprus Post Office participates with a common issue issued for the seventh consecutive year by the member states of the Postal Union for the Mediterranean "Euromed Postal". This year's theme is "Traditional Gastronomy".
As reported by the Cyprus Post Office, the Cyprus stamp depicts a purely traditional Cypriot food, Kolokassi, which is cooked in various ways. Kolokasi with its characteristic conical shape and special taste is identified with Cypriot Gastronomy and the entire culture of the island. Its nutritional value is considered very nutritious and significantly protects the immune system. Courgette is rich in vitamins A and C, proteins, carbohydrates and contains fiber and amino acids.
In his statements, the Mayor of Sotiras, George Takkas, applauded the initiative of the Cyprus Post Office to choose the Kolokasi Sotiras as a representative product for our country, which together with the "Kolocasi-Poulles Sotiras" product since August 2016 constitute the first Cypriot product that obtained certification from the European Union as "Product with Designation of Origin". He also emphasized that the efforts made by the Municipality of Sotiras in collaboration with the producers of the product are bearing fruit as the enormous nutritional value of the Sotiras courgette has become known and is being promoted in Cyprus and abroad. As Mayor Sotiras mentioned, the local product of Sotiras has now associated its name with the region which produces more than 70% of the entire Cypriot harvest of Kolokassi. He also pointed out the fact that kolocasi has now been included in every kitchen and is included in the menu of important restaurants and hotels, both in Cyprus and abroad, while its contribution is also great to the stimulation of restaurants in the area which -mainly in Sotira- include the product high on their menu.
Kolokasi Sotiras (P.O.P.)
It is the first Cypriot product to obtain a PDO in August 2016. The colocasia has been cultivated in Cyprus since the 12th century AD. for its edible trunks, the saplings (the central trunk immediately below the ground surface) and the pullets (the secondary or daughter trunks that grow sideways). It was brought to the area of Sotiras from Karpasia at the beginning of the 20th century. The territorial and climatic conditions of the area, but above all the expertise of the producers, who through the centuries have developed special cultivation and harvesting practices, determine its unique characteristics.
The earliest reference to the Cypriot kolokasi places it on the celebratory dinner table for the wedding of Richard the Lionheart to Berengaria on 12 May 1191 at the castle of Limassol (Jeffery, 1926).
Kolokasi Sotiras was awarded in 2015 as the best Agricultural Product at the Gastronomos Awards and in 2017 as the Cypriot Product of the Year at the Time Out Eating Awards.
Famagusta.News