Cyprus produces wonderful potatoes so why do so many eating establishments serve imported frozen chips?! Are there any eating places in Paphos who buy potatoes, peel them, cut them and make proper chips? If not, why not?
Oh boy - how wonderful it would be to have Belgian frites made withh Cyprus potatoes!! Those places that do make home made chips cut them too thickly, and most places end up with soggy (a la anglais* chips!! I agree though - let's have real chips, real frites and less of the frozen - but please, not chunky fries and definitely not soggy limp ones!!!!!!! At least the frozen variety tend, if requested, to be capable of being done crisply.
We buy Cypriot frozen chips, as we prefer to be localivore as far as possible. We get them in 2.5 kg bags which are not fancy, plain transparent plastic with printing in one colour on them. The green-printed pack are reasonably fine cut and fry up quite crispy. The blue are fatter and often fry up soggy 'à l'anglaise'. The red are fat and crinkly for the kids.
I suspect that many restaurants possibly use the blue ones, rather than imported ones, which are more expensive. Of course, soggy fat chips are in the English colonial tradition, and it is probable that the cooks think this is the norm, rather than delicious crispy ones. Also, having the oil at low temperature doesn't help, but it lasts longer.
The Belgian frites are made with the Bintje potato which has a yellowish waxy flesh, low in starch. Cyprus potatoes indifferently belong to about four nondescript mainstream varieties, all of them whitish flesh and rich in starch (floury). They are not particularly good for chip-making. Unfortunately, Bintje does not grow well here: I've tried it!
At least, the Cypriots don't smother them with mayonnaise!
Bbbbbbuuuuttttt - frites without mayonnaise - oh what heresy!! Give me the mayo any day in preference to the sogginess inducing vinegar so loved of us english folk ....... Mind you, soggy fish and chips in newspaper wrapping does have a nostalgic quality ..... pity Health and Safety got involved and gave us sweat inducing greaseproof lined non absobant packaging instead ..
I wish you'd continued your campaign for real chips. Just about all the tavernas use these tasteles, textureless frozen things.
By the way, there is a small fish and chips place in Limassol where the man serves REAL chips (and the fish is very good too). He's also very friendly.
And, by the way, the tavernas are also too lazy to make real tahini - most serve that ready-made stuff that resembles the paste used to stick wallpaper on. What about a REAL TAHINI campaign!
Stellaluna! Do I get T-shirts printed or what? Posters at every road junction? Possible, not probable! Unless we can get some of the national newspapers on to it!? Real chips dipped in real Tahini! Mmmm - thinking about it. And don't start me on real taramasalata -Just what is this new-age, bright pink, Barbie glue!? BUT real chips is the issue here!!!!! Know anyone who prints T-shirts, cheaply?
I rather think you have missed the point. REAL CHIPS is what was being discussed not frozen ones. You certainly cannot beat real chips, it is pure laziness to buy frozen. Restaurants buy these as it is not always cost effective to produce real chips.