This product – goat meat is dried in the sun and covered with salt and oregano – is a real rarity whose secret lies in the utter simplicity of its preparation. Unfortunately, few traces are left of the specialty in its native Cypress, perhaps only in the memories of the island’s inhabitants. In a protected area high in the mountains, the indigenous tradition of goat herding yields both excellent cheeses and delicious meat. Tsamarella’s dark, burgundy-hued cubes are not particularly inviting in appearance. However, its bold spiciness and pleasant gamey flavor are remarkable, and particularly good with zivania, the Cypriot grappa. The producers of the Presidium prepare tsamarella only from the thigh of the animal because it is the leanest and most highly valued cut and best provides the earthy, rustic flavor and smoothness they are looking for. The leg is butterflied and cut into strips, immersed in salt and oregano and left to dry in the sun for 7-10 days.

The Presidium
The Presidium, the first in Cyprus, aims to promote tsamarella in local markets and to bring it to more international attention as well. The most challenging aspect of the project, however, is saving a native goat breed, the machaeras, which is nearly extinct, despite it being particularly suited to grazing the dry and spiny scrub of the Cypriot hills with its long limbs and short coat. To this end, the production protocol includes a stipulation that a quota for this breed must be met. The few such animals still left live mainly in the western Troödos mountains.

Production area
Pitsilia Region