You will see olive trees in Cyprus wherever you go. Generally two products are derived from the olives: olive oil and olives for the table. Tsaskistes are prepared using a method exclusive to the Cypriot kitchen which consists of using green olives which are cracked and marinaded in olive oil, garlic and coriander seeds. They are eaten as part of a meze or as an accompaniment to drinks.

The olives are harvested when green. If you manage to get freshly picked olives, you can preserve them in your own way. The raw olives are very bitter and hard. To become edible they are cracked and they have to remain in water for as long as necessary until they are not bitter any more. A slit is made in each olive or cracked carefully with a wooden mallet. To crack the olives you can use anything you find handy: marble and stone or pestle, the best though is a wooden mallet.

Ingredients

• crushed coriander seeds

• cloves of garlic, cut into small slices

• juice of lemon

• olive oil, to cover them

• salt (to your preference)

After crushing the fresh olives they have to be soaked in fresh water, which is changed every day until they are not bitter anymore (water mixed with clear white vinegar is better actually, or water with as much salt as it takes). That takes about 2 weeks depending on the olives. Try them every now and then to see if they need to remain in the water or they are ready. Once they are sweet and juicy take them out from the water and process them as you would with "ready" green olives.

Add crushed coriander seeds, fresh or dried garlic, small pieces of lemon, lemon juice and olive oil to cover the olives. Place them in jars, you can keep them for a long time. If you use fresh garlic, its better to keep it in the fridge, but then take them out long before serving. With dried garlic you can keep them at room temperature. When they have been eaten you can use the leftover oil for lots of recipes but my experience is that the oil must always be refilled because I love it just as much as the olives itself.

There is nothing better on a hot summer evening than a slice of fresh brown bread with fresh cream cheese, olives and a glass of refreshing white wine. You can add all sorts of herb combinations to create your own special marinated olives, but be careful with the raw ingredients. You won''t be able to keep the olives as long as with dried herbs.