One plant that flourishes in Cyprus—nurtured by its sun-drenched climate and the dedication of farmers who water it daily—is the courgette and its many varieties. With their prolific flower production, courgette blossoms are frequently gathered and prepared in various delicious ways. My grandmother had her own special recipes: she would fry them in a light batter and sprinkle them with sugar which was my favourite one, sauté them with eggs and potatoes creating a messy looking but delicious meal, or stuff them with different kinds of cheese. However, the most common way to prepare them is stuffed with rice and minced meat.

Courgette flowers should be picked while their petals are still open and used within a few hours—otherwise, they close up, making them difficult to stuff.

The filling starts with sautéing onion and garlic in lots of olive oil, followed by the addition of minced pork, freshly grated tomato, salt, pepper and herbs like oregano and mint, along with spices of your choice. I never omit cinnamon. Once the mixture has simmered and the excess liquid has evaporated, rice is stirred in and lightly cooked before setting it aside to cool. Meanwhile, the courgette flowers are gently washed and prepared for stuffing.

Before placing the stuffed flowers in the pan, a protective layer of thick potato slices and olive oil is added to the bottom of the saucepan—this prevents the flowers from burning. One by one, the flowers are carefully filled, their petals folded inward to create little pouches. They are then arranged in the pan, layered on top of each other as needed, making sure that there’s no gaps, otherwise there’s the risk of them unfolding while cooking.

To cook, water, salt and more olive oil are poured in until the flowers are fully submerged. An upside down plate is then placed on top of them, to keep them from moving around and opening up while cooking. The dish is ready when all the liquid has been absorbed, leaving behind flavourful flower parcels infused with the rich taste of the filling and the delicate sweetness of the courgette blossoms.

They are usually served with bread and my personal favourite, sour Cypriot yoghurt.