The 3 Forks Lab ‘Cyprus Marine Life Project’ is our way of taking aim at a local paradox: we are surrounded by he sea, yet strangely oblivious to its astronomic riches. This is partly due o the fact that market incentives have warped our culinary sensibilities. Restaurants and chefs are scrambling to put exotic fare on their menus, such as fresh scallops, halibut, wild king salmon, Chilean sea bass, etc., and neglecting local produce and ingredients that are every bit as good.
Local food production, meanwhile, tends to be land-bound; fisheries are an industry of very modest size. The local fish menu, such as it is, is full of tired clichés. We have undertaken a documentation effort that aims to show the full spectrum of what is available in our native waters. One of our aims is to restore the liveliness of the fresh-fish market, an institution that respects seasonality and has a low environmental footprint. We do not wish to purge the culinary scene of flashy, imported fare. We still believe in gastronomic diversity, and there is certainly room for both imported and local products. We simply wish to make it known that there is incredible marine bounty right under our noses. The recognition will help steer local gastronomy toward greater balance and sustainability..
