Are they telling me porkies about my rinds?

I’d really like to know what is happening to all the pork rind in Cyprus. Every butcher I have asked why I can’t find pork with the rind left intact tells me the same story; it’s removed at the slaughterhouse and is supposed to be due to some EU regulation. I’m somewhat surprised to hear this and googling the topic has failed to shed any light on it.
Cyprus has some really delicious pork, yet one thing is missing, the rind. Although it may not necessarily be needed when preparing souvla or souvlaki, it is an essential part of preparing Roast pork.

There’s something about a tasty roast with some crispy crackling to go with the crispy roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, fresh veggies and homemade sage gravy. The fat alone simply does not work. The same goes for pork chops – the rind makes a huge difference to the taste, especially when cooked over charcoal.

If anybody knows where I can get my hands on some proper pork to roast I’m all ears. If a man from the ministry would care to enlighten me as to why the rind is being removed at the slaughterhouse, I’d be interested to know.

I’m pretty certain that it is not an EU wide ban, as it is available in most other EU countries. Perhaps this is a mere oversight with some overzealous civil servant misinterpreting a regulation.

Barry D Fraser,
Yermasoyia, Limassol

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.