Cyprus 2020 - Christmas

Technical Details:
Issuing Date: 19 November 2020
Width: 35.50 mm
Height: 36.00 mm
Set of 3
Format Sheet of 8 of 1 Design
Perforations: 13.50 x 13.25
Issuing authority: Department of Postal Services (Cyprus Post)
Printer: Baltijas Banknote, Latvia

Christmas is undoubtedly a celebration of love, joy and offering. All the houses are festively decorated and the housewives prepare all kinds of traditional sweets, filling the house with aromas and tastes.

The two stamps present traditional Cypriot sweets in Christmas format.

The €0.64 stamp illustrates the Nativity of Christ, from a fresco (end of the 12th century) in the Christos Antifonitis Church in Kalograia, which is an interpretation of the style of the Constantinople’s post-Comnenian art. At the opening of the cave, the Virgin Mary is depicted lying on a bed. On the left, in a built manger-sarcophagus, Christ is depicted swaddled. On the right are the Shepherds and below the bathing scene. After the Turkish invasion, the figure of the Virgin Mary was removed, irreparably destroying this unique composition.

Cyprus 2015 - Cypriot Dishes - Sweets

Technical Details:
Issuing Date: 02 April 2015
Cypriot Dishes - Sweets - Cherry
Width: 38.00 mm
Height: 38.00 mm
Set of 3
Format Sheet of 8
Perforations: 13.5 x 13.5
Issuing Authority: Department of Postal Services
Printer: Giesecke & Devrient Matsoukis SA Greece
Designer: Elena Eliadou
Quantities:
€0,34 = 190,000 - Plats chypriotes - Douceurs - Orange amère
€0,41 = 275,000 - Cypriot Dishes - Sweets - Bitter Orange
€1,88 = 90,000 - Cypriot Dishes - Sweets - Cherry

Preserves have always played an integral part in traditional Cyprus hospitality. The preservation of fruit and vegetables with sugar, as the main preserving agent has always been part of home economics especially at the villages. Products that were plentiful at times and scarce in others, either due to them being out of season or their market value too high could be processed and used throughout the year. In our days, these products are used both domestically and on an industrial scale forming part of our export trade. These sweets were the first item to be offered to guests when visiting friends and acquaintances.

Republic of China (Taiwan) 1999 - Chinese Gourmet Food

Technical Details:
Stamp Name: Chinese Gourmet Food
Issue Date: 20 August 1999
Dimension of Stamps: 40 mm x 30 mm
Printer: China Color Printing Co.,Inc.,R.O.C.
Designer: Lee Kuang-chi
Sheet Composition: 16 (4x4)
Print Color: Colorful
Process: Deep Tech Offset
Paper: Phosphorescent Stamp Paper
Perforation: 11½ x11

Because of differences in climate, agriculture, lifestyle and customs, there are different kinds of cuisine in different regions of China and quite different culinary cultures. To promote Chinese food internationally, this Directorate is issuing a set of eight stamps, featuring eight great Chinese regional cuisines. All will have denominations of NT$5.00 and be released on August 20, 1999. The Directorate asked some master chefs who work for five-star tourist hotels to cook eight famous dishes. Mr. Lee Kuang-chi then made paintings of them for stamps that were printed by China Color Printing Co., Inc. in color deep-etch offset.

Descriptions of the eight stamps and the regional cuisines they depict follow:

1. Taiwan cuisine:

Taiwan cuisine is an off-shoot of Fukien cuisine. Soups abound in Taiwan cuisine. Influenced by Dutch and Japanese food, it incorporates many raw and lightly boiled foods. The stamp features the dish "Peony Lobster."

2. Fukien cuisine:

Fukien cuisine puts its stress on seafood. Its steamed seafood is out of the world. The taste of Fukien cuisine is mainly light, sour and sweet. Clear soups are regarded as representative of Fukien cuisine, and the stamp features one "Buddha Jumps the Wall."

3.Cantonese cuisine:

Canton has long been a hub of international trade, and its cooking has absorbed the strong points of many different places. The taste is light, fresh, aromatic, sweet, refreshing and tender. The stamp features "Hors d'oeuvres Cantonese."

4. Kiangsu and Chekiang cuisine:

This cuisine puts an emphasis on soup broths and heat control. The taste is light but not flat, with thoroughly cooked tender meat that nonetheless holds together and does not lose its original flavors. The stamp features "Dongpo Pork."

5. Shanghai cuisine

This is the most cosmopolitan of all Chinese regional cuisines. Shanghai cuisine uses large amounts of oil and sauce. The flavors of its sauces are rich, and the color of its dishes dark and shiny. The stamp features "Stewed Fish Jaws."

6. Hunan cuisine:

Hunan cuisine tends toward the sour, the spicy and the rich. It uses a lot of oil, and corn starch is often used to thicken soups or sauces. It makes ample use of smoked meats. The cuisine has strong local flavor. The stamp features "Beggar's Chicken."

7. Szechwan cuisine:

Vegetables take precedence to meat and fish, and the seasoning it uses is unique-spicy and funky, with lots of Szechwan peppers, hot red oil sauce, dried chili peppers. It's favored by people who have strong tastes. The stamp features "Carp Jumping over the Dragon's Gate."

8. Peking cuisine:

Peking was capital during the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Ching dynasties. Great chefs from all over China gathered there during this time, and their mutual interaction resulted in what is known today as Peking cuisine. At once elegant, graceful and regal, it stresses color coordination, shape, taste and nutrition. The stamp features "Peking Duck."

Guernsey 2022 - Bailiwick Cuisine

Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 19 February 2022
Designer: Mark Totty
Printer: WSP
Values: GY Letter, UK Letter, GY Large, EUR Letter, ROW Letter, UK Large
Process: Six colour digital printing in coil strips. Value and location identifier printed in thermography within a Royal Mail series II machine
Stamp Size: 25mm deep x 56mm wide
Paper: Self-adhesive
Perforation: Simulated

GY Letter: Guernsey Bean Jar
GY Large: Guernsey Gâche
UK Letter: Guernsey Biscuits
UK Large: Local Lobster and Shrimps
EUR Letter: Guernsey Gâche Méléé
ROW Letter: Local Chancre Crab

This latest Post & Go set celebrates the island’s delicious cuisine by depicting a selection of local recipes or popular local dishes on the six stamps.

Traditional dishes such as Guernsey Bean Jar, Guernsey Gâche Melee and locally available seafood feature on this set.

The Guernsey Ormer is depicted on the presentation pack cover and is a real gastronomic treat. This shellfish is a variety of abalone, which looks like a small sea snail and is harvested at low spring tides. They have been collected on the island for centuries but there are strict rules about when and where you can hunt for them, so they are only available in season and are much sought after.

Our Post and Go stamps remain a popular part of our annual programme, and we are particularly delighted to be able to showcase Guernsey’s wealth of natural ingredients from both its land and surrounding seas.

Spain 2022 - Andalucia - Gazpacho

Technical Details:
Issue Date: 28 February 2022