Cypriot cuisine and nuts. The best-known spices and herbs include pepper, parsley, arugula, celery, fresh coriander (cilantro), thyme, and oregano. Traditionally, cumin and coriander seeds make up the main cooking aromas of the island. Mint is a very important herb in Cyprus. It grows abundantly, and locals use it for everything, particularly in dishes containing ground meat. For example, the Cypriot version of pastitsio (locally known as "macaronia tou fournou" or "makarna fırında") contains very little tomato and generous amounts of mint. The same is true of "keftedes" or "köfte" (meatballs), which are sometimes laced with mint to provide a contrast with
U Should've Known Better producers, which included Dallas Austin, production team Soulshock & Karlin, Bryan Michael Cox, and Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew. Though she "had never thought about writing much" by then, her producers encouraged the singer to intensify her work on the "All Eyez on Me" album and to write and contribute own lyrics and ideas to the songs, one of which was the ballad "U Should've Known Better." Monica penned the song along with Harold Lilly and longtime contributor Jermaine Dupri, while production on the track was helmed by Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox. "U Should've Known Better" was mixed