Halloumi

Halloumi

Fresh sliced halloumi
Place of origin	Cyprus
Region or state	Eastern Mediterranean
Main ingredients	goat's, sheep's milk
Other information	EU: PDO (Cyprus) 2021
Media: Halloumi

Halloumi or haloumi^{[note 1][note 2]} is a cheese that originated in Cyprus.^[1] It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk.^[2][3][4] Its texture is described as squeaky.^[5] It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet (mostly vegetarian or microbial) is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production,^[6] although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.^[7]

Halloumi is popular throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.^[8][9] By 2013, demand in the United Kingdom had surpassed that in every other European country except Cyprus.^[10]

In the United States, Halloumi is a registered trademark owned by the government of Cyprus, while in the UK it is owned by the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi.^[11] It is also protected as a geographical indication in the EU, as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which means within the EU only products made in certain parts of Cyprus can be called "halloumi".^[12][1] PDO protection for Halloumi was delayed largely by disagreements among farmers of cattle, sheep, and goats regarding the inclusion of cows' milk, and (if cows' milk was included) the proportion of it.^[13][14]

Etymology

The English name halloumi is derived from Modern Greek: χαλλούμι [xaˈlumi], khalloúmi, from Cypriot Maronite Arabic xallúm,^[15][16] ultimately from Egyptian Arabic: حلوم ḥallūm [ħalˈluːm].^[15][16][17]

The Egyptian Arabic word is itself a loanword from Coptic ϩⲁⲗⲱⲙ halōm (Sahidic) and ⲁⲗⲱⲙ alōm (Bohairic), and was used for cheese eaten in medieval Egypt.^[18][19][20] The name of the cheese likely goes back to the Demotic word ḥlm 'cheese' attested in manuscripts and ostraca from 2nd-century Roman Egypt.^[21]

The Cypriot Turkish name hellim derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese hâlûmi.^[19]

History

Fried halloumi cheese

A recipe for enhancing ḥalūm ('cheese') by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook كنز الفوائد في تنويع الموائد (Kanz al-Fawāʾid fī Tanwīʿ al-Mawāʾid).^[22]

The earliest known surviving descriptions of halloumi in Cyprus were recorded in the mid-16th century by Italian visitors to Cyprus,^[23][24] where it is often said to have originated.^[8] However, the question of whether the recipe for the quintessential halloumi was born in Cyprus and then travelled to Lebanon and the rest of the Levant, or whether the basic techniques of making cheese that resists melting evolved over time in various parts of the eastern Mediterranean—or both—does not have a definitive answer.^{[23][25][26][27]}

Traditionally, Cypriot halloumi was made from sheep and/or goat's milk, since there were few cows on the island until they were brought over by the British in the 20th century. But as demand grew, industrial cheese-makers began using more of the cheaper and more plentiful cow's milk.^[28][29]

Overview and preparation

Haloumi dish at a five-star luxury hotel

Although it can be consumed raw, halloumi is often used in cooking and can be fried until brown (without melting) due to its higher-than-typical melting point. This makes it an excellent cheese for frying or grilling (as in saganaki) and serving either as is, or with vegetables, or as an ingredient in salads or sandwiches. There are many recipes that use halloumi beyond simple grilling.^[30]

Traditional halloumi is a semicircular shape, weighing 220–270 grams (7.8–9.5 oz). The fat content is approximately 25% wet weight, 47% dry weight with about 17% protein. Its firm texture when cooked causes it to squeak on the teeth when being chewed.^[31]

Thyme salad garnished with cubes of halloumi cheese

Traditional halloumi is typically made from fresh, unpasteurised sheep and/or goat's milk.^[32] However, for its commercial production a mixture of pasteurized sheep, goat and occasionally cow's milk is used (with the cow's milk making up the lowest proportion of the milk used, if used at all).^[33][34]

Two main types of halloumi exist: fresh and mature.^[35] Fresh halloumi has a semi-hard, elastic texture and a milder, less salty flavor compared to the aged version. As mature halloumi is stored in brine it has a harder, drier texture, as well as a saltier flavor.^[34][36] Both versions have a slight minty flavor, due to the addition of spearmint during the production of the cheese.

Sealed, halloumi (both fresh and mature) can last in a refrigerator for as long as a year.^[37]

Production

Production of halloumi cheese involves several key steps.^[38]

The first step of halloumi production involves the coagulation of the milk in order to make curds. This occurs by stirring rennet into the milk mixture while keeping it at a temperature of 30–34 °C until the milk coagulates (a process which takes approximately 30–45 minutes). Once the curd is formed it is then cut, reheated and stirred in order to increase its firmness. The curds are then added to special molds and pressed until a sufficient amount of whey has been removed.^[38]

The next step of production involves the boiling of the pressed curds in hot whey (collected during the pressing of the curds) for at least 30 minutes,^[39] during a process known as scalding.^[32] This is the most crucial step in the halloumi production as it contributes to the characteristic texture of the cheese. The cooked pieces are then removed from the whey and are salted and garnished with fresh or dried mint (Mentha viridis) leaves. They are then folded and stored in salted whey for 1–3 days before being packed in airtight containers, ready to be sold and consumed.^[40]

For the production of mature halloumi, the cheese needs to be kept in the brine whey for at least 40 days.^[33]

Nutritional facts

100 grams (3.5 oz) of commercially produced packaged halloumi typically contains:^[41]

Fat	26.9 g
Carbohydrate	2.2 g
Protein	21.2 g
Energy	336 kcal
Salt	2.8 g

See also

• Fried cheese – Cheese dish fried in oil
• Bread cheese
• List of cheeses – List of cheeses by place of origin
• Queijo coalho – Brazilian cheese
• Saganaki – Greek fried cheese dish

Notes

1. /həˈluːmi/ hə-LOO-mee
2. • Greek: χαλούμι, romanized: chaloúmi
   • Turkish: hellim
   • Arabic: حلوم, romanized: ḥalūm

References

1. "Halloumi now registered as a Protected Designation of Origin". European Commission. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023.
2. "Cyprus - Cultural life - Daily life and social customs - halloumi cheese". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 16 June 2009. Geography has left Cyprus heir to numerous culinary traditions—particularly those of the Levant, Anatolia, and Greece — but some dishes, such as the island's halloumi cheese…are purely Cypriot.
3. Ayto, John (1990). The glutton's glossary: a dictionary of food and drink terms. Routledge. p. 133. ISBN 0-415-02647-4. Haloumi, or halumi, is a mild salty Cypriot cheese made from goats', ewes,' or cows' milk.
4. Dew, Philip; Reuvid, Jonathan, eds. (2005). Doing Business with the Republic of Cyprus. GMB Publishing Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 1-905050-54-2. Cyprus has managed to secure EU recognition of halloumi as a traditional cheese of Cyprus; therefore no other country may export cheese of the same name
5. "Why does halloumi, but not other cheese, "squeak" against your teeth?". New Scientist. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
6. Lazarou, Stalo. "Χαλλούμι". foodmuseum.cs.ucy.ac.cy (in Greek). Cyprus Food Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
7. Charles O'Connor. Traditional Cheesemaking Manual. International Livestock Centre for Africa.
8. Robinson, R. K. – Tamime, A. Y. (1991). Feta and Related Cheeses. Woodhead Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 1-85573-278-5. Halloumi is a semi-hard to hard, unripened cheese that, traditionally, is made from either sheep's milk or goat's milk or a mixture of the two. Although the cheese has its origins in Cyprus, it is widely popular throughout the Middle East, and hence many countries have now become involved with its manufacture. In Australia, it is coated with a greek yogurt.
9. Allen, Gary J. (2007). The herbalist in the kitchen. University of Illinois Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-252-03162-5. Haloumi (sometimes spelled Halloumi) is a brine-cured cheese from Cyprus containing chopped mint.
10. Cooke, Nicholas (22 September 2013). "How halloumi took over the UK". BBC News. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
11. "Cyprus wins back UK halloumi trademark". Financial Mirror. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
12. Smith, Helena (24 April 2021). "EU special status for halloumi fails to calm divisions in Cyprus". The Guardian.
13. "Application for the name 'halloumi' to go to EU in early 2007". Cyprus Mail. September 2, 2006. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
14. Saoulli, Alexia (3 March 2007). "Halloumi bickering threatens EU application". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
15. Company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. "The American Heritage Dictionary entry: halloumi". ahdictionary.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
16. Borg, Alexander (2004). A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic-English): With an Introductory Essay. Brill. pp. 11, 209–210. ISBN 978-90-04-13198-9 – via Google Books.
17. "halloumi". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. 1989.
18. Andriotis et al., Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής
19. Otter, Don (25 October 2016). Donnelly, Catherine; Kehler, Mateo (eds.). The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-933089-8 – via Google Books.
20. Davidson, Alan (21 August 2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-104072-6 – via Google Books.
21. Johnson, Janet. "Chicago Demotic Dictionary - Ḥ" (PDF). p. 246.
22. Nasrallah, Nawal (9 November 2017). Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook: English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-34991-9 – via Google Books.
23. P. Papademas, "Halloumi Cheese", p. 117ff, in Adnan Tamime, ed., Brined Cheeses. Society of Dairy Technology series, Blackwell. 2006, ISBN 1-4051-2460-1
24. Patapiou, Nasa (2006). "Leonardo Donà in Cyprus - A future Doge in the Karpass Peninsula (1557)" (PDF). Cyprus Today. Press and Information Office, Ministry of Interior, Nicosia, Cyprus. p. 8. Retrieved 25 October 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
25. Welz, Gisela (2017). May, Sarah; Sidali, Katia Laura; Spiller, Achim; Tschofen, Bernhard (eds.). Taste, power, tradition: geographical indications as cultural property. Göttingen studies in cultural property. Göttingen, Niedersachs: Universitätsverlag Göttingen. p. 25. ISBN 978-3-86395-208-2.
26. Welz, Gisela (1 September 2015). European Products: Making and Unmaking Heritage in Cyprus. Berghahn Books. pp. 93–110. ISBN 978-1-78238-823-4 – via Google Books.
27. Garanti, Zanete (April 2016). "Marketing Hellim / Halloumi Cheese: A Comparative Study of Northern and Southern Cyprus" (PDF). Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference "Economic Science for Rural Development" No 43. pp. 134–142. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
28. Steinhauser, Gabriele (12 October 2012). "In Cyprus, New Cheese Edict Gets the Goat of Dairy Farmers". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
29. O'Reilly, Séamas (24 November 2019). "Halloumi hell: how will we survive the cheese crisis?". The Guardian.
30. "Best halloumi recipes". Olive Magazine. 10 October 2018.
31. Eskin, Leah (21 March 2016). "The salty, satisfying squeak of fried halloumi". NY Times. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
32. Hayaloglu, A. Adnan (1 January 2017), McSweeney, Paul L. H.; Fox, Patrick F.; Cotter, Paul D.; Everett, David W. (eds.), "Chapter 39 - Cheese Varieties Ripened Under Brine", Cheese (Fourth Edition), San Diego: Academic Press, pp. 997–1040, ISBN 978-0-12-417012-4, retrieved 21 April 2023
33. Kamilari, Eleni; Anagnostopoulos, Dimitrios A.; Papademas, Photis; Kamilaris, Andreas; Tsaltas, Dimitrios (1 May 2020). "Characterizing Halloumi cheese's bacterial communities through metagenomic analysis". LWT. 126: 109298. arXiv:2004.01710. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109298. ISSN 0023-6438. S2CID 214802525.
34. "Halloumi.cy Trade Service, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry - Ingredients and Main Characteristics". Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
35. "Types of Halloumi | Charalambides Christis". Charalambides Christis. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
36. "Flavor of the Month: Halloumi can be mild and creamy or strong and salty". Food Management. 17 September 2018.
37. "Halloumi". BBC Good Food. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
38. Özer, Barbaros H. (1 January 1999), "CHEESE | Microflora of White-brined Cheeses", in Robinson, Richard K. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology, Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 397–403, ISBN 978-0-12-227070-3, retrieved 21 April 2023
39. Papademas, Photis; Robinson, Richard K (August 1998). "Halloumi cheese: the product and its characteristics". International Journal of Dairy Technology. 51 (3): 98–103. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0307.1998.tb02646.x. ISSN 1364-727X.
40. "How Halloumi is Made | Charalambides Christis". Charalambidis Christis. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
41. "Tesco Halloumi 250G". Teso. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Media related to Halloumi at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of halloumi at Wiktionary