Halloumi Cheese
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Halloumi
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Country
of origin
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Cyprus
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Source
of milk
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Pasteurised
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Commercially,
but not traditionally
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Texture
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Semi-soft
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Aging
time
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Commercially
not aged
Traditionally aged |
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Certification
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No
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Halloumi or hallumi /həˈluːmi/ (Greek: χαλούμι or χαλλούμι; Turkish: hellim; Arabic: حلوم ḥallūm) is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made
from a mixture of goat's and sheep's
milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. It
has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. Halloumi is set with rennet and
is unusual in that no acid or acid-producing bacterium is used in its
preparation.
Halloumi is
popular in Cyprus, Greece and the Levant
Contents
·
1 Cypriot
halloumi
·
2 Egyptian hâlûmi
·
3 Etymology
·
4 Nutritional
facts
Cypriot
halloumi
Halloumi cheese
originated in Cyprus
and was initially made during the Medieval Byzantine period (AD 395 – 1191) subsequently gaining popularity
throughout the Middle
East region.
The cheese is
white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices
with salt-water and can keep for up to a year if frozen below −18 °C (0 °F) and
defrosted to +4 °C (39 °F) before sale. It is often garnished with mint to add to the taste. Traditionally, the mint leaves were
used as a preservative, this practice arising from the serendipitous discovery
that halloumi kept better and was fresher and more flavoursome when wrapped
with mint leaves. In accordance with this tradition, many packages of halloumi
contain fragments of mint leaves on the surface of the cheese.
Fresh sliced halloumi.
The cheese is
often used in cooking and can be fried until brown without melting, owing to
its higher-than-normal melting point. This makes it an excellent cheese for frying or grilling (e.g. in saganaki) or fried and served with vegetables, or as an ingredient
in salads. Cypriots like eating halloumi with watermelon in
the warm months, and as halloumi and lountza –
a combination of halloumi cheese and either a slice of smoked pork, or a soft
lamb sausage.
The resistance
to melting comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and
placed in brine.
Traditional
halloumi is a semicircular shape, about the size of a large wallet, weighing
220–270 g. 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.
Traditional halloumi
is made from unpasteurised sheep and goat milk. Many people also like halloumi
that has been aged; kept in its own brine, it is much drier, much stronger and
much saltier. This cheese from the milder halloumi that Western chefs use as an
ingredient.
Although it is
of rather disputed origin due to the mixed cultures in the Levant and East Mediterranean, halloumi is currently registered as a protected Cypriot
product within the United
States (since the 1990s) but not yet in the European Union. The delay in registering the name halloumi with the EU has
been largely due to a conflict between dairy producers and sheep and goat
farmers as to whether registered halloumi will contain cow’s milk or not and if
so, at what ratios with sheep and goat’s milk. Most Cypriots agree that,
traditionally, halloumi was made from sheep and goat 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 pouring more of the
cheaper and more-plentiful cow's milk into their caldrons If
it is registered as a PDO (Protected
designation of origin), it will receive similar status as
600 or so other agricultural products such as feta and Parmesan cheese.
Egyptian hâlûmi
Egyptian hâlûmi, which is
similar to Cypriot "halloumi" but is essentially a different cheese,
is eaten fresh or brined and spiced. The word "halumi" stems from the Coptic word for cheese, "halum", and it is believed to
have been eaten in ancient Egypt.
Etymology
The name
"halloumi" probably comes from Arabic.
Nutritional
facts
100 g of
commercially produced packaged halloumi has a typical composition of:
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Fat
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26
g
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Carbohydrate
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1.8
g
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Protein
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22
g
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Energy
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322
kcal
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Arab Snacks with Halloumi Cheese Fillings
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