🧑🤝🧑 Cypriots
Halloumi, the Cypriot cheese for grilling.
Cypriots are the Greek and Turkish communities of the island of Cyprus, who share a pastoral tradition and a famous cheese — halloumi (hellim in Turkish). On an island with hot, dry summers, sheep and goats were traditionally kept.
Halloumi is made from sheep’s and goat’s milk, often with cow’s milk added: the curd is heated in hot whey, folded and salted, sometimes with mint. Thanks to this treatment the cheese does not melt and can be grilled or pan-fried. In 2021 the EU registered “Halloumi/Hellim” as a protected designation of origin: the name may be used for cheeses made in Cyprus according to set rules, including by producers from both communities.
In summer halloumi is eaten with watermelon and added to salads and pastries, and the whey left after making it is used for the soft cheese anari.
What it includes
- Traditional products
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Cypriots → live in → 🌍 Anatolia and the Middle East ← milked in ← 🐪 She-camel → gives → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Where they live
- 🌍 Anatolia and the Middle East
- Traditional products
- 🧀 Halloumi
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t halloumi melt?
The curd is heated in hot whey, which firms up the proteins, so the cheese holds its shape when fried.
What milk is halloumi made from?
Sheep’s and goat’s milk, often with cow’s milk added.
What is anari?
A soft cheese made from the whey left over from halloumi.
Similar
🧑🤝🧑 Lebanese · 🧑🤝🧑 Jordanians · 🧑🤝🧑 Turks · 🧑🤝🧑 Bedouin · 🧑🤝🧑 Palestinians · 🧑🤝🧑 Iranians