Halloumi

The English name halloumi is derived from Modern , , from Cypriot Maronite Arabic , which ultimately borrowed the word from Egyptian Arabic . The Egyptian Arabic word is itself a loanword from Coptic (Sahidic) and (Bohairic), and was used for cheese eaten in medieval Egypt. The name of the cheese likely goes back to the Demotic word ḥlm attested in manuscripts and ostraca from 2nd-century Roman Egypt. The Cypriot Turkish name derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese . ==History==

Halloumi is thought to have first been made by Bedouins, as its preserved qualities were ideal for a nomadic lifestyle. According to folklore, sometime between AD 395 and 867 a herder in Cyprus combined milk from sheep and goats. The herder then heated the mixture over a fire, sifted out the curds as they separated from the whey, then formed the curds into blobs and left them to cool. A recipe for enhancing () by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook (). The earliest known surviving descriptions of halloumi in Cyprus were recorded around 1554 by Florios Voustroniou, head of the Secretariat in the Venetian administration of Cyprus, where it was called "calumi". The manuscript was transcribed by Leonardo Donato, later Doge of Venice. It was typically made by cooperatives formed in villages, typically consisting of 10-15 women; the woman with the most goats led the cooperative. In 2018, a protocol was signed for the export of halloumi to China and sales surged. This led to a shortage of the cheese, exacerbated by high temperatures that led animals to produce less milk. As demand grew, industrial cheese-makers began using more of the cheaper and more plentiful cow's milk; by 2019, almost all halloumi exported to the UK was composed of 80% cow's milk. In 2023, annual production of the cheese exceeded 450,000 tons. ==Overview and preparation==

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. Traditional halloumi is a hemispherical shape, weighing . 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 typically made from fresh, unpasteurized goat’s and/or sheep milk. However, for its commercial production a mixture of pasteurized cow’s, goat and sheep milk is used. Two main types of halloumi exist: fresh and mature. 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. Both versions have a slight minty flavor, due to the addition of spearmint during the production of the cheese. If properly sealed and refrigerated, halloumi (both fresh and mature) can last for as long as a year. ==Production==

Production of halloumi cheese involves several key steps: The first step of halloumi production involves the coagulation of the milk in order to make curds. This is done 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. during a process known as scalding. For the production of mature halloumi, the cheese needs to be kept in the brine whey for at least 40 days. ==Nutritional facts==

of commercially produced packaged halloumi branded by Tesco contains: ==Legal issues==

In the United States, Halloumi is a registered trademark owned by Cyprus, while in the UK it is owned by the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi. It is protected as a geographical indication in the European Union, as a protected designation of origin (PDO), which means, within the EU, only products made in certain parts of Cyprus can be called "halloumi". PDO protection for Halloumi was delayed largely by disagreements among farmers of cattle, sheep, and goats regarding the inclusion of and amount of cows' milk in the cheese. In 2006, a German enterprise registered the trademark "Gazi hellim"; hellim is the name of the cheese in the Turkish language. The Cypriot dairy producers' organisation filed a complaint with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, which was rejected. ==In popular culture==

• Georgios Vizyinos, who lived in Cyprus as a teenager, wrote a poem To Ptochon tis Kyprou (Το πτωχόν της Κύπρου) (1867) that describes eating halloumi cheese in a village. • The Cypriot surnames Halloumas, Hallouma, Halloumakis, and Halloumis likely relate to halloumi production. ==See also==