Cyprus Halloumi > a hit in Finland June 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Food Cyprus, Recipes.trackback
The famous Greek feta cheese has a less known Cypriot cousin called halloumi. Originally halloumi is made from sheep’s or goat’s milk, or a mixture of the two. However, the industrially produced halloumi also contains cow’s milk.
Cypriots have been making halloumi for centuries. Propably the oldest historical reference to halloumi is from 1643, when monk Agapios described the methods of preparing this white semi-hard cheese. The ethymology of the word halloumi is somewhat obscure. Most probably it derives from arabic “khllum” which means cheese.
Although stored in brine, halloumi is less salty than feta. If needed, it can be soaked in lukewarm water or milk. Usually it is flavoured with mint, which gives it a unique taste. Some say, however, that the original purpose of the mint was to preserve the cheese longer due to its anti-bacterial properties.
Halloumi is one of the cornerstones of the famous Cypriot meze menu, a selection of small dishes. It is often eaten with fresh tomatoes, watermelon, salads and sandwiches. Halloumi is a good choice for a barbecue since it can be easily grilled or fried. It has a higher melting point than most other cheeses, so it doesn’t melt, but gets crispy and beautifully brown outside and softer inside. A few slices of plain halloumi on top of a basil-tomato sandwich is also delicious!
Fried halloumi (serves one)
1 package of halloumi (250 g)
2 tblsp. of butter
½ tblsp. of olive oil
wheat flour
lemon juice
(ouzo)
Cover the whole halloumi with wheat flour. Fry both sides in the pan with melted butter and olive oil until golden brown. For a finishing touch, flame it with ouzo (optional) and squeeze lemon juice on top.
Halloumi is widely available in the bigger supermarkets. A 250g package costs about €3-4.
grhomeboy
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