halloumi

The English name halloumi is derived from Modern {{langx|el|χαλλούμι}} {{IPA|el|xaˈlumi|}}, {{translit|el|khalloúmi}}, from Cypriot Maronite Arabic {{lang|acy|xallúm}},{{cite web |title=The American Heritage Dictionary entry: halloumi |url=https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=halloumi |access-date=2018-10-25 |website=ahdictionary.com}}{{cite book|first1=Alexander|last1=Borg|title=A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic-English): With an Introductory Essay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfENAAAAYAAJ&q=xallum|publisher=Brill|date=2004|pages=11,209–210|isbn=978-90-04-13198-9|via=Google Books}} ultimately from Egyptian {{langx|ar|حلوم}} {{transliteration|ar|ḥallūm}} {{IPA|ar|ħalˈluːm|}}.{{cite OED2|halloumi}}

The Egyptian Arabic word is itself a loanword from Coptic {{Script/Coptic|{{lang|cop|ϩⲁⲗⲱⲙ}}}} {{transliteration|cop|halōm}} (Sahidic) and {{Script/Coptic|{{lang|cop|ⲁⲗⲱⲙ}}}} {{transliteration|cop|alōm}} (Bohairic), and was used for cheese eaten in medieval Egypt.Andriotis et al., Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής{{cite book|first=Don |last=Otter |editor-first1=Catherine |editor-last1=Donnelly |editor-first2=Mateo | editor-last2=Kehler |title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRnGDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=25 October 2016|isbn=978-0-19-933089-8|via=Google Books}}{{cite book|first1=Alan|last1=Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA378|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=21 August 2014|isbn=978-0-19-104072-6|via=Google Books}} The name of the cheese likely goes back to the Demotic word ḥlm {{gloss|cheese}} attested in manuscripts and ostraca from 2nd-century Roman Egypt.{{Cite web|title=Chicago Demotic Dictionary - Ḥ|url=https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/CDD_H2.pdf#246|last=Johnson|first=Janet|page=246}}

The Cypriot Turkish name {{lang|tr|hellim}} derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese {{transliteration|ar|hâlûmi}}.

Image:Grilled_Halloumi.jpg

A recipe for enhancing {{translit|ar|ḥalūm}} ({{gloss|cheese}}) by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook {{lang|ar|كنز الفوائد في تنويع الموائد}} ({{translit|ar|Kanz al-Fawāʾid fī Tanwīʿ al-Mawāʾid}}).{{cite book|first1=Nawal|last1=Nasrallah|title=Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook: English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIJ1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA335|publisher=Brill |date=9 November 2017|isbn=978-90-04-34991-9|via=Google Books}}

The earliest known surviving descriptions of halloumi in Cyprus were recorded in the mid-16th century by Italian visitors to Cyprus,P. Papademas, "Halloumi Cheese", p. 117ff, in Adnan Tamime, ed., Brined Cheeses. Society of Dairy Technology series, Blackwell. 2006, {{ISBN|1-4051-2460-1}}{{cite web|first=Nasa|last=Patapiou|title=Leonardo Donà in Cyprus - A future Doge in the Karpass Peninsula (1557)|date=2006|magazine=Cyprus Today|publisher=Press and Information Office, Ministry of Interior, Nicosia, Cyprus|url=http://www.moa.gov.cy/moi/PIO/PIO.nsf/5bb2d7867fb2fe5dc2257076004d0374/2B02FC22B66BB73EC225728200308D1A/$file/Cyprus%20Today,%20April%20-%20June%202006.pdf|page=8|access-date=25 October 2018}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} where it is often said to have originated. 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.{{Cite book |last=Welz |first=Gisela |title=Taste, power, tradition: geographical indications as cultural property |date=2017 |publisher=Universitätsverlag Göttingen |isbn=978-3-86395-208-2 |editor-last=May |editor-first=Sarah |series=Göttingen studies in cultural property |location=Göttingen, Niedersachs |pages=25 |editor-last2=Sidali |editor-first2=Katia Laura |editor-last3=Spiller |editor-first3=Achim |editor-last4=Tschofen |editor-first4=Bernhard}}{{cite book|first1=Gisela|last1=Welz|title=European Products: Making and Unmaking Heritage in Cyprus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qf7GCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA93|pages=93–110|publisher=Berghahn Books|date=1 September 2015|isbn=978-1-78238-823-4|via=Google Books}}{{cite conference|first=Zanete|last=Garanti|book-title=Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference "Economic Science for Rural Development" No 43|title=Marketing Hellim / Halloumi Cheese: A Comparative Study of Northern and Southern Cyprus|url=http://llufb.llu.lv/conference/economic_science_rural/2016/Latvia_ESRD_43_2016-134-142.pdf|pages=134–142|date=April 2016|access-date=25 October 2018}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Steinhauser |first=Gabriele |title=In Cyprus, New Cheese Edict Gets the Goat of Dairy Farmers |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443862604578032543426910614.html |access-date=2023-04-21 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=12 October 2012 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Halloumi hell: how will we survive the cheese crisis? |last=O'Reilly |first=Séamas |work=The Guardian |date=24 November 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/nov/24/the-halloumi-crisis-supplies-of-one-of-britains-best-loved-imports-are-running-low}}

Image:Haloumi dish at The Terrace, Emporium Hotel South Bank, Brisbane.jpg

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.{{Cite web |title=Best halloumi recipes |author= |website=Olive Magazine |date=10 October 2018 |url= https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/best-halloumi-recipes/}}

Traditional halloumi is a semicircular shape, weighing {{convert|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.{{cite news|last1=Eskin|first1=Leah|title=The salty, satisfying squeak of fried halloumi|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/sc-fried-halloumi-eskin-food-0325-20160321-column.html|access-date=3 April 2017|newspaper=NY Times|date=21 March 2016}}

File:Salatat zaatar.jpg

Traditional halloumi is typically made from fresh, unpasteurised sheep and/or goat's milk.{{Citation |last=Hayaloglu |first=A. Adnan |title=Chapter 39 - Cheese Varieties Ripened Under Brine |date=2017-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124170124000399 |work=Cheese (Fourth Edition) |pages=997–1040 |editor-last=McSweeney |editor-first=Paul L. H. |access-date=2023-04-21 |place=San Diego |publisher=Academic Press |language=en |isbn=978-0-12-417012-4 |editor2-last=Fox |editor2-first=Patrick F. |editor3-last=Cotter |editor3-first=Paul D. |editor4-last=Everett |editor4-first=David W.}} 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).{{Cite web |date= |title=Halloumi.cy Trade Service, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry - Ingredients and Main Characteristics |url=https://halloumi.cy/ingredients |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421213900/https://halloumi.cy/ingredients |archive-date=2023-04-21 |access-date=2023-04-22 |website=}}

Two main types of halloumi exist: fresh and mature.{{Cite web |date= |title=Types of Halloumi {{!}} Charalambides Christis |url=https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/types-of-halloumi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421213228/https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/types-of-halloumi |archive-date=2023-04-21 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Charalambides Christis}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Flavor of the Month: Halloumi can be mild and creamy or strong and salty |author= |work=Food Management |date=17 September 2018 |url= https://www.food-management.com/food-beverage/flavor-month-halloumi-can-be-mild-and-creamy-or-strong-and-salty}} Both versions have a slight minty flavor, due to the addition of spearmint during the production of the cheese.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Sealed, halloumi (both fresh and mature) can last in a refrigerator for as long as a year.{{Cite news|title=Halloumi|language=en|work=BBC Good Food|url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/halloumi-glossary|access-date=2022-02-07}}

Production of halloumi cheese involves several key steps.{{Citation |last=Özer |first=Barbaros H. |title=CHEESE {{!}} Microflora of White-brined Cheeses |date=1999-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122270703003159 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology |pages=397–403 |editor-last=Robinson |editor-first=Richard K. |access-date=2023-04-21 |place=Oxford |publisher=Elsevier |language=en |isbn=978-0-12-227070-3}}

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.

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,{{Cite journal |last1=Papademas |first1=Photis |last2=Robinson |first2=Richard K |date=August 1998 |title=Halloumi cheese: the product and its characteristics |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0307.1998.tb02646.x |journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology |language=en |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=98–103 |doi=10.1111/j.1471-0307.1998.tb02646.x |issn=1364-727X|url-access=subscription }} during a process known as scalding. 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.{{Cite web |date= |title=How Halloumi is Made {{!}} Charalambides Christis |url=https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/how-halloumi-is-made |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421204803/https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/how-halloumi-is-made |archive-date=21 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Charalambidis Christis}}

For the production of mature halloumi, the cheese needs to be kept in the brine whey for at least 40 days.{{Cite journal |last1=Kamilari |first1=Eleni |last2=Anagnostopoulos |first2=Dimitrios A. |last3=Papademas |first3=Photis |last4=Kamilaris |first4=Andreas |last5=Tsaltas |first5=Dimitrios |date=2020-05-01 |title=Characterizing Halloumi cheese's bacterial communities through metagenomic analysis |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643820302875 |journal=LWT |language=en |volume=126 |page=109298 |doi=10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109298 |arxiv=2004.01710 |s2cid=214802525 |issn=0023-6438}}

{{Convert|100|g|oz}} of commercially produced packaged halloumi typically contains:{{cite web |url=http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=261712501 |title=Tesco Halloumi 250G |access-date=2016-04-23 |publisher=Teso |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414094221/http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=261712501 |archive-date=2016-04-14 }}

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{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://halloumi.cy/ Official website]
• {{commons category-inline|Halloumi}}
• {{wiktionary-inline}}

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