Halloumi

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Halloumi
Country of origin Cyprus
Region, town N/A
Source of milk Goats or Sheep
Pasteurised Commercially, but not traditionally[citation needed]
Texture semi-soft, but hard when aged
Aging time Commercially not aged.
Traditionally aged[citation needed]
Certification No

Halloumi or haloumi (Greek χαλούμι, Turkish hellim, Arabic حلوم ḥallūm) is a Traditional Cypriot cheese[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] , that is also popular in Greece[8] and throughout the Middle East[9] and is now made the world over. It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep milk, although some halloumi can be bought that also contains cow's milk.[10] It has a high melting point, and so can easily be fried or grilled.

Contents

[edit] Cypriot halloumi

Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and was initially made during the Medieval Byzantine period[18], subsequently gaining popularity throughout the Middle-East. Industrial halloumi contains more cow's milk than goat and sheep milk. This reduces the cost but changes the taste and the grilling properties.

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) for sale at supermarkets. It is often garnished with mint to add to the taste. Traditionally, the mint leaves were used as a preservative, the use serendipitously discovered when the fresh Halloumi was kept wrapped for freshness and flavour from the mint leaves. Hence, if you see closely, many packaged Halloumi will have bits of mint leaf on the surface of the cheese.

Fresh sliced halloumi

It is used in cooking, as it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point, making it a good cheese for frying or grilling (such as in saganaki), as an ingredient in salads, or fried and served with vegetables. 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.[citation needed]

The resistance to melting comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and placed in brine.[19] 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 consumed.

Traditional artisan halloumi is made from unpasteurised sheep and goats milk. . Many people also like halloumi that has been aged; it is much drier, much stronger and much saltier. It is easy to find this traditional product in Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot shops. It is kept in its own brine. This cheese is very different from the squeaky mild halloumi that Western chefs use as an ingredient.

Halloumi was known in Cyprus before the invasion of Ottoman Turks in 1571. For example doge Leonardo Dona, who lived in Cyprus, recorded the production of halloumi (calumi) in a 1556 AD manuscript.[20]

Although it is made worldwide and 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 US (since the 1990s) but not the EU. 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.[21][22] If it is registered as a PDO (Protected designation of origin) it will enjoy the same safeguard as 600 or so other agricultural products such as feta and parmesan cheese. Halloumi is also registered in Canada as "Hallomi" without the "U" due to a dispute with a dairy producer in Canada.[citation needed]

[edit] Egyptian hâlûm

Egyptian hâlûm is eaten fresh or brined and spiced, when it is called mishsh. Mishsh is sometimes infested with worms (cf. casu marzu), which are edible, though not appreciated.[23]

[edit] Etymology

Search Wiktionary Look up halloumi in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The word halloumi comes from ancient Egyptian via the Coptic ialom.[23]

[edit] Nutritional facts

100 g of commercially produced packaged halloumi has a typical composition of:[24]

Fat 26g
Carbohydrate 1.8g
Protein 22g
Energy 322kcal

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Cyprus - Cultural life - Daily life and social customs - halloumi cheese.". www.britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/148573/Cyprus. Retrieved on 2009-16-06. "Geography has left Cyprus heir to numerous culinary traditions—particularly those of the Levant, Anatolia, and Greece—but some dishes, such as the island’s halloumi cheese…are purely Cypriot" 
  2. ^ Ayto, John (1990). The glutton's glossary: a dictionary of food and drink terms. Routledge. p. 133. ISBN 0415026474. "Haloumi, or halumi, is a mild salty Cypriot cheese made from goat's, ewe's, or cow's milk." 
  3. ^ Hemme, Dorothee - Tauschek, Markus – Bendix, Regina - Göttinger Institut für Kulturanthropologie/Europäische Ethnologie (2007). Prädikat"heritage": Wertschöpfungen aus kulturellen Ressourcen. LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster. p. 367. ISBN 382589892X. "Cypriot traditional food product, the halloumi cheese, that has made the transition from local food to European product" 
  4. ^ Shulman, Martha Rose (2007). Mediterranean Harvest. Rodale. p. 21. ISBN 1594862346. "Haloumi: This is a Cypriot cheese that is also popular in Turkey, Greece, and throughout the Arab world" 
  5. ^ International Food Information Service. Dictionary of food science and technology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 178. ISBN 1405125055. "Halloumi cheese Cypriot hard stretched curd cheese made from ewe, goat or cow milk. Similar to Mozzarella cheese, and used in cooking" 
  6. ^ Fox, Patrick F. (1999). Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology (Major Cheese Groups). Springer. p. 440. ISBN 0834213397. "Halloumi is the principal cheese traditionally made in Cyprus. It is a semi- hard cheese preserved in brine and made from sheep's milk." 
  7. ^ Dew, Philip – Reuvid, Jonathan - Consultant Editors (2005). Doing Business with the Republic of Cyprus. GMB Publishing Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 1905050542. "Cyprus has managed to secure EU recognition of halloumi as a traditional cheese of Cyprus ; therefore no other country may export cheese of the same name" 
  8. ^ Allen, Gary J. (2007). The herbalist in the kitchen. University of Illinois Press. p. 212. ISBN 0252031628. "Haloumi (sometimes spelled Halloumi) is a brine -cured cheese from Greece and Cyprus containing chopped mint." 
  9. ^ Robinson, R. K. – Tamime, A. Y. (1991). Feta and Related Cheeses. Woodhead Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 1855732785. "Halloumi is a semi-hard to hard, unripened cheese that, traditionally, is made from either sheep's milk or goat's milk or a mixture of the two..Although the cheese has its origins in Cyprus, it is widely popular throughout the Middle East, and hence many countries have now become involved with its manufacture." 
  10. ^ Gibbs, Paul; Ria Morphitou, George Savva.. "Halloumi: exporting to retain traditional food products". British Food Journal 106 (7): 569–576. doi:10.1108/00070700410545755. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0701060706.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. 
  11. ^ Robinson, R. K. – Tamime, A. Y. (1991). Feta and Related Cheeses. Woodhead Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 1855732785. "Halloumi is a semi-hard to hard, unripened cheese that, traditionally, is made from either sheep's milk or goat's milk or a mixture of the two..Although the cheese has its origins in Cyprus, it is widely popular throughout the Middle East, and hence many countries have now become involved with its manufacture." 
  12. ^ Murdoch Books Pty Limited (2005). Essential Mediterranean. Murdoch Books. p. 21. ISBN 1740455398. "HALOUMl Originating in Cyprus, this salty, semi-hard sheep's milk cheese is a popular table cheese" 
  13. ^ Anthony Telford (2003). The kitchen hand: a miscellany of kitchen wisdom. Allen & Unwin. p. 112. ISBN 1865088900. "HALOUMI is a white, semi-hard sheep's cheese, originally from Cyprus now made the world over." 
  14. ^ Kummer, Corby (INT) (2007). 1,001 Foods to Die For. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 604. ISBN 0740770438. "Halloumi A semi-hard white cheese made with either sheep's or goat's milk, halloumi originally comes from Cyprus, although much of it is also made in Greece" 
  15. ^ Harron, Hallie (2008). Cheese Hors D'Oeuvres. Harvard Common Press. p. 38. ISBN 1558323716. "The salty halloumi cheese hails from Cyprus" 
  16. ^ Marchetti, Domenica – Meppem, William (2006). The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy. Chronicle Books. p. 145. ISBN 0811848175. "Halloumi cheese, which originated in Cyprus, is usually made from goat's milk, or a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and a touch of mint" 
  17. ^ Martinez, Laura (2007). The Everything Cheese Book: From Cheddar to Chevre. Everything Books. p. 206. ISBN 1598692526. "Haloumi is from Cyprus and is usually made from a combination of sheep's and goat's milk" 
  18. ^ Goldstein, Darra – Merkle, Kathrin – Parasecoli, Fabio – Mennell, Stephen - Council of Europe (2005). Culinary cultures of Europe: identity, diversity and dialogue. Council of Europe. p. 121. ISBN 9287157448. "Most culinary innovations in the Cypriot cuisine occurred during the Byzantine era… Experimentation with dairy products resulted in the now-famous halloumi and feta cheese." 
  19. ^ Galarneau, Andrew Z (2004-09-14). "Elements: Halloumi -One ingredient, one dish". The Buffalo News. http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/438583.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-15. 
  20. ^ See Gazette of Republic of Cyprus sited in [1]
  21. ^ Application for the name ‘halloumi’ to go to EU in early 2007 , Cyprus Mail archive article - Saturday, September 2, 2006 [2]
  22. ^ Saoulli, Alexia (March 3, 2007). "Halloumi bickering threatens EU application". Cyprus Mail. http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=31047&archive=1. Retrieved on 2007-03-04. 
  23. ^ a b Oxford Companion to Food, s.v. haloumi
  24. ^ "Nutritional information on halloumi cheese". Alambra Dairy Products. http://www.petroubros.com.cy/english/products_haloumi.shtm. Retrieved on 2008-05-07. 
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloumi"
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