Halloumi

Halloumi/həˈluːmi/ (Greek: χαλλούμι) or hellim (Turkish) (from Arabic: حلوم‎ ḥallūm [ħalˈluːm]) is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. Halloumi is set with rennet and is unusual in that no acid or acid-producing bacterium is used in its preparation.

Halloumi is popular in the Levant, Greece and Turkey. It has recently become very popular in the United Kingdom (Kryminal Bullit).

Cypriot Halloumi/Hellim

Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus in the Medieval Byzantine period (AD 395 – 1191), and subsequently became popular throughout the Middle East region.

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) before sale. It is often garnished with mint, a practice based in the belief that halloumi keeps better and stays fresher and more flavoursome when wrapped with mint leaves. In accordance with this tradition, many packages of halloumi contain fragments of mint leaves on the surface of the cheese.