🧀 Halloumi
Also known as: haloumi, hellim
Cypriot grilling cheese from sheep's and goat's milk (cow's allowed); EU protected name since 2021, curd cooked in whey above 90 °C.
Facts
| Country | Cyprus 2 |
|---|---|
| Region | All of Cyprus, six districts 2 |
| Registered | 2021 — EU protected designation of origin, Reg. 2021/591 1 |
| Temperature | Curd cooked in whey above 90 °C 2 |
| Duration | Cooking ≥ 30 min; matured — ≥ 40 days 2 |
| Main use | Cheese for frying and grilling 2 |
| Raw material | Fresh sheep's or goat's milk, less cow's; rennet, Cypriot mint, salt 2 |
| Taste | Mint, milk and whey aroma; salty; matured very salty 2 |
Halloumi (hellim in Turkish, also spelt haloumi) is a semi-hard cheese from Cyprus that does not run in the pan or on the grill. It is made from fresh sheep's or goat's milk, sometimes with cow's milk added, and its springiness comes from cooking the curd at length in hot whey 2.
British, American and Australian shoppers may remember the fight over the name. When Cyprus applied to protect it, the European Commission received 17 notices of opposition, including from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, where «halloumi» had been used for cheese since the 1980s; it had also been a trade mark since 2000. The name was registered on 12 April 2021, the rules have applied since 1 October 2021, and Cyprus gave producers a 10-year transition 1.
The specification leaves little room. Sheep's and goat's milk must always make up the larger share, and the milk is pasteurised or heated above 65 °C; milk powder, caseinates, colourings and preservatives are banned. Pieces of curd are cooked in whey above 90 °C for at least 30 minutes, then folded in half and salted. Besides fresh Cypriot milk, only non-pig rennet, Cypriot mint (Mentha viridis) and salt go in, and a cheese weighs 150–350 g 2.
The earliest known mention is «calumi» in a 1554 manuscript from the Correr Museum in Venice, and Archimandrite Kyprianos wrote about it in 1788. A 1939 agricultural show listing appeared in Greek and Turkish, and Halloumas and Halloumis are common Cypriot surnames 2. Today Cyprus makes over 19,500 t a year, 24.4 kg per person, not counting areas outside government control 1.
It is a rich, salty cheese, so fry or grill it in small portions and leave extra salt out of the dish 4.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that any grilling cheese is halloumi?
No. Only cheese made in Cyprus under the Halloumi specification may use the name; some producers outside Cyprus sell similar cheese under other names.
How do I check that a pack of halloumi meets the PDO rules?
Look for «Halloumi» (or «Χαλλούμι», «Hellim») with the EU PDO symbol. If the milk is mixed, the kinds are listed in descending order, and if cow's milk comes first the cheese does not meet the rules.
Why is halloumi folded, and why is there mint inside?
Folding began because the cheese then fitted more easily into containers of whey. The mint lies between the layers and gives the aroma.
What is the difference between fresh and matured halloumi?
Fresh is elastic, white to light yellow, with up to 46% moisture, at least 43% fat in dry matter and up to 3% salt. Matured lies at least 40 days in salted whey and becomes firmer, slightly bitter and very salty: up to 37% moisture, at least 40% fat, up to 6% salt.
Cheese
Halloumi belongs to brine cheeses and to protected cheese names: since 2021 it has been a PDO of Cyprus. It is made from sheep's and goat's milk, to which cow's milk may be added; the milk is curdled with rennet, the curd is pressed and then cooked in hot whey above 90 °C, folded with mint and kept in brine. Thanks to this cooking it does not run when fried. Tip: fry halloumi slices in a dry pan or on a grill until golden and serve warm with watermelon or vegetables.
Composition per 100 g
| Fat | 23.5 g |
|---|---|
| Protein | 23.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1.7 g |
| Energy | 313 kcal |
| Calcium | 794 mg |
Source:
How it connects to milk
🧀 Halloumi → made from → 🥛 Cow's milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Halloumi → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- What it gives
- 🧀 Anari
- Made from
- 🥛 Sheep's milk, 🥛 Goat's milk, 🧫 Rennet, 🧀 Whey, 🥛 Cow's milk, 🧂 Salt
- How it is made
- 🔄 Curdling
- Where it is stored or sold
- 🏪 Shop
- What it contains
- 🧪 Milk fat, 🦴 Calcium
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Cypriots
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🧀 Cheese, 🧂 Brined cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Leipäjuusto, 🧀 Anari, 🧀 Feta, 🧀 Sulguni
- Wine and milk
- 🍷 Wine and cheese
- In other topics
- 🗺️ Cypriot wine
What to read next
- 🥛 Sheep's milk — The richest in protein and calcium of the common milks; almost all of it goes into cheese.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Cypriots — The Greek and Turkish communities of the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean; their shared famous cheese is halloumi for grilling.
- 🧀 Anari — Anari is a Cypriot whey cheese made from the whey left after halloumi production.
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products — Products made for centuries to folk recipes: fermenting, cheesemaking, slow baking, drying. Tied to regions and peoples.
- 🍷 Wine and cheese — Wine and cheese is a classic pairing: cheese changes how wine tastes, and good matches depend on the cheese's type and age and the wine's style.
Similar
🧀 Feta · 🧀 Roquefort · 🧀 Parmesan · 🧀 Picón Bejes-Tresviso · 🧀 Tomme des Pyrénées · 🧀 Queso de Burgos
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
What it includes
Sources
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/591 — «Χαλλούμι» (Halloumi) / «Hellim» (PDO)
- Single document CY-PDO-0005-01243, OJ C 246, 28.7.2015
- Halloumi.cy (Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus) — Protected Designation of Origin
- Public Health England. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021