Originating from Cyprus, halloumi is a traditional Cypriot semi-hard pasteurized cheese traditionally made with a mixture of goat and sheep milk. Eventually, some producers started to add cow milk to the mix. Halloumi is known to most of us by its Greek name, but is also known by its Turkish name, hellim.
Description. Straight from Turkey, where it's called Hellim cheese, this is the traditional Cyprian cheese that is great grilled. Many refer to this as the king of cheeses. It's soft, salty, gooey, crispy, and stringy… all at the same time!
First Turkish Cypriot 'Halloumi/'Hellim' cheese certified Protected Designation of Origin. Today the first Turkish Cypriot 'Χαλλουμι' (Halloumi)/'Hellim' cheese producer was awarded the protected designation of origin (PDO) certificate under the EU quality scheme.
Cyprus is the birthplace of halloumi, a semi-hard, unripened and brined cheese prepared using sheep's milk from the tiny Mediterranean island country. Sometimes halloumi is made using a mixture of goat's milk and sheep's milk. Lately it's also been made using cow's milk.
The Cypriot Turkish name hellim derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese hâlûmi.
Kasar Peynir is commonly referred to as “yellow cheese” and is perhaps the most popular cheese in Turkey. Fresh taze kasar could be likened to a firm, less creamy mozzarella. It's mild, so great served at breakfast, and excellent in a grilled sandwich or used as a topping for pide (local pizza).
Halloumi or haloumi is an unripened cheese that originates from Cyprus but that is extremely popular in Australia. It looks a bit like fresh mozzarella, but because it has a higher melting point it can be sliced and fried until golden without becoming molten.
The name halloumi comes from the Greek work “almi” which means salty water. During the Medieval Byzantine period (395 – 1191 AD), it is said that farmers produced Halloumi as a key source of protein for Cypriot villages.
Feta Cheese, Greece
For thousands of years, people in the eastern Mediterranean region have produced a white cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk and stored in brine (London School of Economics (LSE), 2007).
The Turkish Cypriots are mainly Moslems and the Greek Cypriots are mainly adherents of the Greek Orthodox Church. Cyprus lies 40 miles from the coast of Turkey, and Turkish people have inhabited the island since the 12th century.
Cypriot Turkish consists of a blend of Ottoman Turkish and the Yörük dialect that is spoken in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey. In addition, it has absorbed influences from Greek, Italian and English. Cypriot Turkish is mutually intelligible with Standard Turkish.
Feta is a Greek soft white cheese made with goat's or sheep milk that is salted and cured in a brine solution. The name Feta comes from the Italian word Fetta, meaning slice. It was introduced to the Greek language in the 17th century.
Halloumi is a fabulous semi-firm cheese from Cyprus and a favorite in Greek cooking. It's similar to mozzarella in texture, but it is brined so it imparts a salty taste and greater depth of flavor.
The halloumi base is typically made from unpasteurised goat's or sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk. The inclusion of dairy milk of any kind renders halloumi completely not vegan friendly, and should not be consumed by anyone strictly following a plant-based diet.
Halloumi is available in America, but it's quite expensive. This is because the majority of the cheese is imported from Cyprus. It can also be difficult to find as America only accounts for 10% of worldwide sales.
Brands vary, but feta is usually the winner. Haloumi tends to have more calories and a higher fat content. Plus, it usually has more salt. Haloumi makes a good cooking cheese thanks to its high melting point.
Originating from Cyprus, halloumi is a semi-hard, un-ripened, brined cheese that can be made from cow, sheep or goat's milk. It can be eaten raw but is truly delicious cooked, having a high melting point, makes it an excellent choice for grilling or frying.
What you'd get would be nablusi, a semi-hard, brined Palestinian cheese made of sheeps' or goats' milk.
Originating from Cyprus, halloumi is a traditional Cypriot semi-hard pasteurized cheese traditionally made with a mixture of goat and sheep milk. Eventually, some producers started to add cow milk to the mix. Halloumi is known to most of us by its Greek name, but is also known by its Turkish name, hellim.
Nutritionally haloumi cheese contains slightly less fat (26 per cent) than regular cheddar cheese but more than double the sodium content thanks to the brine used to preserve it. Haloumi is delicious, and as such one of the biggest issues it poses is the risk of overeating.
Halloumi is also unique in having a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. It is the high pH (low acid) of the cheese that causes this non-melting characteristic.
Beyaz peynir (Turkish pronunciation: [beˈjaz pejniɾ], 'white cheese') is a brine cheese produced from unpasteurized sheep, cow or goat milk.
And in Turkish, feta cheese is known as “beyaz peynir” (simply white cheese).