Halloumi Cheese

Photo by Mr. T in DC

Halloumi is a local cheese from Cyprus and the East Mediterranean. Traditionally it was made just from sheep's and goat's milk. Nowadays it might contain some cow's milk as well.

These days industrial produced halloumi contains more cow's milk than milk from sheep and goat. This reduces the cost but also has an influence on the taste as well as on the grilling effect of halloumi.

The white cheese has a characteristic layered texture and a salty flavour, which comes from the brine that is used for preservation.
Very often you will find the halloumi garnished with mint. Mint doesn't just add to the taste. Traditionally it was used as a kind of preservation cause of its anti-bacterial effect.

Halloumi is produced worldwide nowadays, although its origin is in Cyprus and the East Mediterranean. Within the US halloumi is registered as a protected cypriot product. The reason for not being registered within the EU is to find in a dispute between dairy producers and sheep and goat farmers about the percentage of cow's milk allowed to be used, if any.
In Canada halloumi is registered as hallomi without the 'u' cause of a difference with a local dairy producer.

Ingredients
¼ onion
3 teaspoons olive oil
4 slices halloumi cheese
1 pita bread
½ tomato
some lemon juice

Preparation
Fry one quarter of an onion in a fry pan with two teaspoons of olive oil until slightly coloured. Take the onion from the heat and put aside. Cut 4 slices of halloumi cheese and fry in the pan with one teaspoon of olive oil accoring to your taste until golden or brown and crispy.

Open one pita bread at one side and place the halloumi slices into the pita bread and squeeze some lemon juice over the fried cheese slices. Put half tomato in slices and the onions on top of the cheese and close the pita bread.

Put the filled pita bread into a toaster and toast as usual until bread is golden brown.

Serve the traditional cyprus sandwich together with some fresh salad and a handful of black olives.

You can vary this recipe according your taste and put any other vegetable than tomato. Try olives or lettuce for example.

Tip: The sandwich gets much more tasty when you grill the halloumi in traditional way on open fire instead of using a fry pan.

Photo by ostensiblyclear

Intro photo by cathy257
Photo of Grilled Halloumi at the Clifton by Ewan-M