Halloumi Cheese: The Culinary Pride Of Cyprus
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011If you are looking forward to enjoy your holidays to Cyprus, don’t forget to drop by local restaurants and cafes. Here you can taste the mouth-watering meals, desserts, soups, stews, and delicacies that distinctly characterize Cypriot cuisine. These amazing dishes are described by many as a perfect mix of many Greek cuisines. When you partake of Cypriot dishes, you can expect a a gastronomic experience of a lifetime.
One of the most well-known foods served in this Eurasian island country is halloumi, a classic Cypriot cheese that is also popular in Greece and in the Middle East. Formulated out of a blend of unpasteurized sheep and goat’s milk, the cheese is set with rennet. The cheese is unique considering that no acid or acid-producing bacteria are used in its production.
Registered as a protected Cypriot product, halloumi cheese has a white color and has a characteristic layered texture similar to mozzarella cheese. It has a salty flavor and is typically stored in salt water. If it is frozen below -18 degrees Celsius, it can be preserved for a year or more. Most cheese lovers want halloumi that has been aged and kept in its own brine because it has a stronger, saltier taste. Producers of halloumi sometimes flavor their cheeses with bits of snipped mint leaves to add to the taste.
Halloumi’s fat content is around 25% of the cheese’s wet weight, 47% dry weight with around 17% protein. When cooked, it results in a firm texture, making squeaking sounds as it is chewed.
Another great characteristic halloumi cheese is that it can be used in cooking. Most cheeses completely melt when heated, but halloumi has a higher-than-normal melting point, making it an ideal cheese for grilling and frying. Cypriots love to eat halloumi with watermelon during summer. Halloumi is also a main ingredient in halloumi and lountza, a dish that combines the cheese with a slice of smoked pork or lamb sausage.
When you are planning to have your cheap holidays abroad, don’t forget to order some halloumi cheese to go with your food. Reserve your tour through Travel Republic.