HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

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Halloumi or Challoumi (χαλλούμι) is considered one of the most typical and traditional cheeses of Cyprus. As regards the etymology of name “Halloumi” many theories have been presented. Among these the most prevalent ones contend that, since in northern Cyprus halloumi is commonly known with the name of “hellim cheese”,  according to Oxford Dictionary it may derive from the Egyptian Arabic word “Halüm” Others suggest that it could derive from the ancient Greek word “almi”, meaning salt or salty water, or from the Italian word “salamoia”, which means brine.[1]

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Although Cyprus has a long tradition of Halloumi making and is well known for its production, it is not the only country in which this particular type of cheese is produced. This type of cheese could be found in many Middle East Countries (Syria, Lebanon, etc.), Greece or Southern Turkey, under various names. Such names are for instance, “Hellim” in Turkish, and “Halloum” in Iraq and Lebanon has settled in these countries.[2] It is also starting to become increasingly exported also to foreign markets for many countries of the west.[3] 

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For what concerns the historical roots of halloumi cheese, the issue is rather complicated and there are still some doubts and uncertainties around it.  Despite the fact that many people claim that the traditional halloumi’s recipe was born originally in Cyprus, on the other hand according both to the legend and historical records, it could be seen that this type of cheese might have been introduced to Cyprus by Arabs mercenaries from Syria and Palestine, who arrived and settled on the island between 1192-1489 AD  during the so called Frankish rule period. Unfortunately, it is not possible to define when exactly it appeared on the island and when it started to be widely produced by local peasants.

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The first concrete written evidences that clearly confirms the production of halloumi in the island appear only in the mid-16th century. In 1554 the historian Florio Bustron[4] in his masterpiece “Historia overo commentarii de Cipro”, refers to a cheese named “halloumi” (called by Italians “calumi”) made from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk.[5] Few years later, also the Venice Doge Leonardo Dona, who lived in Cyprus between 1556 - 1558 AC, in one of his manuscripts makes a clear reference to this Cypriot product using the Italian word "calumi".[6]

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Moreover, halloumi has traditionally been an essential part of people's diet in rural Cyprus. Neverthless, halloumi for Cypriots was more than that; it was used as an instrument for social interaction between families and neighbours of the same village, preserved the secret of cheese making and transferring it from generation to generation and collaborated to produce enough cheese for the whole community.[7] Moreover, since women were traditionally respensible to prepare the food, all the stages of halloumi making were usually coordinated and controlled by a special woman named “galatarka” (litteraly “the cheese woman”) that was one of the most experienced women within the social group.[8]

FEATURES, FLAVOUR AND TASTE OF HALLOUMI

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Halloumi is a white to light yellow semi-hard cheese with no rind or holes that has a compact elastic texture. It has predominantly a salty, milky and minty flavour due to the main ingredients it is made with:

• sheep’s or goat’s milk, or a mixture of both[9],

• salt: fundamental, not only for the final taste of fresh halloumi, but also during the phase of the maturation since the fresh cheese is immerse in salty brine until it is ready,

• mint leaves (fresh or dried): more precisely Mentha Viridis. Usually added to halloumi during the “dry salting stage”, they were originally used also as a preservative to mantain the freshness of the cheese.[10]

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TRADITIONAL MAKING PROCESS

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Halloumi making is not difficult in terms of necessities, you just need to have time, cooker and the necessary ingredients. Nonetheless, when it comes to the procedure it is the exact opposite. Plenty of research has been done on this topic examining the most effective and profitable methods of Halloumi production. Many articles have been published dealing with issues like what is the right temperature to boil the cheese, goat’s to sheep’s milk ration, effects of added substances on the cheese storage etc.[11] These knowledges are mainly applied on methods within industrial processing. But the tastiest Halloumi that you can eat is made usually at the countryside by elderly ladies who have practiced the art of halloumi making since their early childhood. The secret is hidden in their hands, as Mrs. Maroulla says, “I know the right temperature by hand, water must be warm but it cannot burn you. Because of the experience I know when the curd is hot or not by hand, I did not know the exact temperature until one guy came to learn how Halloumi is made, and he brought the thermometer. That is how I learnt.” This is also applied to the recognition of correct consistency before breaking the curd and harvesting Halloumi during the renneting process. “We can try an experiment to see if the milk is ready: put your hand on the surface, and liquid should not stick on your palm, just a little bit.” (Mrs. Maroulla)

In the past Halloumi was cooked on the wood fired cooker that required a proper fire regulation skill, as described by Mr. Tassos “My grandma used to have one of these wood fires. So, my grandfather always when he took the goats out, apart from sleeping under the eucalyptus when the goats were calm, used to collect branches for my grandmother. Every week he made branches, I remember him, tied them and carried them back home. And my grandmother would always play with little branches: start the fire, now remove the fire, start the fire and remove. It was real technique always to play with the fire. She was like: now it doesn’t need a lot of fire, let me to remove a little bit, now it has to be stronger go and get the wood. It was a proper skill.”  

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Nowadays the procedure has been adapted to our times, not just that we use gas or electric cookers, we also use rennet. In the past a stomach of baby goat was used to separate milk protein and the liquid. The reason of using just kid’s stomach is its temporary ability to separate the milk protein. Once it reaches maturity the stomach loses this function. Some people or farms, which focus on a truly traditional method of production still use the stomach. “They were drying it on the sun, then they had a small piece, wrapped it in a knot and add to the milk. So, this is probably also how they discovered out milk cheese, I think.” (Mrs. Sara) 

Within Halloumi making we need to follow some rules:

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• For example, the milk needs to be a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and very importantly, it needs to be not pasteurized. “No, do not use pasteurized milk. I did not know it actually. But I have learnt from Cypriot man who lives in London now, he told me that he tried to make Halloumi from pasteurized milk and it was a mess.” (Mrs. Maroulla)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

• Add quality rennet. Rennet basically breaks down the protein and the fat, and it separates a curd with which we make the Halloumi. First of all, heat the milk and add rennet which was earlier mixed in a cup of water. Then, the liquid must be kept at the constant temperature of 37 °C, after a while the curd begins to precipitate. When consistence is similar to yogurt, the curd is broken, collected, pressed, and the resulting fused mass cut into little blocks, which are wrapped with a piece of cloth. These bundles then need to be cooked in its own whey at a temperature around 135 °C, which is the curd‘s melting point.

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