View source for Halloumi

{{short description|East Mediterranean semi-hard, unripened brined cheese}} 
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Halloumi
| image = File:Halloumislice zoom.jpg
| caption = Fresh sliced halloumi
| country = [[Cyprus]]
| main_ingredient = [[goat milk|goat's]], [[sheep's milk]]
}}
'''Halloumi''' or '''haloumi'''{{NoteTag|{{IPAc-en|h|ə|ˈ|l|uː|m|i}} {{respell|hə|LOO|mee}}; also variably spelt '''hallumi''', '''halumi''', '''halloomi''', '''haloomi''' and '''helloumi'''}}{{NoteTag|{{bulleted list|{{langx|el|χαλούμι|chaloúmi}} |{{langx|tr|hellim}} |{{langx|ar|حلوم|ḥalūm}} }} }} is a [[cheese]] that originated from [[Cyprus]]. It is traditionally made from a mixture of [[goat milk]] and [[sheep's milk]], and now, due to shortages, it increasingly contains [[cow's milk]] or milk from other animals such as buffalos and camels.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ayto | first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/gluttonsglossary00ayto/page/133 |title=The glutton's glossary: a dictionary of food and drink terms |publisher=Routledge |year=1990 |isbn=0-415-02647-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/gluttonsglossary00ayto/page/133 133] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Its texture is described as "squeaky".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why does halloumi, but not other cheese, "squeak" against your teeth? |url=https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg24833113-900-why-does-halloumi-but-not-other-cheese-squeak-against-your-teeth/ |work=[[New Scientist]] | date=2 December 2020}}</ref> It has a high [[melting point]] and so can easily be [[frying|fried]] or [[grilling|grilled]], a property that makes it a popular [[meat alternative]] among vegetarians.<ref name=Rich/> [[Rennet]] (mostly vegetarian or microbial) is used to [[curdle]] the milk in halloumi production,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.greekfromgreece.com/posts/all-about-halloumi-cheese | title=All About Halloumi Cheese | work=Greek from Greece}}</ref> although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/7a83bd6f-030a-46bd-a07d-7f30d4c9f57d/content | title=Traditional Cheesemaking Manual | first=Charles | last=O'Connor |publisher=International Livestock Centre for Africa | year=1993}}</ref>

Due to trademark law, for a cheese to be called "halloumi" in the U.S. or the European Union, it must be produced in Cyprus. The global halloumi market is approximately US$500 million in sales per year and the UK is the largest importer. Halloumi accounts for 13.4% of exports from the Republic of Cyprus and [[Northern Cyprus]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.cbn.com.cy/article/2025/3/26/828301/the-countries-that-imported-eur324-million-worth-of-halloumi-from-cyprus-in-2024/ | title=The countries that imported €324 million worth of Halloumi from Cyprus in 2024 | work=Cyprus Business News | date=26 March 2025}}</ref>

Although legend attributes the origin of halloumi to Cyprus, it is unclear if it was first produced there; records of it on the island date to around 1554.

==Etymology==
The English name ''halloumi'' is derived from Modern {{langx|el|χαλλούμι}} {{IPA|el|xaˈlumi|}}, {{translit|el|khalloúmi}}, from [[Cypriot Maronite Arabic]] {{lang|acy|xallúm}},<ref name=Heritage>{{cite web | url=https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=halloumi |title=halloumi | work=[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]}}</ref><ref name=Comparative>{{cite book |first=Alexander |last=Borg |title=A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic-English): With an Introductory Essay | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfENAAAAYAAJ&q=xallum |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |date=2004 |pages=11,209–210 | isbn=978-90-04-13198-9 | via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> ultimately from [[Egyptian Arabic]] {{IPA|ar|ħalˈluːm|}}.<ref name=Heritage/><ref name=Comparative/><ref>{{cite OED2|halloumi}}</ref>

The Egyptian Arabic word is itself a [[loanword]] from [[Coptic language|Coptic]] {{Script/Coptic|{{lang|cop|ϩⲁⲗⲱⲙ}}}} {{transliteration|cop|halōm}} ([[Sahidic]]) and {{Script/Coptic|{{lang|cop|ⲁⲗⲱⲙ}}}} {{transliteration|cop|alōm}} ([[Bohairic]]), and was used for cheese eaten in [[medieval Egypt]].<ref name=Oxford>{{cite book |first=Don |last=Otter |editor-first1=Catherine |editor-last1=Donnelly |editor-first2=Mateo | editor-last2=Kehler |title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRnGDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=25 October 2016 |isbn=978-0-19-933089-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Alan |last=Davidson | title=The Oxford Companion to Food |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA378 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=21 August 2014 |isbn=978-0-19-104072-6 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> The name of the cheese likely goes back to the [[Demotic (Egyptian)|Demotic]] word ''ḥlm'' {{gloss|cheese}} attested in manuscripts and [[Ostracon|ostraca]] from 2nd-century [[Egypt (Roman province)|Roman Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chicago Demotic Dictionary - Ḥ |url=https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/CDD_H2.pdf#246 |last=Johnson |first=Janet |page=246}}</ref>

The [[Cypriot Turkish]] name {{lang|tr|hellim}} derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese {{transliteration|ar|hâlûmi}}.<ref name=Oxford/>

==History==
[[Image:Grilled_Halloumi.jpg|thumb|left|Fried halloumi cheese]]
Halloumi is thought to have first been made by Bedouins as its preserved qualities were ideal for a nomadic lifestyle.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halloumi | title=halloumi | work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> According to folklore, sometime between AD 395 and 867 a herder in Cyprus combined milk from sheep and goats. The herder then heated the cream over a fire, sifted out the curds as they separated from the whey, then formed the curds into blobs and left them to cool.<ref name=Rich>{{Cite news | url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/food-and-drink/article/rich-history-authentic-halloumi | title=The Rich History of Authentic Halloumi | first=Tim | last=Grey | work=[[Broadsheet (website)|Broadsheet]] | date=14 July 2018}}</ref>

A recipe for enhancing {{translit|ar|ḥalūm}} ({{gloss|cheese}}) by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook {{lang|ar|كنز الفوائد في تنويع الموائد}} ({{translit|ar|Kanz al-Fawāʾid fī Tanwīʿ al-Mawāʾid}}).<ref>{{cite book | first=Nawal | last=Nasrallah | title=Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook: English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIJ1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA335 |publisher=Brill |date=9 November 2017 | isbn=978-90-04-34991-9 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

The earliest known surviving descriptions of halloumi in Cyprus were recorded around 1554 by Florios Voustroniou, head of the Secretariat in the Venetian administration of Cyprus, where it was called "calumi".<ref name=history>{{Cite web | url=https://halloumi.cy/history-of-halloumi | title=History of Halloumi | work=Cyprus}}</ref> The manuscript was transcribed by [[Leonardo Donato]], later [[Doge of Venice]].<ref name=history/><ref name=hell/> In 1788, [[Archimandrite Kyprianos]] referred to the cheese in his book ''Chronological History of the Island of Cyprus'', where he also noted that the cheese was exported.<ref name=history/>

Traditionally, Cypriot halloumi was made from sheep and/or goat's milk, since there were few cows on the island until they were introduced by the British in the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Steinhauser | first=Gabriele |title=In Cyprus, New Cheese Edict Gets the Goat of Dairy Farmers | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443862604578032543426910614 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=12 October 2012 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> It was typically made by [[cooperative]]s formed in villages, typically consisting of 10-15 women; the woman with the most goats led the cooperative.<ref name=history/> In the early 1940s, authorities began issuing licenses to produce the cheese.<ref name=history/>

By 2013, demand in the UK had surpassed that in every other [[Europe]]an country except Cyprus, where that year, the average resident ate 8 kilograms of halloumi per year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24159029 |last=Cooke |first=Nicholas |title=How halloumi took over the UK |work=[[BBC News]] |date=22 September 2013}}</ref>

In 2018, a protocol was signed for the export of halloumi to China and sales surged.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.financialmirror.com/2018/11/06/cyprus-halloumi-cheese-set-to-make-it-big-in-china/ |title=CYPRUS: Halloumi cheese set to make it big in China |work=[[Financial Mirror]] |date=6 November 2018}}</ref> This led to a shortage of the cheese, exacerbated by high temperatures that led animals to produce less milk.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://news.sky.com/story/halloumi-crisis-fears-of-global-shortage-as-china-develops-appetite-for-rubbery-cheese-11553394 | title=Halloumi crisis: Fears of global shortage as China develops appetite for rubbery cheese | first=Russell | last=Hope | work=[[Sky News]] | date=13 November 2018}}</ref>

As demand grew, industrial cheese-makers began using more of the cheaper and more plentiful cow's milk; by 2019, almost all halloumi exported to the UK used 80% cow's milk.<ref name=hell>{{Cite news |title=Halloumi hell: how will we survive the cheese crisis? |last=O'Reilly |first=Séamas |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 November 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/nov/24/the-halloumi-crisis-supplies-of-one-of-britains-best-loved-imports-are-running-low}}</ref>

In 2023, annual production of the cheese exceeded 450,000 tons.<ref name=Surpass/> The U.S. imported 5,000 tons of halloumi, Japan imported 2,500 tons, and the UK imported 18,000 tons.<ref name=Surpass>{{Cite news | url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/14/2962703/0/en/Halloumi-Cheese-Market-Set-to-Surpass-Valuation-of-US-1-183-0-Million-By-2032-Astute-Analytica.html | title=Halloumi Cheese Market Set to Surpass Valuation of US$ 1,183.0 Million By 2032 | publisher=[[Globe Newswire]] | date=14 October 2024}}</ref>

==Overview and preparation==
[[Image:Haloumi dish at The Terrace, Emporium Hotel South Bank, Brisbane.jpg|thumb|right|Haloumi dish at a five-star luxury hotel]]
[[File:Salatat zaatar.jpg|thumb|Thyme salad garnished with cubes of halloumi cheese]]
Although it can be consumed raw, halloumi is often used in cooking and can be fried until brown (without melting) due to its higher-than-typical melting point. This makes it an excellent cheese for [[frying]] or [[grilling]] (as in [[saganaki]]) and serving either as is, or with vegetables, or as an ingredient in salads or sandwiches. There are many recipes that use halloumi beyond simple grilling.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/collection/best-halloumi-recipes/ | title=Best halloumi recipes | work=[[Olive (magazine)|Olive]] |date=10 October 2018}}</ref>

Traditional halloumi is a semicircular shape, weighing {{convert|220|–|270|g}}. The fat content is approximately 25% wet weight, 47% dry weight with about 17% protein. Its firm texture when cooked causes it to squeak on the teeth when being chewed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/03/21/the-salty-satisfying-squeak-of-fried-halloumi/ | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |last=Eskin |first=Leah |title=The salty, satisfying squeak of fried halloumi | date=21 March 2016}}</ref>

Traditional halloumi is typically made from fresh, [[unpasteurized]] sheep and/or goat's milk.<ref name=Varieties>{{Citation | url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124170124000399 | last=Hayaloglu | first=A. Adnan | title=Chapter 39 - Cheese Varieties Ripened Under Brine | work=Cheese (Fourth Edition) | pages=997–1040 |editor-last=McSweeney | editor-first=Paul L. H. | place=San Diego | publisher=[[Academic Press]] | year=2017 | isbn=978-0-12-417012-4 | editor2-last=Fox | editor2-first=Patrick F. | editor3-last=Cotter | editor3-first=Paul D. | editor4-last=Everett | editor4-first=David W.}}</ref> However, for its commercial production a mixture of pasteurized sheep, goat and cow's milk is used.<ref name=hell/><ref name=metagenomic/><ref name=ingredients>{{Cite web | title=Ingredients and Main Characteristics | url=https://halloumi.cy/ingredients | website=Halloumi.cy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421213900/https://halloumi.cy/ingredients | archive-date=2023-04-21 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Two main types of halloumi exist: fresh and mature.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Types of Halloumi Charalambides Christis | url=https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/types-of-halloumi |website=Charalambides Christis | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421213228/https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/types-of-halloumi | archive-date=2023-04-21 | url-status=live}}</ref> Fresh halloumi has a semi-hard, elastic texture and a milder, less salty flavor compared to the aged version. As mature halloumi is stored in [[brine]] it has a harder, drier texture, as well as a saltier flavor.<ref name=ingredients/><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.food-management.com/food-beverage/flavor-month-halloumi-can-be-mild-and-creamy-or-strong-and-salty | title=Flavor of the Month: Halloumi can be mild and creamy or strong and salty |work=Food Management |date=17 September 2018}}</ref> Both versions have a slight minty flavor, due to the addition of spearmint during the production of the cheese.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Sealed, halloumi (both fresh and mature) can last in a refrigerator for as long as a year.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/halloumi-glossary | title=Halloumi | work=[[Good Food (brand)|Good Food]]}}</ref>

==Production==
Production of halloumi cheese involves several key steps:<ref name=Microflora>{{Citation | last=Özer | first=Barbaros H. | title=CHEESE {{!}} Microflora of White-brined Cheeses | url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122270703003159 | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology | pages=397–403 |editor-last=Robinson | editor-first=Richard K. | place=Oxford | publisher=[[Elsevier]] | year=1999 |isbn=978-0-12-227070-3}}</ref>

The first step of halloumi production involves the coagulation of the milk in order to make [[curd]]s. This occurs by stirring rennet into the milk mixture while keeping it at a temperature of 30–34&nbsp;°C until the milk coagulates (a process which takes approximately 30–45 minutes). Once the curd is formed it is then cut, reheated and stirred in order to increase its firmness. The curds are then added to special molds and pressed until a sufficient amount of [[whey]] has been removed.<ref name=Microflora/>

The next step of production involves the boiling of the pressed curds in hot whey (collected during the pressing of the curds) for at least 30 minutes,<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Papademas | first1=Photis | last2=Robinson | first2=Richard K. | title=Halloumi cheese: the product and its characteristics | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0307.1998.tb02646.x | journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology | via=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] | date=August 1998 | volume=51 | issue=3 | pages=98–103 | doi=10.1111/j.1471-0307.1998.tb02646.x | issn=1364-727X | url-access=subscription}}</ref> during a process known as scalding.<ref name=Varieties/> This is the most crucial step in the halloumi production as it contributes to the characteristic texture of the cheese. The cooked pieces are then removed from the whey and are salted and garnished with fresh or dried mint (''[[Mentha viridis]]'') leaves. They are then folded and stored in salted whey for 1–3 days before being packed in airtight containers, ready to be sold and consumed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/how-halloumi-is-made |title=How Halloumi is Made | website=Charalambidis Christis | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421204803/https://www.halloumicheese.eu/halloumi-cheese/how-halloumi-is-made | archive-date=21 April 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref>

For the production of mature halloumi, the cheese needs to be kept in the brine whey for at least 40 days.<ref name=metagenomic>{{Cite journal | last1=Kamilari | first1=Eleni |last2=Anagnostopoulos | first2=Dimitrios A. | last3=Papademas | first3=Photis | last4=Kamilaris | first4=Andreas | last5=Tsaltas | first5=Dimitrios | date=May 2020 |title=Characterizing Halloumi cheese's bacterial communities through metagenomic analysis | url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023643820302875 | journal=[[LWT (journal)|LWT]] | volume=126 | article-number=109298 | doi=10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109298 | arxiv=2004.01710 | s2cid=214802525 | issn=0023-6438}}</ref>

==Nutritional facts==
{{Convert|100|g|oz}} of commercially produced packaged halloumi branded by [[Tesco]] contains:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/261712501 | title=Tesco Halloumi 250G | publisher=[[Tesco]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414094221/http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=261712501 | archive-date=2016-04-14 | url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ 
! Fat
| 24.6 g 
|-
! [[Saturated fat]]
| 17.0 g 
|-
! Carbohydrates
| 0.8 g
|-
! Sugar
| 0.5 g
|-
! Protein 
| 22.0 g
|-
! Energy 
| 313 [[calorie]]s
|-
! Salt
| 3.0 g
|}

==Legal issues==
In the United States, ''Halloumi'' is a registered trademark owned by [[Cyprus]], while in the UK it is owned by the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/02/03/cyprus-wins-back-uk-halloumi-trademark/ | title=Cyprus wins back UK halloumi trademark | work=[[Financial Mirror]] | date=3 February 2020}}</ref>

It is protected as a [[geographical indication]] in the [[European Union]], as a [[protected designation of origin]] (PDO), which means, within the EU, only products made in certain parts of Cyprus can be called "halloumi".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/24/eu-special-status-halloumi-fails-calm-divisions-cyprus | title=EU special status for halloumi fails to calm divisions in Cyprus | last=Smith | first=Helena | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=24 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Halloumi now registered as a Protected Designation of Origin | url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_1623 | website=[[European Commission]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421233122/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_1623 | archive-date=2023-04-21 | url-status=live}}</ref> PDO protection for Halloumi was delayed largely by disagreements among farmers of cattle, sheep, and goats regarding the inclusion of and amount of cows' milk in the cheese.<ref>{{cite news | title=Application for the name 'halloumi' to go to EU in early 2007 | url=https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2006/09/02/application-for-the-name-halloumi-to-go-to-eu-in-early-2007/ | work=[[Cyprus Mail]] | date=2 September 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014851/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=27680&archive=1 | archive-date=2007-09-30 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2007/03/03/halloumi-bickering-threatens-eu-application/ | title=Halloumi bickering threatens EU application | work=[[Cyprus Mail]] | last=Saoulli | first=Alexia | date=3 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813101718/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=31047&archive=1 | archive-date=13 August 2007}}</ref>

In 2006, a German enterprise registered the trademark "Gazi hellim"; hellim is the name of the cheese in the [[Turkish language]]. The Cypriot dairy producers' organisation filed a complaint with the [[European Union Intellectual Property Office]], which was rejected.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://cyprusreview.org/index.php/cr/article/view/120/87 | title=View of Halloumi/Hellim | first=Gisela | last=Welz | work=Cyprus Review | year=2013}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* [[Georgios Vizyinos]], who lived in Cyprus as a teenager, wrote a poem ''To Ptochon tis Kyprou'' (''Το πτωχόν της Κύπρου'') (1867) that describes eating halloumi cheese in a village.<ref name=history/>
* The Cypriot surnames Halloumas, Hallouma, Halloumakis, and Halloumis likely relate to halloumi production.<ref name=history/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Fried cheese}}
* [[Bread cheese]]
* {{annotated link|List of cheeses}}
* {{annotated link|Queijo coalho}}
* {{annotated link|Saganaki}}

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://halloumi.cy/}}
* {{commons category-inline|Halloumi}}
* {{wiktionary-inline}}

{{Cuisine of Egypt}}
{{Cuisine of Cyprus}}{{Greek cuisine}}{{Cuisine of Lebanon}}
{{Turkish cheeses}}
{{African cuisine}}

[[Category:Brined white cheeses]]
[[Category:Byzantine cuisine]]
[[Category:Cow's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Cypriot cheeses]]
[[Category:Cypriot cuisine]]
[[Category:Egyptian cuisine]]
[[Category:Goat's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Iraqi cuisine]]
[[Category:Lebanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cheeses]]
[[Category:Palestinian cheeses]]
[[Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Stretched-curd cheeses]]
[[Category:Syrian cheeses]]
[[Category:Turkish cheeses]]