Page 41 - Erasmus Let's be Eco-sustainAble, towards 2030 Dissemination Activity book

Activity: Cyprus Traditional Halloumi Cheese making in the Village of Athienou

Halloumi is often associated with the island of Cyprus . Athienou is very famous for Halloumi cheese production.
Halloumi or haloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's

milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. This property makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet is used to
curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.
The methods of making halloumi and cheeses such as feta likely originated sometime in the Medieval Byzantine period (AD 395 –

1191).[20] A recipe for enhancing ḥālūm ('cheese') by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook Kanz al-Fawāʾid fī Tanwīʿ al-
Mawāʾid.
The earliest known surviving descriptions of Cypriot halloumi were

recorded in the mid-16th century by Italian visitors to Cyprus, where it is
often said to have originated. However, the question of whether the

recipe for the quintessential halloumi was born in Cyprus and then
travelled to Lebanon and the rest of the Levant, or whether the basic
techniques of making cheese that resists melting evolved over time in

various parts of the eastern Mediterranean—or both—does not have a
definitive answer.

Cypriot farmers relied on halloumi as a source of protein and in many
villages the entire community would join forces and make huge batches

together. Recipes varied from village to village, with each taking great
pride in their special technique and secret ingredients.

Traditionally, halloumi was made from sheep and goat milk, since there
were few cows on the island until they were brought over by the British

in the 20th century. But as demand grew, industrial cheese-makers began
using more of the cheaper and more plentiful cow's milk. 41