by Jeremy Glen Brook Walker

Created on: February 07, 2011

A friend of mine recently introduced me to a new type of cheese called Halloumi. Being a cheese lover already, I was more then willing to try it but have to say that it is very different from any other type of cheese.

Halloumi comes from Cyprus and is usually made from goats and sheep’s milk. However, the version of this cheese that tends to be sold in the supermarket’s, is made with cow’s milk and does taste slightly different from the traditional recipe.

product shown in the photo). The blocks I buy comes in a 240 gram block and costs roughly £1.70. I always find that you really have to search for Halloumi in the shops as they never seem to stock very much of it compared to all the other, more popular cheeses.

The pack of Halloumi that I tend to buy comes in salt water as I previously mentioned. This is something to be aware of when opening the packaging. I tend to place to cheese on a worktop and slice the top of the packaging with a knife and then just life the cheese out. Halloumi is firm to the touch and feels quite artificial but certainly doesn’t simply cube the Halloumi and then place it onto skewers between veg such as mushrooms, red pepper, onion and courgette. These are great to offer to vegetarians at BBQ’s.

Halloumi doesn’t really taste of very much, just a little bit cheesy and maybe slightly bland if anything compared so some of the other cheeses. I guess in that sense it is very similar to Mozzarella. The most unique thing about this cheese is definitely the texture and the fact that it squeaks when you eat it.

As with most cheese, Halloumi does have a pretty high fat content. The packet I have states that there are 311 calories per 100 grams so this isn’t a product you should be eating everyday!

In conclusion, I would certainly recommend Halloumi to buyers. I think it is an extremely unique cheese that can be used in a variety of ways. Although it is slightly more expensive than your average cheese, I still think that the price offers good value for money. Another advantage of Halloumi is that is has a really long shelf life, I have kept a sealed packet in my fridge for over 4 months and it has been fine. Halloumi is a firm favourite in my household and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to try something new.
 

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