One of the national treasures of Cyprus is its halloumi cheese. It has been made for centuries on the island, and although nowadays most of the halloumi sold here is produced in large, modern dairies, one can still have a taste of the more traditional, home made version of it in village tavernas in the mountains. 

The name halloumi is the exclusive right of cheese produced in Cyprus, according the EU rules. Originally it was made of goat’s milk but nowadays also cow’s milk and a mixture of both can be used. Thousands of tonnes of the salty, rubbery cheese are exported yearly from Cyprus to appreciating customers in Europe and elsewhere. 

In the old village of Lofou, north from Limassol, on the slopes of Troodos Mountains, halloumi is still being made in homes. Early in the morning the men folk go out to milk the goats. Back home in the yard the milk is heated in a big cauldron on open fire. A small cork full of rennet is added and the milk is left to curdle. By midday the women gather the soft, cooled stuff with their bare hands into small baskets called talaria. More milk is then added to the whey and another cheese, anari, is made in the same way. Anari is very mild, soft cheese. 

Pieces of fresh halloumi are then again cooked in the hot whey. Afterwards they are rolled in salt and dried mint and stored in clay pots with whey. This kind of halloumi is very salty and hard but to the village people it is the only real thing. Halloumi bought in supermarkets is less salty and has fat about 20-23 per cent. Cypriots say that halloumi is the only cheese in the world that can be eaten raw, grilled or fried, grated, baked as fillings or cubes in soups. It is good as breakfast, fried in oil or butter, with a drop of lemon or honey, as lunch with a fried slice of luntza (smoked pork filet), grated on spaghetti or filling in ravioli, another traditional food (as Cyprus was ruled by Venetians in the16th century). 

But be warned when grilling or frying halloumi: it burns very quickly.