KITLIVING
Stick it on a skewer in the
summer and pop on the
barbie or roll in breadcrumb
and deep fry it for halloumi
chips. Toast under the grill
or in a pan. For a simple salad try halloumi
with tomato and mint, or with just a
squeeze of lemon juice. You can do a lot
with this cheese!
Thought to have originated in Cyprus,
but widely used throughout the Middle
East, halloumi (or haloumi) is a salty,
brined cheese traditionally made from
goat and/or sheep milk. It can be made
with cow's milk though the taste will
be a bit milder. The UK is the biggest
consumer of halloumi cheese outside
of Cyprus. In 2015 Waitrose customers
buying enough packs of halloumi to the
equivalent weight of 33 London buses.
Meanwhile online searches for 'halloumi'
have risen hugely in recent years (five
times more searches than five years ago).
Chris Dawson, Cheese Buyer at Waitrose
commented on the increase in sales of
halloumi by stating, "It's easy to see why
halloumi popularity has soared in the UK
- it's a tasty, quick mid-week meal option
and we've seen sales increase 26% in the
past two years."
It seems there is evidence of halloumi
being eaten as far back as 1,600 years
ago, which makes it older than that other
country favourite, cheddar. Being high in
protein and calcium, halloumi is also a
great option as part of a balanced diet.
Cypriots especially like to eat it grilled
Per 100g (50-60g is considered a
normal serving, it would fit in the palm
of your hand and be about 1cm thick):
2g carbohydrate, 26g fat (of which 20g
is saturated fat - men are recommended
to have no more than 30g saturated fat
per day and women 20g) and 2.4g of
salt (40% of your recommended daily
amount). With high salt and fat content,
it's not ideal to have much in the diet of
someone with either high blood pressure
or high cholesterol.
Halloumi Nutrition
MAKING CARBS COUNT
with watermelon, as the combination
of the salty and sweet is refreshing in
warm climates. You could try halloumi for
brunch or as an alternative to meat, as
it's a great swap for bacon because of its
saltiness. You can also freeze it for up to a
year without it affecting the texture.
Bare Grills
A 1cm-thick slice of halloumi needs
approximately three minutes grilling on
each side. The resistance to melting
comes from the fresh curd being heated
before being shaped and placed in brine.
The fat content is approx 25% wet weight,
47% dry weight with about 17% protein.
ABOVE LEFT: Flatbread with
grilled mature halloumi by
Gourmet Goat (credit @me).
ABOVE: Autumn Halloumi
Salad, Waitrose.com
Recipe overleaf
Resources &
more recipes:
www.waitrose.com
www.olivemagazine.com