Halloumi

Halloumi/Hellim
Fresh sliced halloumi
Country of origin	Cyprus, Levant
Region	Cyprus, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey
Source of milk	Goat, sheep, sometimes cow
Pasteurised	Commercially, but not traditionally
Texture	Semi-soft
Aging time	Commercially not aged Traditionally aged
Certification	No

Halloumi /həˈluːmi/ (Greek: χαλλούμι) or hellim (Turkish) (from Arabic: حلوم‎‎ ḥallūm [ħalˈluːm]) is a Cypriot 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. Halloumi is set with rennet and is unusual in that no acid or acid-producing bacterium is used in its preparation.

Halloumi is popular in the Levant, Greece, and Turkey. Demand in the United Kingdom had surpassed every other European country, except Cyprus, by 2013.

The name "halloumi" is derived from the Egyptian Arabic, itself a loanword from Coptic ϩⲁⲗⲱⲙ halom (Sahidic) and ⲁⲗⲱⲙ alom (Bohairic) 'cheese', referring to a cheese that was eaten in medieval Egypt. In modern Egypt, hâlûmi is similar to Cypriot "halloumi" but is essentially a different cheese, is eaten either fresh or brined and spiced.