Cyprus: halloumi, the cheese tasted in all sauces

At breakfast time, the halloumi is served with slices of watermelon. “It’s fun to eat. It doesn’t smash in the mouth like other cheeses. It’s very tasty. You can eat it in many ways: with fruit, it’s the best. But eggs and bacon in the morning too”explains a tourist. Indeed, it is eaten grilled, in salads, in a vegetarian burger or even grated on pasta. Cypriot cheese has always been enjoyed on the island.

the halloumi must cook to be pasteurized. When ready, it is salted and folded. A mint leaf is added in the middle to give flavor. “The longer we leave it, the more it will have a firmer dough. Firmer to a consistency you can grate over pasta”says Andreas Mavrommatisfrom the restaurant “Le Mavrommatis” in Paris. The secret ? “You have to give good grass to the goats”, according to Thessalia Mavrommatis. Halloumi can be used just as well to flavor lamb meat or as a strawberry and tomato gazpacho.