Goat Halloumi

Traditional halloumi is a very old style of cheese that originated in the Republic of Cyprus - an Eastern Mediterranean island. Whhile true Cypriot halloumi is made of a combination of both sheep AND goat's milk, our halloumi comes from River View Dairy of Emlenton, Pennsylvania and is made exclusively of goat's milk.

The Byler family of River View Dairy produces a wide variety of goat cheeses and yogurts. As a result of years of experience, the Bylers have become quite skilled in crafting goat milk cheeses that mimic styles of cheeses made from other types of milk, for example, feta.

Not unlike the cheese curds we featured a few weeks back, halloumi is a semi-soft, squeaky, pasteurized cheese, meaning that the curds were heated during the cheesemaking process. The difference between this halloumi and those previously mentioned curds is that they were made of cow's milk and were left as-is: loose, unpressed curds, whereas the halloumi curds are made of goats milk and are pressed and shaped into larger masses before being aged in brine.

Because halloumi is a pasteurized cheese (cooked, not raw), it has a very high melting point. Halloumi is popularly featured in barbeque cuisine throughout the United Kingdom and is becoming increasingly common here in the United States. Grilled halloumi is a wholesome and delicious snack on it's own, but it can also be used in dishes as a flavorful meat-free substitute. Personally, I enjoy halloumi tossed with large chunks of watermelon in a fresh herb salad.