Bahcivan | Halloumi Grilling Cheese Does Not Melt | Hellim Peyniri | 7.9 oz (225 g)

Halloumi from Bahcivan — the Cypriot cheese cooked in hot whey so it browns in a pan instead of melting. Salty, squeaky and completely unlike any other cheese in a frying pan.

Highlights

• Does not melt — cooked in hot whey, which locks the protein structure
• Browns and blisters — the surface caramelises while the inside stays firm
• Salty and squeaky — brined, with a distinctive bite when raw
• Eat it hot — halloumi turns rubbery as it cools

How to Enjoy

Slice a centimetre thick, dry hot pan, no oil, two minutes a side until deep brown and blistered. Serve immediately with lemon. In summer, with watermelon — the Cypriot pairing, and the salt against the sweetness is the whole idea. Also good on a grill or skewered between vegetables.

Why Halloumi Does Not Melt

The trick is in the making. After the curd is set and cut, it is cooked in hot whey — heated to around 90°C for the better part of an hour. That heat denatures the proteins and locks them into a network that will not loosen again. Put halloumi in a hot pan and the outside browns and blisters while the inside softens but keeps its shape. Almost no other cheese does this.

Where it comes from. Halloumi is Cypriot, traditionally made from a blend of sheep's and goat's milk with some cow's milk, and usually folded around a sprig of mint before brining. In Turkish it is hellim, and Turkish Cypriots have made it as long as anyone.

What it tastes like. Salty — properly salty, because it is stored in brine — with a firm, squeaky bite when raw that softens to something chewy and savoury when cooked. Mild in flavour but strong in salt, which is why the pairing with something sweet works so well.

How to cook it. Slice about a centimetre thick. Dry hot pan, no oil — halloumi releases enough fat of its own. Two minutes a side until the surface is deep brown and blistered. Eat it hot: halloumi turns rubbery as it cools, which is the one thing people get wrong. Serve with lemon, or with watermelon in summer, which is how Cyprus eats it.

Product Details

Also known as: hellim, halloumi, izgara peyniri, grilling cheese