Halumi Cheese: Ingredients, Calories, Recipes and Uses

Many people regularly eat a variety of cheeses. Halumi cheese is not very popular in our country.However, you should pay attention to this fermented milk product because of its useful properties and good taste.

Khalumi cheese is a brine semi-solid product of snow-white color. This sort of Halumi is considered one of the most ancient cheeses. In its preparation, cow and goat milk are mixed. This cheese dish is made in Cyprus, although it is believed to be Greek. The fat content of this cheese is 25%. Its caloric content per 100 grams is 255 kcal. The texture of the cheese is elastic, layered and dense, in this it is similar to Mozzarella. Tastes of this dish are slightly spicy and savory.

Many housewives say that the technology of preparation of this dairy product is simple and clear. To make Halumi's Cypriot cheese at home, you need to prepare in advance some necessary ingredients:

• unpasteurized milk (2 liters);
• drinking water (25 milliliters);
• salt (1 tsp);
• dry mint leaves (0.5 tsp);
• special enzyme rennin (1/8 tsp).

First, all unpasteurized milk is poured into a deep pan with a thick bottom. At the same time, it is necessary to dilute the special enzyme rennin in pure water, after which the resulting liquid is also poured into the dishes. All is thoroughly mixed and left on fire for 30-40 minutes. Then the mixture is removed from the stove. It should be a jelly clot. It should be carefully cut into small squares with a height of no more than 1-1.5 centimeters.

Then, wait a few minutes and run the blade parallel to the surface of the container. This must be done in order to divide the cheese clot into two equal parts and make rectangular cubes of it. The resulting cubes put on the stove and cook. They should be heated to a temperature of at least 40 degrees. At the same time it is necessary to gently stir the pieces of the future cheese. After that, cover the pan with a lid and leave on medium heat for another 30-40 minutes.

Clots are shifted to the colander. Moreover, it is worth doing so that the serum in large quantities does not remain on the cubes. When the cheese mass falls into a colander, it must be carefully pressed. This can be done using skimmers. The mixture is gently moved to gauze, and then again in a colander or in a special cheese form.

On the cheese mass in a gauze put a small load. In this form, all left for 30 minutes. After the next cheese is turned over, another load is laid on it. After 30 minutes, the whole process is repeated, using loads with large masses.

Serum put on the stove and cook until until it warms to a temperature of 90 degrees. Then put a cheese clot in a pan with this hot liquid. Dishes are removed from the heat and left for 30-40 minutes. At the end of the cheese should go up in the pan. At the same time, a little sea salt and mint leaves must be mixed together in a separate bowl. Hot cheese is taken from the tank with whey using a skimmer.

Cheese should be flattened a bit to make it look like a disk. After that, the mass is carefully rolled in a mixture of crushed mint leaves and coarse sea salt. It is folded in half, half tightly pressed to each other. The finished product before eating is recommended to wrap in cling film and leave it for one day. It is also permissible to leave the cheese in a special container. Then you can store the dish in a special cold brine, which will keep the product fresh and tasty.

Such cheese includes carbohydrates (2.6 grams), fats (16 grams), proteins (25 grams), water (80 grams). In addition, the dish boasts a large vitamin composition. It contains such important substances as phylloquinone, ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, thiamine, retinol. Also in the composition of the Cyprus Cheese Halumi includes some minerals:

• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• selenium;
• copper;
• iron;
• magnesium;
• manganese.

The most common Cypriot cheese, Halumi, is grilled. To do this, you first need to cut the mass into small pieces at least one centimeter thick. Then take the pan with a special form for the grill. Pour some olive oil into the pan. After that, it is put on a moderate fire. When the dishes get hot, they put cheese pieces on it. Sometimes in the process of frying the product is sprinkled with chopped dried mint or spicy spices.

After two minutes, the pieces should be turned over and slightly fried the other side. This type of cheese can be prepared in nature using an open fire. In this case, the chopped cheese mass is laid out in special barbecue grills. It should be fried until a light golden crust appears on the product. It is possible to eat this cheese immediately after cooling.

Cyprus cheese Halumi has many beneficial properties for humans:

• stabilization of the cardiovascular system;
• strengthening bones;
• improvement of the skin;
• vision improvement;
• normalization of the nervous system (this is ensured by the high content of B vitamins in this cheese);
• strengthening the immune system (this is achieved due to the high content of ascorbic acid in the product);
• normalization of cholesterol in the body (this provides vitamin B4).

Despite such a rather big list of beneficial properties, Halumi cheese can bring harm to the human body. So, it contains too much fat. This can cause serious health problems, metabolic disorders, obesity. It is better to use this dish with a small portion of fresh vegetables. Also, the cheese product contains too much salt. This causes severe fatigue, swelling and dehydration. We must not forget that this cheese is made from milk of animal origin. But it incorporates a lot of harmful hormones and antibiotics.

This type of Cypriot cheese is prepared without the use of various dyes and flavors that can harm human health. Therefore, in moderation such a dairy product can be eaten not only for adults but also for children.

Halumi Cyprus cheese can be eaten raw or fried as a snack. But this dairy product is often used in the preparation of other dishes. So, it is taken to make chicken chops under cheese. Also, many housewives recommend using Halumi and for cooking pork with rice. In this case, cheese is put on top of the meat, and the whole is fried. After that, a crispy golden crust is obtained from the dairy product, which will make the dish much tastier.

Many people use such cheese for making light vegetable salads. In this case, the cheese is cut into small plates. Later they are mixed with tomatoes and green lettuce. All the ingredients are slightly salted (it is not necessary to do this, because Halumi is already a salty variety).Then you need to add sesame and vegetable oil. Halumi is often eaten with pasta. With this cheese, many make traditional Cypriot pies (halumopita, tiropita). Often, this dairy product is also used for morning crispy toasts or for wheat soup, pitta.

Halumi cheese is stored in a special brine. In it, it can remain fresh for 10-12 months. Remember that it must be frozen (to a temperature of -18 ° C). If you want the product to be stored even longer, then you should add some mint leaves to the liquid. This plant has a strong antibacterial effect. It can also significantly enhance the taste of cheese.

See below for recipes for making Halumi cheese.