Halloumi
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Halloumi and Anari are some of the traditional products that are manufactured today in the village of Prastio Avdimou and our company continues the production and delivery of these products with great pleasure and a passion for exceptional taste and premium quality. Halloumi and Anari have a difference in their color in comparison with most cheeses that have a yellow color, Halloumi and Anari are white.
The art of manufacturing these products has passed on from generation to generation and as a result we have it today. Just a few decades ago, Halloumi would be manufactured by the shepherd and his wife at their own house, whilst today’s technology allows us to manufacture it in modern dairies.
The manufacture process of Halloumi
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The process of making the Halloumi
The "noros' is heated again and it congeals so it becomes "anari", which will either remain unsalted or have salt added to it and be stored after it dries out. In order to have anari, it is pressed once more in the "talarin" and through its draining we get some quantity of “noros” again, in which the chaloumi is placed so as to be stored and preserved.
In the meantime , when the haloumi dries up after the process in the "talarin", it is thrown in the "noros" that is left after the making of anari and it is boiled on a low fire for about an hour. Characteristically, once the pieces of chaloumi are fully cooked, they come up to the surface of the “noros” in which they are boiling. Afterwards, every piece of chaloumi is salted.
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Furthermore, a prolonged keeping of haloumia in “noros” may result in the generation of those little, white worms called "appiitourka" (literally "sprightly ones", cheese-skippers). In that case, a little oil is added in the vessel for the protection of the haloumi.
As for the so-called "pithkia" (a word obviously originating from the verb "pisso", meaning, "to curdle"), is a liquid that came from the stomach of a very small lamb that was slaughtered while still in the stage of sucking milk from its mother and -certainty -before it starts eating grass. Thus, it was maternal milk mixed with the liquids of the small animal's stomach. The "pithkia" was placed on a cloth that was then tied.
The haloumi is consumed either just as it is or cooked on coals or on the grill (in this case with lemon added to it). It is also used for the making of chaloumi-pie, while many prefer it -instead of anari -graded as a toping for spaghetti or other kinds of pasta. Small pieces of haloumi are also cooked in the "trachana" soup (made of wheat that was boiled in milk and dried). haloumi is one of the main items constituting the rich, traditional Cypriot "meze" (delicacies). As far as the traditional "anari" is concerned, they used to eat it fresh and hot -just out of the caldron and after adding sugar to it -or they made various pastries, such as the traditional "pourekia". You can see recipes and ways to cook halloumi and anari in the link recipes and traditional recipes |
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