Halloumi

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese from Cyprus, with a distinctively squeaky texture and a high melting point that lets it be fried or grilled without losing its shape. It is traditionally made from goat and sheep's milk, though modern commercial versions increasingly use cheaper cow's milk, curdled with rennet, typically vegetarian or microbial, without the acid-producing bacteria used in most other cheeses. The name is legally protected, trademarked in the United States by Cyprus and in the United Kingdom by the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus, and it holds European Union protected designation of origin status restricting production to designated regions of Cyprus; the global halloumi market generates about 500 million dollars a year, the United Kingdom is its largest importer, and halloumi accounts for 13.4 percent of Cyprus's national exports.