Halloumi cheese
 

Why is it so darn hard to find it? Perhaps since I'm not on either coast, my search makes it that more difficult. My local Kroger's sells it for $20/lb! :eek: In Sweden, I can get it for about 50% less.

As I was shopping a organic grocery chain, I stumbled upon this...

https://www.karouncheese.com/images/...cheese-8oz.jpg

At $5 for an 8oz. block, it was a no-brainer.

I threw some into a frying pan, and it developed a nice crust. The texture was a little softer than regular halloumi, and the taste was buttery, but not as salty.

So is this grilling cheese technically halloumi, or is it another kind of cheese? My unsophisticated palate doesn't think it is. Regardless, I'll be going back to pick up some more. :)

Does it sing as you grill it? (Yanni cheese? :o ) :td::td::td::td::td:

Also maybe try queijo fresco from a Brazilian market if you have one nearby. Grills up wonderfully.

Grilling cheese? I have never heard of such a thing.

Hmmm, I must look for this halloumi at my cheese monger. Any special way to make it?

Chucking it onto a flying pan works for me.

In Singapore you can get an Australian brand of halloumi called Lemnos that's quite good.

FWIW, halloumi is supposed to be IGP'd to Cyprus. There are versions in Lebanon and the Lebanese community in Quebec makes a version. I can get both in my locality (but not cheap).

Paneer is another good grilling cheese that you should be able to find in an (East) Indian (or specifically Punjabi?) grocery store.

In the UK, we get halloumi in the supermarkets, it's great!!! I never saw it in Japan or the US though, but then again I wasn't looking so hard. It's delish!!!!!!

Availability in the U.K., I ager, is mainly due to the large Cypriot (both Greek and Turkish) community.

"Grilling cheese".

...And not to forget the Lebanese.

inorite?

What is this sorcery?

full fat mozzarella can also be grilled with a light dusting of flour.

Try halloumi without grilling it; it's just as good. Lightly butter a couple of pieces of bread or a baguette, put in a couple of slices of halloumi, a couple of slices of tomato and some mint leaves and voila, a nice, yummy halloumi sandwich :)

Good halloumi shouldn't be too salty either. Unfortunately most of the stuff exported doesn't fall into this category. The good stuff is good, the mass-produced stuff that's exported often isn't.

We get it in supermarkets in Canada too, but we didn't when I first moved here a few years ago - it seems to be a new food trend!

I only like it grilled - raw it feels like I am eating styrofoam! I like it with a little diced red chilli for some heat.

Its going to be a popular food due to its deliciousness and grill-able features. It can be used with summer salads, sandwiches and grated for pasta toppings, also used with watermelon during summer. It is rich in calcium and due to salty nature, it's highly nutritional. Soaking it in fresh water for an hour may reduce salts and helps to keep it fresh.

It's been popular for years, just about any pub I go to offers a halloumi salad, it's always at barbecues.

According to a couple of quick Google searches, Denver does not seem to have a shortage of cheese shops and Middle Eastern markets.

I LOVE Halloumi!

Look for Greek specialty markets in your area. They will have it.

Because of this thread, I picked some up at Wegmans today and fried it up....... Ate it all myself.

Bobette

^^:D

It's good stuff. I call it squeaky cheese. :) You can get it in the US, but the places that have it have been expensive.

Try an ethnic grocer! The military commissary (where everything is often much cheaper) has it for $10. At the Indian or Middle Eastern stores (or befriend the owner of a local Greek restaurant) it's $5-6.

I've bought it at a Houston Lebanese ethnic market, Whole Foods and at HEB's Central Market (IIRC).

A good use: Split a ripe tomato, dust with black pepper, top with some cheese and run under the broiler. With a baguette, a glass of white wine, it becomes a step up in snacks.

Most markets carry a version now, albeit not a "real" version, and not high quality. Many markets put it in the salad section, near the tofu, but others put it next to the typical dairy case cheese products, and some in the specialty cheese section. I have actually tried it with real feta, and it worked, and Provolone also works well.