A small van pulls up to a parking lot in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. There is already a queue of people wanting to buy halloumi cheese.
He is brought by former pilot Pantelis Panteli. After Cyprus Airways closed in 2013, he was fired. After that, he tried his hand at making cheese and never regretted it.
Now Pantelis has found himself at the center of a major controversy over the recipe for authentic Cypriot halloumi. Some say that cow’s milk can also be used to produce it, others say that real halloumi has always been made only from goat’s or sheep’s milk.
Panteli himself uses exclusively sheep.
He has approximately 300 head on his farm west of Nicosia. He says he started making halloumi under the guidance of his mother-in-law. As a result, he registered his own brand “Quella”.
Panteli is only authorized to sell directly to consumers and is limited to producing 150 liters of milk per day. At the same time, his products became very popular thanks to social networks. It usually sells out within two hours.
Soft and elastic, halloumi can be eaten raw or grilled, boiled or fried. At the same time, it does not lose its shape. And it is the island’s largest export after pharmaceuticals.
It has been three years since Cyprus won the status of the only country with the right to produce and sell halloumi. The island has committed to increasing the proportion of sheep and goat milk in halloumi by 50% by July 2024.
But a dispute over ingredients has sparked demonstrations by farmers. Some cheesemakers have vowed to stop production, and cow milk producers have vowed to dump all their products on the road in front of the Presidential Palace.
Authorities now plan to delay full compliance with the specifications until 2029.
The island’s Cattle Breeders’ Association says it is softer cow’s milk that has allowed halloumi to conquer overseas markets.
Panteli promises to keep the tradition in its original form and follow only the mother-in-law’s recipe.
