Greek salad, spanakopita, and gyros galore — feta is a staple ingredient across Mediterranean dishes. With a salty, crumbly, and distinct flavor, feta has more than proven itself. However, those potent qualities can also bepolarizing, amassing avid fans and staunch opposers alike. Yet even if you're not crazy about feta, you don't have to steer clear of cheese in your next Greek dish. Instead of the former, substitute halloumi: another Mediterranean cheese similar to the Greek classic, but with a more mild taste and firmer texture.
Halloumi works as a perfect feta substitute because it's more neutral in taste and smell than feta, but not different enough to fully change any given dish. Similarities surface in parallel origins, both geographically and milk-wise; feta is from Greece, whereas halloumi is from nearby Cyprus, and each cheese consists ofsheep'smilk. This milk lends moisture and creaminess,resulting in similar flavors ... albeit at different strengths.
Likewise, feta and halloumi share both textural similarities and differences that allow for an easy mix-and-match. Both cheeses often come in a block, but while feta crumbles, halloumi tends to squeak. The latter cheese is also semi-hard and therefore firmer than feta. Despite these differences, however, both cheeses are great served raw but even better when grilled. Their similarly high melting points allow for a near-seamless substitution.
Salty, Squeaky, And Versatile, Halloumi Takes Many Forms
Halloumican blend into — or star in — all kinds of recipes, Mediterranean or not. This is partly because the cheese, like feta, has a high melting point that means it's perfect for grilling or frying. Once heated, halloumi transforms in texture. It develops a crispy, flavorful exterior, with a soft, squeaky inside.
It's this textural versatility that makes halloumi so similar to feta, which likewise tastes great grilled as a block. However, halloumi retains a milder taste than the former cheese, so it serves a more neutral function in recipes. For instance, you can try halloumi grilled alongside tomatoes on skewers, ortaste it as the signature ingredient in vegetarian tacos.If you'd rather go into full-out mozzarella stick mode, halloumi is also delicious whenfried. Of course, you can't go wrong with the salty cheese paired with something sweet. Hello, watermelon salad with halloumi ... just as you'd make watermelon salad withfeta. Granted, one will have a more powerful flavor profile than the other, but both are guaranteed to be delicious.
Instead of the former, substitute halloumi: another Mediterranean cheese similar to the Greek classic, but with a more mild taste and firmer texture. Halloumi works as a perfect feta substitute because it's more neutral in taste and smell than feta, but not different enough to fully change any given dish.
Brands vary, but feta is usually the winner. Haloumi tends to have more calories and a higher fat content. Plus, it usually has more salt. Haloumi makes a good cooking cheese thanks to its high melting point.
Halloumi has a very appealing flavor that's unlike any other cheese: mellow, but not in the least boring, mildly feta-like, notably tangy, and never too strong. It can be enjoyed almost any of the ways you'd eat other cheeses: sliced, for a simple snack, cubed in salads or melted it in or on casseroles.
Although it is categorized as “brined cheese,” the heating process provides a different texture, and the functional properties including sliceability, meltability, and shreddability, are different from regular brined cheese.
Like halloumi, kefalotyri is made from sheep's or goat's milk, but it's a step up in both hardness and saltiness, with a bit less tang. This Greek cheese also has a very high melting point that allows it to be browned on the grill without turning into a gooey mess.
Instead of the former, substitute halloumi: another Mediterranean cheese similar to the Greek classic, but with a more mild taste and firmer texture. Halloumi works as a perfect feta substitute because it's more neutral in taste and smell than feta, but not different enough to fully change any given dish.
Many Halloumi-style cheeses are prepared by dairy and goat farmers in Canada and the United States. For legal proprietary reasons, these cheeses are usually called Halloumi-style or grillable cheeses. Sometimes they are called grilling cheese or frying cheese, or queso de freír in Spanish.
As for the flavor, it's tangy and salty, somewhere between mozzarella and feta cheeses. A 1-ounce serving of Halloumi cheese has up to 9 grams of protein and 25% of your daily calcium needs, making the nutritional value beneficial to vegetarian diets.
What's more, halloumi is made from sheep's milk, which is more expensive than cow's milk or goat's milk due to a lower milking yield from sheep. And halloumi is often aged, which can also amplify the price.
The easiest method is to soak the whole block of cheese in cold water for at least two hours (or overnight if you have time). Pat the cheese dry with a paper towel, cut into sticks, and fry as usual.
Halloumi Grill cheese huismerk| 200 grams. This cheese that is specially made for grilling dishes and comes from Greece and Cyprus. It is a semi-hard whey cheese made from pasteurized milk from cows, sheep and goats. The cheese, which is also known as Challúmi or Halumi, contains 43% fat and has a mild flavour to it.
Cheeses that have a high melting point can be fried. While the cheese melts slightly, it will generally retain its shape in the fryer or skillet. Popular fried cheese options are cheese curds, queso blanco, halloumi, paneer, mozzarella, bread cheese, certain cheddars, and provolone.
However, while protein and calcium work to suggest that halloumi is healthy, there's no getting away from the fact that there's also a pretty high sodium and fat content. In fact, one 28g portion of halloumi contains a whopping 9 grams of fat and 15% of your DV (Daily Value) of sodium.
Goat cheese is low in calories, fat and has less sodium than feta. 3. Swiss: A hard cheese that is full of flavor. Swiss is a great lunch alternative to higher fat sandwich cheeses like provolone and cheddar.
So while basic traditional cheeses (which would include halloumi and feta) are a processed product, originally done to store fresh milk so that it keeps for more than just a few days, I do not believe any of it is considered ultra processed, except perhaps things like american style cheese slices or squirty cheese from ...
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
