10.5.2023
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 165/17
3.6.
Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to Regarding the composition of the milk used to produce ‘Halloumi’, in cases where a mixture of milks is used, the different types of milk must be mentioned on the label, in decreasing order of percentage.
4.
Concise definition of the geographical area The administrative boundaries of the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, Paphos and Kyrenia.
5.
Link with the geographical area
5.1.
Specificity of the geographical area Natural factors: Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate characterised by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
The island’s terrain also plays a very important role: the mountains receive a relatively high amount of rainfall and affect the hydrology and environment of the lower lying areas, as the numerous streams are fed with water from springs for several months after the rains have stopped.
In relation to its size Cyprus has one of the richest floras in the Mediterranean, owing to its geological structure, climate, geographical position, the surrounding sea and the land configuration (Tsintidis et al., 2002).
There are 1 908 different species of plant, 140 of which are endemic, i.e. they are found only in Cyprus (Department of Forests, 2004).
Lastly, the local breeds of dairy animals in Cyprus include the local fat-tailed sheep, which is well adapted to the dry climate and high temperatures of the area, and the local Machaira and Pissouri goats.
The Chios sheep and the Damascus goat (introduced in the 1950s and 1930s respectively) are also local breed types, as their morphological and production characteristics have diverged from those of the populations of origin after a long-standing national breeding programme.
Human factors: historical references show that Halloumi production in Cyprus was known from the most ancient times.
Halloumi is mentioned as ‘calumi’ in a codex containing five manuscripts on the history of Cyprus that is kept in the library of the Correr Museum in Venice.
Dating back to 1554, this is the oldest written reference to Halloumi that has been found up to now.
There are also later references to Halloumi, inter alia by Archimandrite Kyprianos in 1788.
The importance of Halloumi in the life of the local people can be clearly seen through art (poetry, literature) and the place it occupied in agricultural shows (Lyssi, 1939).
The list of classes and cash prizes and the conditions for entry for the Lyssi Agricultural Show, which was published in both Greek and Turkish, includes the products that can be entered in the competition.
The Turkish name for ‘Halloumi’ is ‘Hellim’.
Turkish Cypriot Halloumi producers use both names for our traditional product or just the name ‘Hellim’.
There is ample evidence that the two names ‘Halloumi’ and ‘Hellim’ refer to the same traditional Cypriot product, for which both names are used (Halkin Sesi newspaper, 1959 and 1962 and product packaging for export bearing both names).
The close link between the product and the island’s inhabitants is also evident from the fact that today ‘Halloumas’, ‘Hallouma’, ‘Halloumakis’ and ‘Halloumis’ are common Cypriot surnames.
From ancient times Halloumi was an important element in the Cypriot diet (Bevan, 1919; Pitcairn, 1934; Zigouris, 1952) and met the needs of Cypriot families all year round.
Halloumi was ‘the famous Cypriot cheese, produced in a special way’, one of the most common accompaniments to bread in every Cypriot household, essential to every rural family (Xioutas, 2001).
As well as being consumed locally, from ancient times Halloumi was exported to various countries (Archimandrite Kyprianos, 1788), including Egypt, Syria, Greece, Turkey, Palestine, France, Sudan, the United Kingdom, America, Australia and China (Dawe, 1928).
The production process is unique, in particular the stages of cooking the product at a high temperature for a specific length of time, the folding and the addition of Cypriot mint.
Cooking the curds is very important since, according to a relevant study, it enhances the product’s organoleptic qualities.
Specifically, cooking the curds at a high temperature produces high levels of certain basic chemical compounds that help determine the taste of Halloumi.
Some of these compounds are lactones, such as delta-dodecalactone (characterised by a fruity flavour) and delta-decalactone (characterised by a creamy flavour), whereas some are methyl ketones, which are characterised by a milk-like flavour (P. Papademas, 2000).