The 65-year-old ancestral kitchen located in Akdeniz village, belonging to Serpil Kadıköy’s family, where traditional halloumi production is made within the scope of a project supported by the Ministry of Tourism, has become a must-visit place for tourists.
Kadıköy, who produces natural products on the family farm with the methods he inherited from his mother, is helped by his nephew Fatoş Bozalan in the kitchen.
Tourists who come to the kitchen from the morning hours have the opportunity to see both the fermentation of halloumi and the preparation of village bread.
Tourists who wish can bake the bread prepared in the kitchen themselves and have breakfast with fresh halloumi.
Thus, the production of halloumi, which is registered by the European Union, in the kitchen contributes to the tourism of the TRNC.
– “We ferment the milk with our own yeast, which we call kid yeast.”
Serpil Kadıköy told the AA correspondent that the making of halloumi begins in the early morning hours by boiling the milk of the animals.
Explaining that tourist groups come to his kitchen to see and experience bread making with halloumi, Kadıköy said, “We milk our sheep and goats around 5-6 in the morning. We take our milk to our kitchen. We ferment the milk by heating it slightly. We ferment the milk with our own yeast, which we call kid yeast. After it ferments for half an hour.” “We cut it into small pieces, put it on a cloth, put something heavy on it and put it under pressure. We boil it again for the second time to ferment. Then we put salt and mint in it and put it on sale. Tourists who wish can also participate in the production of bread here, and those who wish can also bake bread in the oven at the back.” he said.
Kadıköy stated that a natural yeast obtained from the stomach of a kid is added to the boiled milk, and that the biggest difference that distinguishes halloumi from other cheeses is its natural yeast.
Explaining the process of obtaining the yeast, Kadıköy said, “We kill the newly weaned kid and take the yeast from its stomach. We dry that yeast and put it in a cloth. We ferment our milk with it every day. It is a natural yeast, we do not use factory powder yeast.” he said.
Kadıköy pointed out that the fermented milk is then divided into small pieces and continued as follows:
“The halloumi in the form of a mold, which is put on a cloth while it is hot, is then pressed on it and kept waiting. The halloumi, which is divided into four corners, is wrapped in small cloths again and placed in the cauldron to be cooked. The halloumi, which is cooked for about 20 more minutes, is removed from the cloths, folded in half, and mint and salt are added to it and left to cool. “The cooled halloumi is packaged and offered for sale.”
Explaining that they prepared halloumi together with their Greek neighbors during the peace period on the island, Kadıköy said that they did this to save and increase milk when animals were scarce.
Kadıköy said, “But they made a mistake by claiming halloumi. They are trying to claim halloumi, but the essence is ours, it is Turks’ halloumi.” said.
– “We do not accept calling halloumi cheese.”
Yeğen Bozalan stated that halloumi is a cooked dairy product.
Pointing out that cheese is an uncooked product, Bozalan said, “Hellome is a product that is cooked again after fermentation. That’s why we do not accept halloumi being called cheese.” he said.
