Fried food is generally a hit, but fried cheese? Now that’s always a winner, and if anyone knows it, it’s the Cypriots.
Proud founders of halloumi, a firm, unripened cheese generally made from sheep’s milk, it is now in the process of being registered as a product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) under the European Union’s quality schemes.
To further showcase their local delicacy abroad, the Panagrotikos Farmers Union of Cyprus attended this year’s Fine Food Australia last month to launch the Halloumi Cheese campaign.
Financed with aid from the EU and the Republic of Cyprus, the campaign showcases the cheese to an international audience.
Guests, importers, media, and cheese buyers were invited to join the union for a sit-down dinner at the Phoenix Hotel in Woollahra.
Head chef Theo Karvouniaris developed a halloumi-filled menu for the night, with a different take on a host of classic Cypriot dishes and desserts.
A number of notable guests from Cyprus were in attendance, including Georgios Parpas, a representative of the Cyprus Cattle Farmers Organization, Georgios Kyprianou, a representative of Kouroussis Diary Industries, and Charalambidis Kristis Dairy industry’s export sales manager, Spyros Bonatsos.