Building diplomatic bridges with cheese in divided Cyprus

After forty years of Cyprus’ Turkish and Greek communities living in terse peace, they are finally finding a delicious compromise - over ‘squeaky’ halloumi cheese. Cheese-makers on both sides of the island are slowly uniting as they prepare to face competition from an outside, common enemy.

If we collaborate, if we can come together and find a solution for this problem it will help to find a solution for the Cyprus problem also.

Ali Cirali, Head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry

Once a niche food, the rubbery halloumi has now become a staple in many kitchens outside Cyprus, especially in Britain and the United States. Made traditionally from a mixture of milk from sheep and goats, the cheese has become a favourite of the barbecue season, its high melting point allowing it to be grilled or even fried. The cheese has been made in Cyprus for centuries by both its Greek and Turkish communities, who have been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the island’s northern third in response to an Athens-engineered coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.

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