Which country is often associated with halloumi cheese?

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. This property makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.

Halloumi is often associated with the island of Cyprus, where it has been produced for many centuries. It is also popular throughout the region broadly known as the Levant. In the global market, halloumi cheese is mostly produced in Cyprus and has high demand among Middle East countries. In Cypriot economy, the export of halloumi cheese makes a significant contribution and it accounts for more than 15% of exports, U.K. being the number one importer of halloumi cheese as one of the unique varieties of cheese.

In the global halloumi cheese market, the demand for halloumi cheese is increasing at a faster pace in the European market especially among U.K. and Sweden. In the Middle East, the demand for halloumi cheese is high in countries such as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, and others. In terms of demand in the retail market, halloumi cheese has high penetration among British supermarket/hypermarket chains. For instance, retail chains such as Tesco, Waitrose, and others are offering six different varieties of halloumi cheese achieving significant growth in the last few years.