Halitzia TilliriasΧαλίτζια Τηλλυρίας

Appearance & taste

Halitzia Tillirias is sold in transparent packs in which many pieces lie in salted whey. The pieces are irregularly shaped, weigh 20 to 80 g each, are pure white and have a rough surface. According to the specification, with the irregular holes inside they resemble large white pebbles worn smooth by seawater; hence the name, in the plural, because the pieces in the pack are even more reminiscent of beach pebbles.

The texture is soft to semi-soft and fairly crumbly, with holes of different sizes and shapes. The cheese tastes sour and fresh and smells lemony and slightly salty. It contains at least 43 % fat in dry matter, at most 56 % moisture and at most 4.5 % salt.

Production

Only heat-treated fresh goat’s milk is used, with salt and rennet; rennet from pigs’ stomachs is excluded. The pure goat’s milk makes the cheese whiter than kinds made with other milk. The curd is cut into round and then smaller pieces, transferred to a basket, the “talari”, gently shaken and lightly pressed; this creates the holes inside.

The pieces then lie loosely in shallow containers in salted whey for 48 hours. Packed tightly, they would lose their shape; this way they absorb whey, swell and take on their pebble-like shape. During ripening in salted whey, at least 40 days from production, microbiological processes create the round shape and the rough surface, and natural protein breakdown makes the cheese soft to semi-soft. All steps from the delivery of the milk to ripening take place in the area. The cheese is also packed there, so that its shape and crumbly texture do not suffer in transport.

Origin & history

Tilliria is a remote peninsula in north-western Cyprus; the area covers the communities of Kato Pyrgos Tillirias, Pigenia, Pachyammos, Pano Pyrgos Tillirias and Mosfili. According to the specification, the inhabitants most probably learned how to make the cheese from conquerors towards the end of the 16th century. At first it was largely confined to the area; in recent years the cheese has spread across the whole island.

The knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, and the cheese is still made in small businesses or at home. Written sources name a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk as the traditional raw material; especially in Tilliria, pure goat’s milk has prevailed in recent years. The name also appears in dictionaries of the Cypriot dialect, and since 2016 a fig and halitzi festival has been held in Tilliria.