halloumi and hellim
OVER the past four decades, officials negotiating an end to Europe’s oldest frozen conflict, the dispute between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), have had plenty to chew on. A deal now appears possible; leaders on both sides say it could come by the end of the year. Reunification hinges on a dizzying number of issues, including property, governance and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the northern part of the island. Yet there is one area where Greek and Turkish Cypriots already see eye to eye: cheesemaking.
Love of the salty, rubbery cheese known as halloumi in the south and hellim in the north enriches the island. Last year, the Greek south exported €103m ($116m) worth of the stuff, much of it to Britain. In the TRNC, hellim made up a full quarter of all exports.
Last July the two sides filed a joint application to have the cheese declared a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product by the European Union. This status would place halloumi and hellim on a footing with such lauded delicacies as Parma ham, champagne and Roquefort cheese, banning dairy producers outside Cyprus from using either name. A decision is expected later this year.
For Turkish Cypriot cheesemakers, however, PDO status will count for little without a peace settlement. It might allow hellim to be sold in the southern part of the island. But as Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004, the bloc’s laws apply only in the Greek part of the island. As a result hellim, like other northern products, remains frozen out of Europe’s single market.
Much of it ends up in Turkey, the only country to recognise the TRNC. Exports to cheese lovers in other parts of the world have to be sent through Turkish ports, where handling, storage and insurance costs all eat away at profits. “A Greek Cypriot company pays less than $2,500 for a shipping container to Saudi Arabia,” explains Candan Avunduk of Meric Sut, a Turkish Cypriot dairy producer. “We pay $6,000.”
Even in the case of a peace deal, other delays may be in store thanks to strict hygiene regulations. Meeting European health standards will probably take the local dairy sector at least three years, estimates Fikri Toros, head of the Turkish Cypriot chamber of commerce. For cheese enthusiasts in Europe, it will be worth the wait.
OVER the past four decades, officials negotiating an end to Europe’s oldest frozen conflict, the dispute between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), have had plenty to chew on. A deal now appears possible; leaders on both sides say it could come by the end of the year. Reunification hinges on a dizzying number of issues, including property, governance and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the northern part of the island. Yet there is one area where Greek and Turkish Cypriots already see eye to eye: cheesemaking.
Love of the salty, rubbery cheese known as halloumi in the south and hellim in the north enriches the island. Last year, the Greek south exported €103m ($116m) worth of the stuff, much of it to Britain. In the TRNC, hellim made up a full quarter of all exports.
Last July the two sides filed a joint application to have the cheese declared a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product by the European Union. This status would place halloumi and hellim on a footing with such lauded delicacies as Parma ham, champagne and Roquefort cheese, banning dairy producers outside Cyprus from using either name. A decision is expected later this year.
For Turkish Cypriot cheesemakers, however, PDO status will count for little without a peace settlement. It might allow hellim to be sold in the southern part of the island. But as Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004, the bloc’s laws apply only in the Greek part of the island. As a result hellim, like other northern products, remains frozen out of Europe’s single market.
Much of it ends up in Turkey, the only country to recognise the TRNC. Exports to cheese lovers in other parts of the world have to be sent through Turkish ports, where handling, storage and insurance costs all eat away at profits. “A Greek Cypriot company pays less than $2,500 for a shipping container to Saudi Arabia,” explains Candan Avunduk of Meric Sut, a Turkish Cypriot dairy producer. “We pay $6,000.”
Even in the case of a peace deal, other delays may be in store thanks to strict hygiene regulations. Meeting European health standards will probably take the local dairy sector at least three years, estimates Fikri Toros, head of the Turkish Cypriot chamber of commerce. For cheese enthusiasts in Europe, it will be worth the wait.
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