Cyprus traditional food: Anari Cheese

Famous for its world-renowned and locally favored Halloumi Cheese, Cyprus has a lot more tricks up its sleeve when it comes to cheese making and other traditional foods. You can eat it as a dessert; it is usually served at taverns with honey. It is used for bourekia – a homemade flaky pastry that is filled with Anari cheese. It is used on pasta (dry or fresh) instead of Greek cheeses. Essentially it is an all-around, versatile cheese that can be used for almost anything, and enjoyed anywhere.

So, what exactly is Anari cheese and how is it made?

Anari is a freshly mild whey cheese that is exclusively produced in Cyprus. 

The whey used is usually a by-product in the production process of other harder cheeses like halloumi or kefalotyri. The whey is gradually heated to 65 °C in a large cooking bowl. A small amount of goat or sheep milk (approx 5–10%) can be added at this temperature to improve the quality of the end product. The temperature is then increased until the boiling point is reached, constantly mixing the liquid. At 80–85 °C small crumbly curds of anari start forming and are skimmed off the surface using a slotted spoon. They are then placed in a container that allows the curds to be drained and cut into cubes of roughly 10 cm at each side. Excluding the drainage, the above process takes roughly one hour.

Try authentic anari cheese during your next visit to any of Louis Hotels located in Paphos, Protaras and Limassol.