Student Life | Issue 41

FOOD
CO-EDITOR AARON BEAVIS
Halloumi -
The Superior Cheese
BY AARON BEAVIS
My relationship with cheese is a
tumultuous affair. The part of my
brain that is tasked with thinking
about cheese is like a mental
Thunderdome. There’s been highs
and lows but something I know for
sure is that halloumi is unequivocally
the best of them all, at least in my
eyes. However, before I can sing
its praises, let me illustrate my ups
and downs with cheese prior to me
discovering this dairy deity.
As an infant, I could not eat cheese
in any form. Cooked or uncooked,
on its own or just a sprinkle on
something else, I wouldn’t have it. I
didn’t even eat pizza. I suspect it was
very psychological as I used to guzzle
mini-Cheddars like water and never
realised why they had the name they
did. As I matured, my hatred became
milder and, eventually, I ate it semiregularly.
I don’t eat raw blocks of it
like my sister does but, if it’s cooked,
I’ll eat it in most scenarios.
I still didn’t eat cheese on its own. It
was an accoutrement, nothing more.
If a past dish had too much cheese or
it was too strong, I would say I wasn’t
hungry. You might have guessed
but my mother is the real victim of
this story, I was the fussiest child in
existence. I ate toast but wouldn’t eat
un-toasted bread. I’m not kidding.
Anyway, my relationship with the
dairy delicacy hit a stand-still.
And then it happened. I visited
Nando’s for the first time and,
hesitantly, agreed to try one of
my Mum’s halloumi fries. It was a
transcendent experience. I ate a piece
of cheese with no accompaniment
and enjoyed it whole-heartedly. The
taste was salty and mild although
apparently if aged like a fine wine is
much stronger. The texture which
gives it the moniker ‘squeaky cheese’
52 • 52 MARCH • FOOD 2019 • STUDENT • LIFE LIFE