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Cheese from Cyprus

Anariαναρή

Anari is a boundary entry, set by heat, not by microbes. During halloumi making, the whey left after the curd is lifted out is heated, a small amount of fresh milk is added, and the whey proteins rise to the surface as soft curds when the whey nears the boil. It is sold as a soft fresh cheese, salted or unsalted, or salted and dried, and dried anari is grated.

Recipe

Anari, a photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Zlerman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
No fixed amounts recordedIn a 1986 trial, the halloumi make from 20 kg of milk gave 0.99 kg of anari (sheep), 0.78 kg (goat), 0.85 kg (sheep and goat) and none from cow milk.
First whey from halloumi makingIn a 1986 trial the whey of sheep, goat and mixed milk gave anari, and cow-milk whey gave none[economides1987]
Fresh milkA small quantity is added to the whey after a mild heat treatment (prosgalo or anarogalo)[cy-gastronomy][economides1987]
Salt (optional)Anari is sold fresh and salted, fresh and unsalted, or salted and dried[cy-gastronomy]
Starternone; the curd is formed by heat

Total time across the recorded steps: 1 h

Start
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What changes: Starting material: the whey left after the halloumi curd is lifted out

Step 1 of 5
Keep the whey from halloumi
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

After the halloumi curd is removed, the whey (noros) goes on being heated while it is stirred, so that leftover curd grains do not turn into lumps.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Anari is a boundary entry, set by heat, not by microbes. During halloumi making, the whey left after the curd is lifted out is heated, a small amount of fresh milk is added, and the whey proteins rise to the surface as soft curds when the whey nears the boil. It is sold as a soft fresh cheese, salted or unsalted, or salted and dried, and dried anari is grated. Made in 5 steps over 1 h. The longest step, heat until the curds rise, takes 1 h (Economides S 1987) and runs at 70–80 °C (Economides S 1987).

Key numbers
Main step1 hReported[economides1987]Heat until the curds rise
Temperature70–80 °CReported[economides1987]Heat until the curds rise

What makes this one different

Anari is the whey cheese made alongside halloumi, from the same whey, before the halloumi pieces are cooked in it. The Cyprus Department of Agriculture calls it a separate product from halloumi. In a 1986 trial, sheep and goat whey gave anari but cow-milk whey gave none.

Boundary
A whey cheese set by heat, not by microbes
Milk
Whey from halloumi making with a little fresh milk; in a 1986 trial cow milk gave no anari
Yield
About 1 kg from the halloumi make of 20 kg of sheep milk

Related ferments

Variants

  • Fresh anariSoft; served salted or unsalted, for example with honey as a dessert when unsalted
  • Dried anariSalted and dried under controlled conditions; grated over pasta

Safety

Fresh whey cheeses are a known Listeria risk. A 2022 study of the Greek whey cheese anthotyros says their high pH (above 6.0 to 6.8) and moisture (above 60 to 80 %) let Listeria monocytogenes grow if it reaches the curd after heating, and that they spoil quickly at abusive storage temperatures.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, which grew in fresh anthotyros, a related Greek whey cheese, when added after heating.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Anari is made in Cyprus as a by-product of halloumi making and is linked to halloumi's history, yet the Cyprus Department of Agriculture calls it a separate product with its own place in daily life. It is tied to religious feasts such as the Tyrini cheese week before Tyrofagos Sunday, and Kyprianos (1788), Richter (1913) and Bevan (1919) wrote about it.

  1. [economides1987] Economides S., Georghiades E., Mavrogenis A.P. 1987, The effect of different milks on the yield and chemical composition of halloumi cheese, Technical Bulletin 90, Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nicosiagov
  2. [cy-gastronomy] Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus, 2025, Gastronomy in Cyprus (Anari entry)gov
  3. [samelis2022] Sameli N., Samelis J. 2022, Growth and biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes in Greek Anthotyros whey cheese without or with a crude enterocin A-B-P extract, Foods 11(3):334 (introduction; used only for the general hazard of fresh whey cheeses)paper
  4. [wp] Wikipedia, Anari cheese (appearance of the curd)wiki