A fortnight ago, the European Commission adopted a package of measures to protect an important part of Cypriot heritage – its cheese. Called ‘hellim’ in Turkish, and ‘halloumi’ in Greek, this renowned Cypriot cheese was registered as a protected designation of origin (PDO), essentially banning the misuse of its name by imitation products across the […]
After years of disputes, Cypriot cheese – known in Turkish as hellim and in Greek as halloumi – has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Union. Member states “unanimously supported” the PDO proposals earlier today, which are applicable to “all parts of Cyprus”, according to a tweet by Elisa Ferreira, the European […]
Cheese producers and distributors could end up with a legal battle on their hands if they seek to take advantage of the Greek Cypriot administration’s loss of its “halloumi” trademark in the UK, an expert has warned. T-VINE reported last month how officials in South Cyprus were left red-faced after it emerged that they had […]
A minister has resisted calls to resign after the Greek Cypriot government suffered an embarrassing blow in its efforts to monopolise the name of traditional Cyprus cheese in the UK. Georgios Lakkotrypis, the South’s Commerce and Industry Minister, faced calls to quit after it was recently revealed that South Cyprus had “lost” its UK trademark […]
We all know Father Christmas’s birth place is Turkey, but legend suggests he’s been living happily in Lapland for centuries. According to a new video clip by online TV programme makers Neydi Olacağı, Santa is now residing with celebrity grandparents Ayşe aba and husband Kenan in their village in North Cyprus, enjoying the very best […]
Turkish Cypriot pressure group Embargoed!, has written to EU Commissioners challenging the appointment of Bureau Veritas as controllers of the TRNC’s vital hellim trade. The UK-based group says the PDO process should be suspended immediately because of the lack of consultation with Turkish Cypriots, which puts the EU in breach of its own rules. Exact […]
TRNC Foreign Minister Emine Çolak said this week that if the issue of hellim cheese is resolved as a confidence building measure (CMB), with economic benefit to both sides, it will enhance the negotiation process. Any other strategy could have a negative impact on the Talks, which are currently progressing positively, she said. At a […]
Securing protected status for traditional Cypriot cheese will benefit all producers on the island. However, the decision by Greek Cypriots to make a unilateral application to the European Union while deliberately excluding Turkish Cypriot producers not only turned this into a political issue, but also left a bitter taste in North Cyprus. With the EU […]
There’s nothing worse than when you are flying back from the motherland and a distant cousin or auntie turns up the morning you are leaving and hands you 10 packs of hellim. They know the laws against bringing cheese back, as well as the weight restrictions, but they still make you feel bad if you […]
