Cypriot Trahanas me Halloumi (Τραχανάς με Χαλλούμι)

Trahanas me Halloumi belongs to Cyprus: sour cracked-wheat trahanas cooked down into a thick soup, then finished with cubes of halloumi that soften in the heat. It isn't the loose mainland trahana soup I grew up seeing in northern kitchens. The region is the dish's surname.

The sourness is what makes it itself. Cypriot trahanas is made with fermented sheep or goat milk and wheat, dried hard for keeping, then brought back to life in the pot. Soak it briefly before simmering and it opens evenly, turning the soup creamy instead of grainy. That's the whole trick.

Use water if you want the older, plain kitchen version. Use light chicken stock if you want a fuller bowl. Either way, the halloumi goes in at the end, not at the start, because it should soften and season the soup without turning tough. A squeeze of lemon wakes everything up. Good olive oil, and patience.