Turkish Cheese

Turkish Cheese.

There are hundreds of varieties of Turkish cheese!

Turkish cheeseYeah, that’s true. There are loads of different types of cheese you can find in Turkey. 🙂

If you’re only familiar with the taste of cheese sold in Indonesia, well, you might need to explore a bit further.

Because it turns out, the types of cheese around the world are very diverse.

In Turkey alone, there are hundreds of types. Not to mention in Italy, Switzerland, or the Netherlands, right, or in other European countries.

And what makes it amazing is that the taste of cheese abroad is not as good as the cheese in Indonesia.

Yeah, maybe our cheese is really tailored to the market’s preferences, and maybe the ‘real’ taste of cheese is in Europe or Turkey.

Are you curious about what Turkish cheeses are like? Let’s continue.

  Turkish Cheese 

To get more familiar with Turkish cheese, let me give you some info first. In Turkish, cheese is called “Peynir.”

CHEESE = PEYNIR

And in Turkey, cheese is almost like a staple food.

Every dining opportunity in Turkey surely includes cheese.

All sorts of cheese are displayed everywhere…

Like an appetizer, you know.

The salads with cheese, kebabs with cheese, even the soups and fruits, all eaten with cheese.

Cheese in Turkey is said to have hundreds of types, around 200-300 types. Incredibly diverse, right 🙂

What are we, just familiar with Craft Cheese, hahaha…

So, if you go to Turkey, you must try all those cheeses. Usually, when dining in a hotel or restaurant, there will be a variety of cheeses served, especially if you choose to try the Turkish Breakfast, it’s a sure thing.

The hundreds of types of cheese in Turkey are sometimes differentiated based on their region.

So, different regions have different types of cheese.

But there are also types of cheese that are everywhere.

 

Types of Turkish Cheese

The Turkish Cheese might taste different and unusual for us. And it is okay because Indonesian people don’t eat too much cheese and don’t familiar with new flavour.

Cheese holds a significant place in Turkish cuisine. The Turkish really loves cheese!

You can find a wide variety of Turkish cheeses in both traditional and modern markets across Turkey. These cheeses come in different textures, flavours, and price ranges.

Turkish Cheese in Traditional Market

Cheese is a part of many dishes in Turkey.

That’s why I discuss it in a separate blog post.

Because every time I eat in Turkey, there are always various cheeses served.

Not just one, sometimes 1-7 types of cheese can be served.

Not only for breakfast, but there is also cheese for lunch and dinner in Turkey. Sometimes it’s a snack, sometimes it’s a main dish 🙂

Cheese is not only mixed into dishes, sometimes it’s just roughly grated and used as a topping on the surface of the food…

 

Various types of cheese in Turkey

The cheese sold and consumed in Turkey is usually fresh cheese. After it’s made, it’s served immediately.

Some are made quickly, but there are also those that require months of processing. Until the cheese is covered in mold like this.

 

Turkish Cheese for Thousands of Years

Cheese in Turkey has indeed been crafted since ancient times.

Even in the Anatolian region, cheese has been present since 7000 BCE.

Nowadays, cheese is produced on an industrial scale, although there is still a significant amount of homemade cheese production.

 

The process of Making Cheese in Turkey

 

Many cheeses in Turkey are produced on a homemade basis.

 

The process of making cheese in Turkey

You can see in the picture, there are various types of cheese, from visually appealing to mouldy.

Famous Turkish Cheese

Now, let’s discuss some of the most famous types of Turkish cheese.

You’ll likely encounter some of these types when enjoying meals in Turkey.

 1. Divle Obruk Peyniri 

The first Turkish cheese we discuss is Divle Obruk.

This cheese has a really unique taste and aroma.

Also known as Turkish Roquefort.

The cheese is distinctive, made from sheep’s milk, with a strong cheese flavour and a kind of blue marbled texture.

Why is it blue?

Because the cheese is aged in a cave for a really long time, like months.

Super unique, right!

The cheese is wrapped in animal skin and then stored in the cave.

It looks like this…

In the caves of Turkey, they store Mouldy Cheese

 

That’s how it looks, all blue and everything, due to the aging process in the caves.

Turkish mouldy cheese

Divle Obruk is quite popular and easily accessible in traditional markets.

Divle Obruk peynir originates from the Divle region, now more commonly known as the Ucharman village.

This village is considered an old village.

So it’s not surprising that the production of this cheese continues to thrive in this region.

There are thousands of goats and sheep in Divle, around more than 3500 livestock.

There are also many shepherds, around hundreds of them.

The milk from those animals is later stored in the caves in Divle as well.

The cave is quite deep, reaching up to 36 meters below the surface.

These caves contribute to the unique flavour of the cheese because the temperature inside can reach up to 4 degrees Celsius, regardless of the season.

But it is said that this cheese is mostly produced between April and September.

Making cheese in this way has been done for centuries.

 

Divle Obruk Peynir

So what do you think? Do you want to try this kind of cheese?

 2. Kars Gravyere Peyniri 

The second cheese is Kars Gravyere.

This is the most famous type of cheese as well.

This cheese is made from the milk of goats and sheep that graze in the highlands of Turkey.

Not all regions produce this type of cheese.

This classic type of cheese is obtained from sheep, goat, and cow milk from the Cyclades region.

Why was this region chosen?

Because in the Cyclades region, there is a lot of aromatic grass, so the milk produced by the livestock has a special aroma as well. And the cheese from this region is indeed known for its distinctive aroma.

 

Kars Gravyere Peynir

Cheese is very soft and creamy because butter is added during the manufacturing process.

 3. Ezine Beyaz Peyniri 

Cheese third is Beyaz Peynir or Ezine Cheese or White Cheese.

 

It is the most common cheese found in Turkey 😉

 

Take a look at the following picture.

 

Ezine White Cheese

This cheese is very suitable to be eaten with any food.

This cheese comes from the Ezine region, which is located in Canakkale, sometimes it is also produced in the Thrace region. Or there are also those produced around the Sea of Marmara.

Ezine cheese is similar to Feta cheese. Cheese lover must know this.

 4. Kargi Tulum Peyniri 

Kargı Tulum Cheese is the fourth typical Turkish cheese.

This cheese is produced in the mountainous regions of Turkey.

Tulum cheese is made from the milk of sheep grazed in the highlands of Erzincan.

In Turkish,

TULUM = SHEEPSKIN

Tulum cheese has a relatively high moisture content, making it somewhat creamy. Therefore, it’s often used as a spread on Turkish bread.

 

Kargi Tulum Peynir

Domba milk is fermented using Sirden.

Sirden is a homemade yeast that is widely sold in Turkey.

Then it is salted, wrapped in sheepskins, and aged for 3-6 months.

Tulum cheese has a taste that reflects the region where it is produced.

 5. Lor Peyniri 

Lor Cheese, or Lor cheese, is a low-fat white cheese.

 

Besides being low in fat and salt, it has a high protein content.

 

This cheese comes from the Manyas region.

 

The texture looks like this.

 

Lor Turki Peynir

 

Lor Cheese or Lor has a resemblance in appearance to ricotta cheese.

 

Lor Cheese is not too salty, so it is often used as an ingredient in making pastries or as an addition to desserts.

 6. Dil Peyniri 

Next is Dil cheese, which is similar to Mozzarella cheese.

 

It has a slightly yellowish-white colour, a chewy texture, and it melts easily.

 

Dil Peynir

However, Turks don’t use this type of cheese as a pizza topping, like Mozzarella.

Dil cheese is eaten as it is during meals in Turkey.

 7. Mihalic Peyniri 

Mihaliç Peyniri or Kelle Peyniri is a hard, grateable sheep cheese, similar to Parmesan cheese.

The name of this cheese comes from the city of Mihalic, now known as Karacebey, a town in the Bursa province.

This type of cheese has been around for 200 years.

It’s considered an old-fashioned cheese and is a type that is not pasteurized.

This cheese is made by soaking it in salted water until it becomes hard and expands.

This cheese has a long history dating back to the Ottoman Empire era.

 8. Kuflu Peyniri 

Mouldyyy cheeeseee…. Blue cheese is known as “Rokfor Peynir” in Turkish.

The process of making this cheese is indeed quite complicated.

The cheese mixture is crushed, kneaded, baked, and then left to mould for up to 1.5 months in a very dark underground room.

Blue Cheese, or Rokfor Peynir, is produced in the Karaman province of Turkey.

During the Ottoman Empire era, this blue cheese was commonly served to the soldiers to boost their immune system.

 9. Telli Peyniri 

This Telli cheese, or string cheese, has a layered and soft, fibrous texture.

It doesn’t have a very salty taste. It is often referred to as wire cheese or string cheese.

Its shape is indeed like strands or wires because during its production, it is kneaded or pulled until it becomes long, similar to mozzarella.

 10. Taze Kaşar Peyniri 

Kashar Cheese is another flagship cheese. It has a light yellow color, and this type of cheese is a new and fresh cheese, which is not aged.

Fresh Kashar Cheese (Unaged Kashar Cheese) is often served during breakfast.

 11. Eski Kaşar Peyniri 

Eski Kasar piynir, or Aged Kashar Cheese, is the next one.

It tastes similar to Edam cheese from the Netherlands.

Because it’s aged, it gives the cheese a mouldy and crusty appearance.

The oldest producer of Turkish Kashar Cheese is the region of Kars in the northeastern part of Turkey.

 12. Orgu Peyniri 

The shape of this cheese is very distinctive, as it resembles braided strands.

Its taste is somewhat salty and quite firm.

 

Turkish Braided Cheese: Orgu Peynir

Orgu Peynir originates from the Diyarbakır region in southeastern Turkey.

 13. Labneh Peyniri 

Labneh Peynir is a fresh cheese used for spreading. It has a creamy texture similar to cream cheese but with a lighter taste.

 

White cheese: Fresh Labneh Peynir

 14. Turkish Smoked Cheese 

The last Turkish cheese mentioned is known as Turkish Smoked Cheese or Circassian Smoked Cheese.

Circassian Smoked Cheese comes from the Duzce and Hendek regions around the Marmara area in Turkey.

 15. Other Turkish Cheeses 

Apart from the cheeses I mentioned above, there are still other types of Turkish cheese, such as:

• Çökelek
• Kurut
• Hellim
• Kaşkaval
• Otlu Peynir

And many more….

 Turkish Cheese Review 

Turkish cheese deserves a special place.

It offers unique flavours.

Turkish cheese review

You must try it when you have a chance to visit Turkey.

Turkish cheese: what does it taste like?

So later, we can share stories.

Which one do you prefer, the cheese in Indonesia or the cheese in Turkey?

For me, even though Turkish cheese is essential in Turkish cuisine, its taste hasn’t quite won over my very Indonesian taste buds.

Sure, it’s okay for a little taste test, but as a regular addition to meals, not quite there yet 🙂

How about you?

Turkish Cheese

Turkey, June 2019

 

 

 

15+ Most Famous Turkish Cheeses to Try

 

17 Most Famous Turkish Cheeses. Some with delightful taste, while others might seem a bit peculiar for Indonesians. There’s even blue mold cheese – and yes, it’s edible!