AYLİN ÖNEY TAN
Italy-Türkiye cheese trail
For cheese lovers, the taste of cheese is a unifying element, no matter what type. There are cultures, mainly Asian cuisines, that do not have cheese in their diets, but for the rest, cheese is pretty essential. In the Turkish diet, we start the day with “Beyaz Peynir” literally “White Cheese” together with slices of meaty tomatoes and fresh cucumbers and continue to flirt with this cheese throughout the day. During summer, a slice of juicy watermelon is paired with a slab of this tangy salty cheese, and the day ends with the national spirit Rakı, the anise-infused grape distillation which turns milky when mixed with water. Even if there is no meze on the rakı table, a slice of briny white cheese together with fragrant white melon is enough to make the ultimate trio. White cheese sneaks into börek, layered savory pies, and crumbled into various dishes. In the countryside, humble curd cheese “Lor” or “Çökelek” is wrapped into flatbreads with spring onions and fresh herbs to make an instant roll, usually for breakfast. Then there is “Kaşar Peyniri” the second most popular cheese from breakfast tables to oozing toasts. The cheese of Anatolian pastureland is definitely “Tulum” aged in caves; sheep’s milk curd cheese encased in goatskin. The list goes on and on, the cheese varieties and dishes that make use of cheese are endless; cheese is enjoyed in a variety of ways on the Turkish table. Of course, there are also cheese-based sweets, the strong suit of Turkish cuisine.
October 08 2023
