A GUIDE TO THE BEST TYPES OF CHEESE FROM ROMANIA
Have you ever wondered what makes traditional Romanian food like mămăliga or plăcinte cu brânză so delicious, well one of our secrets is cheese. Alongside France, Switzerland or Italy who are said to have the biggest variety of delicious cheese, ours are equally as good, or even better.
1. First on the list is CAȘ a type of cheese that has a slight sweet taste and it is used as a base to make other cheeses such as telemea or brânză de burduf. It is made out of fresh cow, goat or sheep’s milk. After the milk has been coagulated it is strained through a gauze and left to mature for 24-48 hours to obtain a smooth and almost squeaky texture.
You can serve it with eggs at breakfast, or add it to salads.
2. URDA is a product made from the whey resulting from CAȘ, it has a soft, buttery and crumbly texture that is similiar to the italian cheese “ricotta” and is high in protein and low in fat. The sweet taste of it makes it perfect to be used in desserts and pastry fillings and is best served with a white wine.
3. BRANZA DE BURDUF is another traditional cheese that is made from CAȘ which takes between one and six months to be maturated at a 5°C temperature. It has an intense salty flavor while maintaining a soft texture. The cheese is placed in sheep’s stomach or skin that has been previously cleaned. Alternatively, it can be placed in a tube made of pine bark. Best served with a glass of Feteasca Neagră.
4. TELEMEAUA is one of the most consumed type of cheese in Romania. It has a salty, slightly acidic taste with a semi-hard and crumbly texture, it usually comes in blocks. The process of maturation lasts minimum 20 days and is preserved in a liquid called “saramură”. The delicious flavor is more intensified the more time is being preserved.
You can serve it with a eggplant salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
5. CAȘCAVAL AFUMAT which can be translated as “smoked cheese” is a product made from cow’s milk and it is shaped into wheels and blocks but can also be braided. The smoking process lasts for 1-2 days, until the cheese has a yellow or light orange color. The texture is semi-soft and rubbery, while the flavors are smoky and slightly bitter.
It is recommended to serve it with a glass of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wishing you a good one,
Photo Source: https://sibiugastronomia.ro/produse-de-la-noi/