Gumushane Stuffed Cheese


Description and Distinguishing Features of the Product:

Gümüşhane Deleme Cheese is a semi-hard cheese produced by natural methods, where milk is curdled and coagulated by enhancing its acidity. After the curd undergoes initial processes, it is boiled and kneaded with fatty milk, resulting in a homogeneous, pore-free cheese that melts when heated. Cow's milk is used in the production of this cheese. What sets Gümüşhane Deleme Cheese apart is that it is produced without the addition of rennet, unlike cheeses known as "deleme" or "teleme" produced in different regions. The structure of the cheese is soft and smooth, with an intense milk aroma. Gümüşhane Deleme Cheese has a distinctive and slightly tangy taste due to the production method, which involves curdling the raw milk to develop acidity. The cheese can be consumed either fresh or aged.

Gumushane Stuffed Cheese

Production Method:

After milking and filtering processes, the milk is heated to 35-40°C. Milk fat is separated using separators. The remaining skimmed milk is transferred to deep tanks or containers and left to rest at a temperature between 8-20°C. This product is called "çiğ." During the resting period, which lasts 1-3 days in the summer and 4-5 days in the cold seasons, the acidity of the çiğ increases, the pH decreases, and the milk coagulates, becoming thick. The pH of this milk is approximately 4.9-5.5.Once the resting period of the çiğ is completed, it is poured into tanks. The çiğ in the tanks is heated, and the milk starts to coagulate. At this stage, the çiğ is poured into cheesecloth bags, filtered, and curd is separated.

Tanks are placed over heat, and curd is mixed with at least 3.5% fat milk, which is twice the amount of curd. Optionally, cream separated in the first stage can be added to increase the fat content of the cheese. Water, equivalent to 20% of the milk, is added, and when it starts to boil, the produced curd is crumbled and poured into it. The mixture in the tank is stirred to form the curd dough. After a while, the elastic dough is separated from the mixture, transferred to a basin, and approximately 1-1.5% salt, based on the total weight of milk and curd, is added to the cheese. The dough is kneaded by hand, and excess water is separated. The dough is shaped into small rounds or tightly filled into tin, clay, or plastic containers suitable for contact with food. The prepared cheese is ready for consumption when fresh. Optionally, cheeses pressed into containers are matured underground for at least 3 months.