Yozgat Canak Cheese Product Description and Distinctive Features: Yozgat Çanak Cheese is a unique product specific to Yozgat, made from the milk of sheep, goats, and cows that are fed with natural vegetation and water sources in the central and district areas of Yozgat. It is a lightly matured and semi-fat product. Each family either uses only their own produced milk or collaborates with other families (using the milk house method) to process their milk into cheese. The product gets its name from the container it is packed in. After being pressed into a dish made of clay, it is buried in sand to mature. Homemade yeast is used in the cheese production. Production Method: Milk, manually milked, is filtered into containers for cheese-making using cloth bags called "süzek." After the filtering process, the milk is not heated. If the milk has cooled after milking, it is slightly heated before fermentation. The fermentation temperature of the milk ranges between 32-35°C. After temperature adjustment, the milks ferment in the containers they were filtered in. For fermentation, a cupful (100ml) of yeast is added to 10 kg of milk. The yeast is slowly added while continuously stirring the milk. Once the milk is well-mixed with the yeast, the container is placed on a cushion and wrapped with a thick cloth to wait for 2-5 hours for the curd to form. After the curd forms, it is cut into four pieces with a ladle, rested for 15-20 minutes, and then placed in cloth bags made of fine permeable fabric, capable of holding 1-3 kg of curd. The bags are hung in a high place for 30-120 minutes until no more water drips from the bag. Subsequently, the curd, now pressed, is placed in wide basins, cut into large pieces with a knife, and salted. The salt amount is adjusted to make the cheese moderately salty (75 g of salt for 1 kg of cheese). Fine-grained rock salt is used for salting, crushed thoroughly, and a bit more salt is added to ensure proper saltiness. The salted and cut cheese is tightly packed into a thin bag, compressed by hand, and tightly tied. In a cool environment (12-16°C), the cheese is subjected to a second pressing. Smooth stones are used as weights, applying approximately 10 kg of weight for 1 kg of cheese. This second pressing process is called "tercan," "tecin," "tecen," or "bastırık," and the pressing duration varies between 2-7 days. After pressing, the cheese is emptied into a basin, crumbled by hand, and a bit more salt is added (25 g of salt for 1 kg of cheese). The cheese, ready for pressing, is placed in dishes in small amounts, pressed tightly into the dish by hand to prevent air exposure. If exposed to air, the cheese spoils quickly. After filling the dish, a bit more salt is sprinkled on the top, and it is tightly tied with a clean cloth. After waiting for 2-3 days in this way, it is flipped and left for another 3-5 days. Then, the dish's mouth is opened, washed, dried vine leaves or a clean cloth are placed on the cheese to make contact, and it is covered with a solid dough. After tying a cloth onto the dough, the dishes are flipped, half or the entire dish is buried in sand for maturation. The sand in which the dishes are buried should be fine, slightly gravelly, and lightly moist. If the number of dishes is small, the sand is poured onto the ground; if there are few dishes, the sand is placed in a box, and the dishes are buried in it. Maturation is carried out for 4 months in cool and slightly humid environments. After maturation is complete, the cheese is vacuum-packed and stored at a temperature of 0-4°C for 2-3 months.