Sirene
Sirene is a type of brine cheese, which is made in many south-eastern European countries but is most popular in Bulgaria, Macedonia and the other Balkan countries. A brine cheese is one that is soaked in brine for a period of a few hours to a few weeks during its maturation and Sirene is one of the most famous brine cheeses in the world. Sirene was originally made from goat’s milk. A predominant version today is made from cow’s milk or sheep’s milk, which is cheaper. Another variation is made with a combination of milks. It is most commonly produced in blocks. It usually has a fat content of about 40-45%.
Bulgarian white cheese, Sirene, with its suave pungent creaminess differs profoundly from the more briny Greek feta. The cheese is being made the same way for thousands and thousands of years now. The method that is used to make this cheese is closely associated with the type of milk used and so it was originally made by shepherds. Sirene has a smooth, creamy, with an easy to cut texture and it isn’t excessively crumbly. It dries out rapidly when it is removed from the brine solution. This cheese is incomparably white. The brine gives the cheese a salty flavour which isn’t particularly unpleasant. Its freshness and tang comes from specific bacterial cultures which are added by the cheese-makers and this is why Sirene from different cheese-makers never tastes exactly the same. Sirene has a sharp, mellow taste without being acidic.
Sirene can be made with both pasteurised and unpasteurised milk but unpasteurised milk must be left for 60 days before it is used. First the milk is heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Then a starter culture is added. Buttermilk is one of the many that can be used. At this stage, adding a pinch of lipase enzyme gives the cheese a better, stronger flavour. The milk is then left for an hour and is stirred occasionally. Then liquid rennet is added and the milk is left undisturbed for 40 minutes. Rennet is a complex of enzymes that is used to curdle the milk and separate it into curds and whey.
Once the milk has separated into the curds and whey, the curds are broken up and stirred. The entire mixture is ladled into moulds and left to drain. Once the whey has drained out overnight, the cheese shrinks. The cheese is then taken out of the moulds and cut into pieces. They are then rolled generously in coarse salt. The pieces are left for a day and are turned over at regular intervals. The wet areas are rubbed again with salt. The salt serves the basic purpose of further draining the whey from the cheese. After being left uncovered for about five days, the time period varies for different cheese-makers, the cheese is placed in a brine solution till it is used.
Sirene cheese is perfect in salads. It works very well with chicken and seafood. It is used in soups and in the traditional Bulgarian Shopska salad with vegetables, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Sirene is also used extensively with fried eggs and omelettes to give them a distinctive Bulgarian flavour. Sirene is great when used in pastas and it is used often to make red sauce. Traditional Bulgarian and Macedonian pastries use Sirene cheese. Another popular recipe is one of stuffed bell peppers where the peppers are stuffed with a mixture made of Sirene and eggs. Sirene cheese goes well with red and sweet white wines.
- Ayesha Sruti Ahmed
Tags: brine cheese, bulgaria, cheese, sirene
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