When traveling in Bulgaria, you must definitely try one of the local products, which is a real delicacy. Now Bulgarian cheese is famous all over the world, in particular, because of its unique taste. It is about what makes this product so recognizable, and will be discussed in this article.
A little about cheese from Bulgaria
Before talking about the benefits and harms of Bulgarian cheese, as well as its recipe, you should understand what this cheese is. In his homeland, in Bulgaria, he is considered a real national delicacy, which the locals directly call "bialoto salamureno siren." If you translate it literally, you can understand that Bulgarian cheese is a brine cheese, which is usually made from milk. Moreover, it is worth noting that milk can be different, so manufacturers calmly use not only cow, but also goat and sheep.
Although the word brynza is also used in everyday life, but by it the Bulgarians understand a completely different cheese product, which is produced in violation of the technology used or in cases where the siren is mixed with cottage cheese or whey.
Manufacturing Features
The special unique taste of Bulgarian cheese is given by the bacterial sourdough used in its manufacture. It is added directly to pre-pasteurized milk, which is then, under its influence, and converted into cheese. The cooked raw materials are carefully pressed and then cut into pieces, which are placed in a special brine. In this brine, it is aged from a month to 45 days, so that the cheese is completely saturated with it and finds its taste.
Tasting qualities
Now in Bulgaria there are many different varieties of sirens, each of which is prepared with the addition of its own special ingredients. This led to the fact that, depending on the variety, this cheese can be used for your needs - add to salad, bake and even turn into a cheese mixture for spreading on bread. However, regardless of the species, they have a number of similar features - a slightly loose, crumbly texture, a salty taste with a hint of sourness and a fat content of about 50%.
Basically, Bulgarian cheese is a completely independent product, but at the same time there is a fairly large number of recipes of national cuisine that use it as one of the ingredients. In particular, some people using this cheese even stop using salt for cooking.
Composition of the product
The composition of Bulgarian cheese is quite simple. However, in order to cook it at home, you will have to work hard. For the preparation of this cheese you will need to find special yeast for feta cheese (if they cannot be found, then you can do with yeast for cheese), whole milk, Bulgarian yogurt and calcium chloride. To search for these ingredients, it is best to go to a special store for cheese makers, or even better to purchase them in Bulgaria.
If you decide to buy Bulgarian cheese in a store, then pay attention to the fact that the composition does not contain vegetable oils and milk powder, since in this case this product is just an imitation and does not have a real taste for siren.
The nutritional value
On average, the calorie content of Bulgarian cheese, made by all technologies from natural products, is 221 Kcal per 100 g. It contains a huge amount of protein and fat, but there are very few carbohydrates. However, compared with all other cheeses, such calorie content is considered quite low, so the siren will not cause much harm to the figure, unless, of course, it will be consumed in adequate quantities.
Cooking a siren at home
A single recipe for Bulgarian cheese, which could be easily prepared in Russia, does not exist, since the ingredients for it are difficult to find. But if they are found, then subsequent manufacture will not be difficult. When cooking, you should be guided by the fact that as a standard of 4 liters of good milk you can get about half a kilogram of cheese. However, depending on other factors, such as fat content of milk or its quality, the amount of the finished product may vary.
For the preparation of homemade siren, ordinary cow's milk will be used here. It is best to use only fresh produce that can be obtained directly from the cow. If this does not work out, then when buying ingredients in the store you need to pay attention to the pasteurization method - it should not be UVT, since such milk is not suitable for making feta cheese.
Cooking feta cheese
Now we proceed directly to the preparation:
- If it turned out to get fresh milk, then first of all it is necessary to pasteurize. To do this, it should be poured into a pan and heated to a temperature of 72 degrees. In this state, it should take about 20 minutes to cook.
- As soon as the milk is pasteurized and then cooled, it must again be heated, but already to a temperature of 33–35 degrees, and then add the sourdough. Bulgarian yogurt will perform excellently in its role. It must be added at the rate of 1 tablespoon per liter of milk.
- Then, to conduct coagulation, a solution of calcium chloride must be added to the mixture of milk and yogurt (the ratio should be 1 to 4, that is, about 6 drops of calcium chloride, which was diluted with drinking water 4 times) are added to each liter of milk.
- The most recent special rennet yeast for feta cheese is added to the mixture. For each liter of milk, you need to add 4-6 drops of this ingredient. Then everything is thoroughly mixed again, covered with a lid and left in a warm place. The coagulation process will begin in about 10 minutes, and then will last up to one and a half hours. It will be most optimal to maintain a temperature of about 30 degrees at this time, so you need to put the pot with future cheese in the oven at this temperature or simply cover it with a warm blanket.
- Prepared raw material for feta cheese needs to be filtered. To do this, gauze folded in four layers will interfere in a colander. It is placed in a pot into which whey will escape. Brynza is a little wrung out, and then left to drain for half an hour. Then everything is transferred to a form, which is pressed down on top by a load for a couple of hours.
- Already compressed feta cheese is cut into pieces, which are placed in a container for subsequent salting. For brine, about 120 grams of salt is dissolved in one liter of water. Cheese is left in a cool place at a temperature of 10-12 degrees for 45 days. Only after that is it suitable for use.
Benefit and harm
In fact, the benefits of Bulgarian cheese are difficult to overestimate, since it contains a large amount of calcium and phosphorus, which help people recover from diseases and injuries associated with bones. In addition, the beneficial substances contained in it help improve the functioning of the nervous system and kidneys. The presence of a large number of various beneficial bacteria affects the functioning of the intestine, so that in the process of digestion it also experiences a beneficial effect.
However, judging by the reviews, Bulgarian cheese has a harmful side. First of all, you need to understand what it is preparing in brine, and therefore it contains a huge amount of salt. It is contraindicated in people with patients with gastrointestinal, urinary and cardiovascular systems. And also it is impossible to use it for people with lactose intolerance.
Conclusion
When traveling in Bulgaria, you should definitely try their national cheese - siren. Now it is actively used in many dishes of traditional cuisine, in particular, because of its unique and inimitable taste. Unfortunately, in Russia it is very difficult to find a real product, and even if you want to cook it yourself, it will be difficult to find all the required ingredients. However, if this succeeds, then preparing a delicious Bulgarian cheese is very simple.