Brynza: what is it, what is it made from and how is it eaten?

Feta cheese, perhaps, is one of the most famous types of cheeses. It is part of the Greek salad and khachapuri, as well as many national Caucasian and Moldovan dishes. This type of cheese has a 7-century history, is famous for its healing characteristics and unique taste.

Brynza is a type of soft cheese made from sheep's milk that ripens in brine. The traditional recipe allows you to use not only the milk of sheep, but also its mixture with goat milk. Often, when salting the brynza on an industrial scale, cow's milk is used, but this reduces the benefits and taste characteristics of the product. Its healing properties are due to the minimum heat treatment.

Like many products, cheese was “open” by chance. So, once (7 centuries ago) an Arab merchant during a long journey found in a waterskin (a special leather bag for milk) not milk, which he poured there, but a previously unknown mass of white and whey. This turned out to be the “progenitress” of brynza. Today it is soaked in a special brine for 20-60 days. The longer this process is, the sharper and more spicy the cheese will be.

This cheese is a national dish in the Caucasus, in Moldova, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Pickled cheese is also known in Greece. It appeared at about the same time as the cheese, and has a certain similarity with it. The product is called feta.

Classic cheese does not have the usual cheesecake, as soaked in brine. Cheese grains can be seen well along the edges. Hillocks on the surface of the head are also a familiar feature of this type of cheese. This indicates that he was placed on the day in a linen or cotton mesh. The color of cheese can vary from white to creamy yellowish, it has a fermented milk flavor, somewhat reminiscent of the smell of cottage cheese.

The product contains a lot of calcium, and in a form that is easily absorbed. This makes cheese a valuable product for the development of the bone skeleton and strengthening of the teeth. This action enhances the phosphorus also found in cheese. He is involved in the synthesis of protein, which is necessary for the growth and strengthening of not only bone but also muscle tissue. In addition, phosphorus has a positive effect on cerebral circulation, thereby allowing the intellectual activity to be more efficient and productive.

The presence of sulfur causes the anti-inflammatory effect of cheese. And thanks to special fermented milk bacteria, it is possible to restore the intestinal flora and maintain it at the right level. Thus, cheese is useful for the digestive system, helps to suppress pathogens, reduces the risk of infectious and inflammatory processes. Sheep cheese is also recommended for gout and other diseases of the joints, pancreatitis. All this is due to the special fermented milk composition.

The composition also contains potassium and magnesium, which have a strengthening effect on the heart muscle. It is better able to withstand the risk of heart attack. And vitamins PP and E strengthen the walls of blood vessels, increasing their elasticity. White cheese is rich in vitamin A. It is necessary for maintaining visual acuity, and also participates in the production of sex hormones.

The salty taste of the product is due to a large amount of sodium, or salt. This imposes certain restrictions on cheese delicacy. Permissible dosage - not more than 70 g per day. And people suffering from diseases of the liver and kidneys, pancreas and hypertension, should further reduce the consumption of cheese.

The fat content of the cheese depends on what kind of milk the product has in its base. So, if sheep's milk is used, then the caloric content of 100 g of cheese is 280-300 kcal. The energy value of cheese is almost halved if it is cooked with cow's milk. In this case, the energy value is 160-230 kcal per 100 g.

Depending on the characteristics of the composition and changes BZHU. On average, the amount of protein is in the range of 7-18%, and the percentage of fat intake reaches 40. However, the high content of fat does not harm the body. On the contrary, they improve the absorption of this dairy product. In addition, fats are necessary for the reproductive system (especially female), they provide healthy skin, nails and hair.

Classical cheese is prepared on sheep's milk, although goat milk is allowed. Feta - only from goat's milk. Brynza is cooked in a saline solution and in this it has a similarity with feta, which matures in sea water, which also contains a lot of salt. Feta is stored in olive oil.

The difference also applies to the consistency of the products - the cheese is more dense (but this is only in comparison with Feta, in general the cheese belongs to soft cheeses), it does not crumble. The cut is smooth, without holes or with a small number of them. Feta has a more moist, creamy consistency - it is so soft and plastic that it is easily spread on bread. Feta has many holes in the cut, it can not be dry.

The taste of cheese is close to cottage cheese, it is more salty than feta. White cheese is characterized by creamy or milky taste and aroma. While the feta has a sour smell, it is not so salty, spicy and savory.

The method of making cheese differs significantly from the technology for producing hard cheeses - they do not cook it, but curl it. This is done using rennet. Milk is heated to 30-35 ° C during production and up to 45-50 ° C when making home-made cheese.

However, the resulting curd mass does not have a long shelf life, so it is placed in a saline solution. The minimum shelf life of cheese in this solution is 20 days, however, it can be extended to 60 days. The best cheese is considered 30-day exposure. It is moderately salty, contains non-disintegrated protein and almost all the useful components of a fermented milk product.

There are several varieties of this cheese, differing in composition and production technology, which causes differences in appearance and taste of the product.

Among the most popular types of cheese are the following.

• Armenian The product is famous for the minimum number of extraneous additives, souring accelerators. It only sheep milk, pepper and other spices. The result is a gentle mass with a small number of holes. This cheese is lightly salted, delicate in taste with a creamy aftertaste.
• Georgian. Recipe involves the use of fat milk goats and sheep salt. Georgian cheese is cooked with pepsin, and the amount of salt is not determined by any standards - each manufacturer lays as much as he considers necessary. The result is a fairly salty cheese with a small number of holes.
• Moldavian. It is made from unpasteurized milk only, and the time in brine is 40 days. The result is a soft crumbly brynza, different spice and salinity. The recipe allows the addition of green onions to the cheese.
• Ossetian. The traditional method of preparation involves the use of sheep's milk and the infusion of cheese only in a dried sheep's stomach. The resulting cheese to taste is similar to feta cheese, characterized by a large number of holes.

• Serbian. Also prepared inside the sheep's stomach, however, now the body is taken 10-day lamb. Salt and spices are put in it in advance, and the cheese itself is prepared on the basis of sheep or goat milk. The taste of cheese turns out gentle, but spicy, creamy, with an appetizing milky aroma. The level of salinity is medium; there are almost no holes on the surface of the product.
• Turkish Prepared from a mixture of sheep and cow's milk, contains almost no spices. It is a lightly salted cheese without holes with a delicate texture. Known as "Beyaz Peynir". White cheese is usually added to salads, rolls in pita bread, served as a snack.
• French This cheese is a fairly salty cheese based on sheep's milk with the addition of greens. In this case, the product does not resemble cheese, but rather, a semi-liquid mixture. It is used as an ingredient in salads, filling vegetables.
• Soy. A lean variety of cheese, based on milk or other components of animal origin. Taste of soy cheese differs in smaller saturation and fat content.

In the manufacturing process can be used selected milk or equivalent of less high quality. As a result, cheese is produced first and second class. The differences relate to taste. The finished product (with the exception of the French, perhaps) should be an elastic mass.

You can pickle cheese at home. The main thing is to choose the most suitable and freshest milk of medium or high fat content. Fat-free cheese will require more milk and will be significantly inferior in taste. Sourdough vinegar stands, but it is better to take the pepsin or stomach of the lamb. To provide the cheese more spice allows the addition of spices, herbs, garlic. To obtain 1 kg of cheese requires 5 liters of sheep milk.

Of course, there are a lot of recipes for making cheese with your own hands.

We give one of them - based on pepsin and sheep milk.

1. The first ingredient is taken in an amount of 1 g per 100 ml of liquid. Dilute it with water and preheat the milk to 50 ° C.
2. When it is removed from the fire, you should enter the diluted pepsin, mix and leave the composition for a quarter of an hour.
3. After that, you need to beat the composition until then, until a dense mass. If this does not happen, you need to make a little more pepsin.
4. After the cheese acquires a characteristic texture, it should be discarded on a gauze (folded in 2-3 layers) and let the whey drip.
5. The preparation process is completed by giving the cheese a traditional round shape and soaking it in brine (prepared from salt and water - 2 dessert spoons per 1 liter of water) during the day.

If you want to get a more spicy and salty product, you can marinate it.

• For the marinade, you need to take the chili pepper, break it and mash it lightly in a jar or glass bowl (better if it has a lid).
• In another dish, you need to mix 150 ml of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of vinegar, then add the mixture of peppers (1.5-2 teaspoons) and salt as desired.
• The composition must be thoroughly mixed, and then add 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
• Cheese cut into slices, put to the pepper and pour marinade. He must completely close the cheese. Marinating takes 2 days, at this time the container with cheese is kept in the refrigerator and periodically shaken.

Too salty cheese can be "saved" from salt (remove bitterness) by putting in water or milk. The latter method is preferable, since the excess salt will go away, and the cheese will become softer, will get a pronounced creamy flavor. To soak the cheese, cut into thick slices, put in a deep plate and pour with liquid, which should be changed every 2 hours.

Soaking time individually - you need to try the cheese and stop the process when you feel that there is enough salt in it. After that, the cheese is spread on a gauze and allowed to drain residual liquid. Soaked and dried cheese should be stored in a refrigerator in a container with a lid.

If the cheese is too salty, then you can not soak it, but simply kill the excessive salinity of vegetables. But if cheese is bitter, its consumption is better to refuse. Probably, he has expired or the fact of improper storage of the product.

Reviews show that to make the taste of cheese less pronounced (partially remove the salinity) help garlic, herbs, boiled eggs. They can be added to the mashed cheese and spread the mixture on a sandwich or use the ingredients in the composition of the salad.

To reduce the amount of salt in the cheese can not only by soaking the product, but also its heat treatment.

Fry cheese is quite simple. To do this, cut it into thick bars and make a double breading for them. The cheese is first dipped into a raw, slightly-beaten egg with a fork, then breaded in flour and dipped again into the egg. After that, the sticks are fried in hot butter on all sides until golden brown. The resulting dish can be used for salads or served as a separate appetizer with greens, watered with olive oil and balsamic sauce.

Bake cheese can be on a piece of parchment, which should be previously abundantly grease with butter. A piece of cheese should be rolled in finely chopped rosemary and thyme greens, sprinkled with ground pepper. Cheese must be put on oiled parchment and wrapped in it. Put the "convolution" in the form and bake for 40-45 minutes at 200 ° C. After a specified time to get it, let it cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cheese from the parchment, cut it into slices and serve it to the table.

Pickled cheese can be served as a separate dish or used as an ingredient in salads, pastries, main dishes. It combines well with vegetables, primarily tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions. It is not surprising that it is added to the "Greek" salad.

Various sandwiches (the easiest is bread and butter) and canapes will become much tastier and more savory if you add cheese to them. It is cut with a special knife rather thick slices - about 4-5 mm.

You can put cheese in light salads, and although this product is not very well combined with meat (from the point of view of nutritionists), it forms quite tasty but not heavy tandem with chicken. Thus, the basis for the salad - cheese and chicken. Now it is enough to bring vegetables and greens, you can lettuce, to get an easy and healthy dish. Olive oil, low-fat yogurt or sour cream are suitable as a dressing. Instead of chicken, you can use shrimp or a mixture of seafood. In this case, the salad is better acidified by adding lemon or lime juice to the dressing.

Because of the relatively high fat content, it is better to use cheese in the morning, up to 16 hours. As already mentioned, the best supplement is fiber (that is, vegetables and fruits). So the product will digest as quickly as possible, and high fat content will not cause indigestion.

You will learn more about cheese in the following video.