Ossetian cheese: properties and recipes

Tasty cheese is loved by everyone, but it is not available to all because of its transcendental prices. Of course, sometimes you can pamper yourself when you want to try really high-quality and even exotic food. Among the expensive, but delicious products include Ossetian cheese.

Residents of our country prefer more solid varieties, considering only their worthy representatives of dairy product. But this opinion is wrong. It cannot be said that soft varieties are worse or better, they are just different, with their own advantages and disadvantages. They are no less tasty.

Ossetian cheese is a type of rennet cheese. To appreciate its benefits and taste, you have to pay for it. We will tell you how to enjoy excellent cheese for quite reasonable money. In this article you will learn how to cook it at home.

Local cheese in North Ossetia is a hot commodity, both used and exported. For centuries, this dairy product has been part of the mountaineers ’permanent diet, and it remains to this day. In its small homeland, it is called "iron tsyht."

Local people use it raw, used as an ingredient for many dishes, harvested for the winter. Most often, the cheese becomes a filling for the most famous Ossetian pies.

The cheese that we see on the shelves is produced in Ossetian factories. However, it is not as tasty as the one prepared by the locals. For them, it is in the order of things, because almost every family has its own hoofed cattle. Business owners often buy milk from citizens.

“Iron Tsykht” differs from others with its rich centuries-old history. After all, for the first time it began to be made by Scythians Sheep milk was mainly used for these purposes. But today cheese is also made from cow or goat milk. The starter is usually the dried stomach of one of these animals.

Ossetian cheese has a soft texture. At the same time it is quite dense. The taste of cheese may vary, depending on the cooking method chosen. It will always be sour, but at the same time have a sharp or bitter taste. Ossetian cheese stands out for its white color with a yellow tinge. The crust on the surface, by the way, is missing.

Before turning to the benefits of the product, it is worth talking about its composition. It includes:

• vitamin A;
• PP vitamins;
• vitamin b1;
• vitamin B2;
• vitamin b6;
• vitamin B9;
• vitamin b12;
• vitamin C;
• vitamin E;

As well as beneficial minerals:

• magnesium;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• zinc;
• manganese;
• iron;
• copper;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;

100 grams of such cheese contains 356 calories, 26 grams of proteins, 26.5 grams of fat and 3.5 grams of carbohydrates.

This rather broad list provides the maximum usefulness of the product for different groups of people. For example, high calcium levels help strengthen bones, teeth, nails, and hair. In addition, many of these substances have a positive effect on the condition of the skin, its rejuvenation and health.

Potassium in turn improves cardiovascular function. And phosphorus actively synthesizes protein, helps to form muscle tissue.

Doctors advise more often to use Ossetian cheese to people who experience both physical and mental stress at work. B vitamins, which are present in large quantities in the product, have a positive effect on the nervous system. As a result, reduced stress and fatigue.

But no matter how useful this cheese is, it has some contraindications. It can harm those who suffer from allergies to dairy products or have individual intolerance. Ossetian cheese is also known for a considerable amount of calories.

Finally, we turn to the main topic of the article - making Ossetian cheese with your own hands. There are several recipes, but we will tell you about the classic, most affordable way. To begin, we will describe the ingredients that you need to prepare.

• Milk. The main ingredient. Most likely, you will use cow's milk, as it is the most affordable in our country.Purchase it from a trusted supplier, because the quality of the base must be good. If the milk is pasteurized, then it will need a fermented milk sourdough to coagulate it. For fresh milk from a cow, it is not required. To prepare it you need at least 3.5 liters. The approximate fat content should be 3.2%.
• Rennet tablets - These are the same rennet elements that will be needed to make soft cheese. Available in pill form.
• Kefir / sour milk / yogurt - Use one of these options for the leaven. Its volume should be about 10% of the volume of milk.
• Atsidin-Pepsin / Abomin - Also available in pill form. It is necessary to apply two pieces per liter of milk, together with sourdough.

First of all, the milk should be heated to 30 degrees, and then make a leaven, about one and a half cups. Stir and leave for five minutes. In the meantime, you need to crush the tablets and dissolve them in water (50 ml), then pour it into milk and mix again.

Cover the mixture with a lid and put in a warm place for a couple of hours. You can periodically check the degree of its readiness. Ultimately, the liquid must turn into a jelly-like substance. It needs to be cut into small pieces. After leaving them for a while to settle the cheese mass. This process can take 20-30 minutes.

After this time the pieces must be squeezed and folded into some container, for example in a colander. Then you need to warm the cheese a little more. For these purposes, suitable gas stove, microwave and water bath.

Drain and tamp the cheese with your hands. Then put in the fridge for 4 hours, after covering. During this time, whey should be separated from the cheese.

It remains only to salt the resulting product and the Ossetian cheese is ready. Its weight, as a rule, is one fifth of the total weight of the ingredients. For example, if you took 3.5 liters of milk and 300 milliliters of leaven, you will get about 700 grams of cheese.

Ossetians prepare cheese for the winter. It can be easily stored in the refrigerator for a long time, without losing its properties. Salty solution is also used for these purposes, which helps to preserve the freshness of the cheese as long as possible.

You will learn more about how to cook Ossetian cheese in the following video.