Best Eastern European Rindless Cheese Types
Sulguni is a cylindrical Georgian cheese originating from the region of Samegrelo (Mingrelia). The cheese has a mild, yet complex flavor and a semi-firm texture. It can be produced from the milk of cows, buffalos, and goats (rarely), or a combination of the three.
The flavors range from acidic, tangy, and sour to salty and smoky, depending on the varieties – fresh, smoked, or semi-hard. The cheese melts easily so it is often used as a pizza topping, but it can also be added to various salads or pasta dishes.
VARIATIONS OF Sulguni
Tvorog is a traditional white fermented milk product in Eastern, Northern, and Central Europe. It's crafted by fermenting milk and then removing the whey, yielding a thick, creamy consistency similar to cottage cheese but with a notably tangier taste.
This dairy product is often classified based on its fat content into categories such as fat-free, low-fat, classic, and fatty. Moreover, the methods of producing tvorog are distinguished into simple, soft, and grained types, with grained tvorog typically being a low-fat variant known for its textured consistency.
Tenili is a unique Georgian cheese made in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli. It can be produced from cow's or sheep's milk, but the most important thing is that the milk should have a high percentage of fat. The cheese is pressed and the warm curds are repeatedly hand-pulled into thin strands, giving it a unique shape and visual appearance.
Since the process is a laborious one, tenili is typically prepared for big celebrations and feasts.
Imeruli is a traditional cheese originating from the region of Imereti. This fresh curd cheese is made from cow's milk, and although it originated in Imereti, nowadays it can be found throughout the country. The cheese is brined and it's white in color.
If properly prepared, it will develop porous bubbles throughout the body. When fresh and unsalted, the cheese has a chewy and stringy texture, and it's usually served with salads or light summer meals. When aged, the texture becomes slightly grainy and the flavor becomes sour.
Chanakh is a typical Armenian soft cheese that is soaked in chans (pots) filled with brine. Its flavor is salty, fresh, mild, and slightly spicy, while the texture is brittle. The cheese often has small eyes on its surface. It is regularly used as a table cheese, and it is recommended to pair it with fruits, vegetables, and white or red wines.
Motal is an ancient cheese that's produced from goat’s milk (or sometimes sheep's milk) throughout the Caucasus. Right after the goats have been milked by hand, calf rennet is combined with the warm milk, and the combination is then left to cool.
The curd gets broken and drained in a cloth, while the remaining mixture is broken into smaller pieces and left in brine-filled molds for at least 40 days. After that period, the curd is crumbled, seasoned with a variety of mountain herbs, and placed in goat or sheep sacks to mature from 3 to 6 months.
Pair with
Yeghegnadzor is a traditional steamed cheese. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow's or goat's milk (or both) mixed with local greens. It is stored in individual clay pots, then buried in the mountains and left to mature for at least 6 months before consumption.
The flavors are strong, sharp, and salty, while the addition of mountain greens gives the cheese even more unique flavors. The texture is semi-soft, creamy, and slightly crumbly.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.