Golot cheese facts for kids

Golot cheese is a very important traditional cheese. It is made in the East Black Sea region of Turkey. This area is famous for its special foods. Golot cheese is a big part of their local food culture.

What is Golot Cheese?

Golot cheese is a popular dairy product. It comes from the eastern part of Turkey's Black Sea region. This cheese is known for its rich taste. It has been made using traditional methods for many years.

What's Inside Golot Cheese?

Golot cheese is full of good nutrients. About 43.5% of the cheese is made of "solids." This means it's not just water. Around 5.3% of the cheese is fat. It also has a lot of protein, about 33.6%. Plus, it contains about 3.1% salt.

How is Golot Cheese Made?

Making Golot cheese is a careful process. It starts with fresh milk.

Preparing the Milk

First, milk collected in the morning and at night is mixed. This mixture is gently heated to about 37°C (98.6°F). After heating, the fat is separated from the milk. This leaves behind a low-fat milk.

Forming the Curd

Next, special ingredients are added to the low-fat milk. These are rennet and yogurt whey. Rennet helps the milk thicken. The mixture is then heated again. It gets hotter this time, reaching 65-70°C (149-158°F). At this temperature, the milk solids start to clump together. This forms what is called "curd."

Draining and Pressing

Once the curd forms, it is carefully moved. It goes into a special cloth called a cheesecloth. This cloth helps drain away the extra liquid, called whey. The curd stays in the cheesecloth for about 15 hours. This allows most of the whey to drip out.

After draining, the cheeses are placed into large bags. These bags can hold about 50 kilograms (110 pounds). Small pieces of "granular cheese" are added between each Golot cheese. This helps with the aging process. The cheeses stay like this for one week.

Aging the Cheese

Finally, the Golot cheeses are pressed. They are put into wooden containers with covers. This helps shape the cheese. The cheeses then ripen for a long time. They can ripen for 6 months to 1 year. The longer they ripen, the stronger their flavor becomes. This aging period depends on when the cheese will be eaten.