Mish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mish |
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| Country of origin | Egypt |
| Pasteurized | No |
| Texture | Soft, no eyeholes |
| Dimensions | 10 by 15 cm (3.9 by 5.9 in) |
| Weight | 150 to 200 grams (5.3 to 7.1 oz) |
| Named after | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 70: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
Mish (Egyptian Arabic: مش meš [meʃ]) is a traditional Egyptian cheese. It's made by letting salty cheese age for many months or even years. This process is called fermentation. Mish has been around for a very long time. Some people think it might be similar to cheese found in an ancient tomb from 3200 BC!
Mish is often prepared at home. You can also find some of it sold in local markets. When it's ready, Mish has a yellowish-brown color. It tastes strong, salty, and a bit spicy. Other similar cheeses are made in factories. These can be different types of Egyptian cheese, like Domiati or Ras. They are aged for different amounts of time.
How Mish is Made
Mish is usually made at home from a type of cheese called Areesh cheese. First, the Areesh cheese is drained and rinsed. Then, layers of cheese and salt are placed inside a special clay jar.
The jar is then filled with a special liquid. This liquid is made from buttermilk, sour skim milk, and a liquid called whey. Red and green peppers are also added. A little bit of old Mish cheese is often put in too. This helps the new cheese start to ferment.
The jar is then sealed tightly. It is left for a year or even longer at room temperature. People can open the container to take out some Mish to eat. They can also add fresh cheese and other ingredients. This means there's no real limit to how old a batch of Mish can become!
Mish in Everyday Talk
Mish is a very common food in Egypt. Because of this, there's a saying: "it's everywhere, like mish." This means that something is very common or easy to find.
Sometimes, tiny worms can appear in homemade Mish. These worms are not dangerous to eat. There's another saying about this: "the worms of the mish arise from it." This means it's a problem that can't be solved, but it's not worth worrying about. These small creatures come from flies laying eggs on the cottage cheese. This happens when the cheese is left to drain outside by farmers.
If Mish is made in a factory, it does not contain any worms. This is because factories follow strict hygiene rules.
See also
In Spanish: Mish para niños
