Yemeni cheese facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yemeni cheese |
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| Other names | Taizz cheese |
| Country of origin | Yemen |
| Source of milk | Sheep's or goat's. |
| Texture | Semi-hard, hard-surface. |
| Dimensions | Round and flat, usually about 20 cm in diameter and 4 cm thick. |
| Weight | 1 kg. |
| Named after | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 70: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
Yemeni cheese, also called Taiz cheese, is a special kind of cheese from Yemen. People in Yemen often call it "local cheese" (Jubn Baladi). It's mostly made in the countryside, especially in a place called Taiz Governorate. That's why it's known as Taiz cheese! Sometimes, it has different names depending on the village where it's made. When people visit Taiz city, they often buy this cheese at markets like al-Bab al-Kabeer and Bab Musa. It makes a great gift for their families. Even with many new types of cheese around, most people in Yemen still love and prefer their traditional local cheese.
Contents
What Makes Yemeni Cheese Special?
This cheese has a unique secret: it's smoked! Different kinds of plants are used to smoke the cheese. This smoking process gives the cheese its brown color. It also adds a very special taste. The flavor changes a little depending on which plants were used for smoking.
How Yemeni Cheese is Made
Making Yemeni cheese is a process that usually starts in the evening. It takes time and care to get it just right.
Collecting and Curdling the Milk
First, milk is collected throughout the day. This milk comes from sheep or goats. It is then put into pots. The goal is to make the milk coagulate, which means it thickens and turns into a solid mass.
To help the milk thicken, a special ingredient is used. This is a small piece from the stomach of a very young lamb, kid (baby goat), or calf (baby cow). Each cheese maker has their own way of using this part. While traditional pots are made of clay, some people now use aluminum pots too.
Forming the Cheese Curd
After about one day, the cheese maker checks the texture of the thickened milk, called curd. They gently press it with their fingers. When the curd feels just right, it's ready for the next step.
The curd is then moved into small baskets. It stays in these baskets for the rest of the day. Sometimes, it's placed between two other smoked cheeses that are already finished. This helps it get ready for smoking.
Smoking the Cheese
By the evening, the cheese is ready to be smoked. The smoking process is quite quick, usually taking only about 10 to 15 minutes. Smoking the cheese does more than just add flavor and color. It also helps the cheese last longer, keeping it fresh for a longer time.
