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Cheese from Hungary, Győr-Moson-Sopron county

Győr-Moson-Sopron megyei Csemege sajtCsemege sajt

Pasteurised cow milk is pre-ripened overnight at 10 °C with a mesophilic culture, then set with more starter and chymosin at 30–31 °C. The curd is cut, warmed to at most 38 °C and moulded without pressing, then brined 24–36 hours. The discs ripen 3 weeks on softwood boards at 13–15 °C and 97–98% humidity, wiped with brine until a reddish-yellow Brevibacterium linens smear covers them.

Fully documentedCheese25 days – 26 daysPGI (EU, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/541; file PGI-HU-02303)Family: Washed-rind (smear-ripened) cheese family (Munster and Époisses as templates)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceDoses are per 100 litres of milk or as a share of the milk, as the product specification gives them. The specification gives the volume as at most 5,000–10,000 litres of milk a day. A disc weighs 2.1–3.1 kg.
Cow milk from the defined areaCows fed silage and roughage from the area; acidity 6–6.8 °SH, pH 6.65–6.70; fat set to 2.8–2.9%[hu-spec][eu-sd]
Mesophilic lactic starter culture (non-GMO)0.1% for pre-ripening, then 1–1.5% in the vat[hu-spec]
Chymosin (the only coagulant allowed)[hu-spec]
Calcium chlorideUp to 10 g per 100 litres[hu-spec]
SaltAs a 20–22% brine, and a 10–12% salt solution for wiping the rind[hu-spec]
Startermesophilic lactic starter (0.1% for pre-ripening, then 1–1.5%); Brevibacterium linens rind flora mainly from the pine ripening boards

Total time across the recorded steps: 25 days – 26 days

Start
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74 °CpH 6.7–6.7

What changes: The milk is pasteurised at 74 °C for 20 seconds and cooled to 10 °C

Step 1 of 10
Standardise and pasteurise the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
74 °C → 10 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 6.7–6.7
Set
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Brevibacterium linens
Yeasts
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Pasteurised cow milk is pre-ripened overnight at 10 °C with a mesophilic culture, then set with more starter and chymosin at 30–31 °C. The curd is cut, warmed to at most 38 °C and moulded without pressing, then brined 24–36 hours. The discs ripen 3 weeks on softwood boards at 13–15 °C and 97–98% humidity, wiped with brine until a reddish-yellow Brevibacterium linens smear covers them. Made in 10 steps over 25 days – 26 days. The longest step, ripen on pine boards with brine wiping, takes 21 days (Földművelésügyi Minisztérium 2016) and runs at 13–15 °C (Földművelésügyi Minisztérium 2016). Salt is 20–22 % (Földművelésügyi Minisztérium 2016). Mesophilic lactic acid bacteria (starter); they mostly break down lactose and take little part in ripening and Brevibacterium linens (red smear), mainly from the softwood ripening boards do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step21 daysSet[hu-spec]Ripen on pine boards with brine wiping
Temperature13–15 °CSet[hu-spec]Ripen on pine boards with brine wiping
Salt20–22 %Set[hu-spec]Brine
AciditypH 5.2–5.4Set[hu-spec]Mould and turn, without pressing

What makes this one different

A Hungarian smear-ripened cheese, not a plain semi-hard one. Its Brevibacterium linens rind comes mainly from the pine ripening boards, the curd is never mechanically pressed, and fast protein breakdown makes the paste crumble in the mouth.

Rind
Thin, flexible, uniformly reddish-yellow and slightly slimy
Size
Disc 20–22 cm across and 7–9 cm high; 2.1–3.1 kg
Composition
Dry matter at least 51.5%; fat in dry matter 45.0 ± 2% (43–47%); salt 2.0 ± 0.5% (1.5–2.5%)

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is pasteurised at 74 °C for 20 seconds. The curd reaches pH 5.2–5.4 before brining, and the cheese must be kept at 2–8 °C from the third week.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Imre Ujhelyi, director of the Hungarian Dairy Research Institute at Mosonmagyaróvár, worked out the method in 1914. Three dairies first made it, at Mosonmagyaróvár, Levél and Illmic; Illmic went to Austria after the First World War. It has been made only at Győr-Ménfőcsanak since 1995, and the EU registered the PGI in 2020. A 1940 dairy manual quotes Ujhelyi's 1915–16 report, which calls the Moson Csemege a smaller, slightly flatter cheese like the Óvári, but softer.

  1. [hu-spec] Földművelésügyi Minisztérium, Földművelésügyi Értesítő 2016 no. 17, pp. 862–868, product specification 'Győr-Moson-Sopron Megyei Csemege Sajt' (web.archive.org copy of 21 Feb 2024)spec
  2. [eu-sd] Single document 'Győr-Moson-Sopron megyei Csemege sajt', EU No PGI-HU-02303, Official Journal of the European Union C 408, 4.12.2019, p. 8 (2019/C 408/06), Publications Office cellar copyspec
  3. [eamb-csemege] European Commission, eAmbrosia GI register record 'Győr-Moson-Sopron megyei Csemege sajt', PGI-HU-02303, registered by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/541 (OJ L 121, 20.4.2020)archive
  4. [csiszar1940] Csiszár J. 1940, Az óvári sajt készítése, Mosonvármegye könyvnyomda, Mosonmagyaróvár (digitised by the Hungarian Electronic Library, MEK 28946)book