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Fermentation Atlas

Stretched-curd cheeses

Acidified curd stretched in hot water or whey, as for mozzarella and provolone.

131 entries listed here, page 2 of 2.

Compare them

CheeseRegionMilkRipeningRind
Provoletta di latte vaccino sardoItaly, Sardegna7 daysClean, thin, smooth, pale straw
Provolone del Monaco PDOItaly, CampaniaRaw cow milk, never heated above 40 °C; Agerolese breed milk gives the characterAt least 180 days (six months) at 8–15 °C
Provolone invecchiato di bufala di FormelloItaly, Lazio12 months – 5 yearsThin, slightly elastic to rigid, ochre-yellow
Provolone vaccino (Lazio)Italy, LazioWhole cow milk, raw (Latina) or pasteurised at 70–72 °C (Amatrice)30–60 days to 1 year; the ARSIAL description gives 60 days to 1 yearHard, smooth, straw-yellow, deepening with age, with brownish mould spots
Provolone Valpadana PDOItaly, Po valleyWhole cow milk, kept at no more than 12 °C, used within 60 hours of milking; raw, thermised or pasteurised by typeDolce at most 2–3 months; piccante over 3 months; P.V.S. (piccante, over 30 kg) more than 8 months
Queijo CabacinhaBrazil, Minas Gerais7 days
Quesillo (Honduras, Nicaragua)Central AmericaFresh cow milk, whole, part-skimmed or skimmed; raw in artisanal plantsNone; eaten fresh
Queso asaderoMexico, especially the north and the Huasteca of San Luis PotosíOften raw in small dairies; the sources do not name the species30 min
Queso de capas (Mompox)Colombia, BolívarRaw cow milk; a 2014 study also made it from buffalo milk from Carmen de Bolívar (abstract)No ripening step in the described make; the artisanal cheese has a short shelf life
Queso de manoVenezuelaRaw cow milk, whole or skimmed16–20 h
Queso doble cremaColombia
Queso PalmitoCosta Rica6 h
Queso telitaVenezuela, traditional in the south of Bolívar state24 h – 2 days
Ragusano PDOItaly, Sicily, the Hyblean plateauat least 3 months
Redykołka PDOPoland, Podhale and nearby Carpathian districtsUnpasteurised sheep milk, with up to 40% cow milk3–7 days
ScamorzaSouthern Italy in originCow milkShort, under 30 days; 10 days at 4 °C in the Lazio make
Scamorza abruzzeseItaly, Abruzzo7–10 daysFresh none, porcelain white; dried, a thin smooth straw-yellow skin
Scamorza appassita (Cacetto di Supino)Italy, LazioRaw whole cow milk from Ciociaria herdsFresh within 48 hours, or withered about 10 daysVery thin, elastic, sometimes waxy skin; straw-yellow
Scamorza di MontellaItaly, Campania10 days – 2 monthsFresh, a thin white skin; aged, a pale to deep straw skin
Scamorza di pecoraItaly, Puglia15–20 daysFresh: none, white; ripened: very thin, smooth, pale straw skin
Scamorza molisanaItaly, Molise2–3 daysThin smooth skin, white to straw; brown if smoked
Scamorza vaccina (semplice e ripiena)Italy, Lazio10 daysThin, smooth skin, ivory to straw, sometimes waxy
Scamorzini del MateseItaly, Campania10 days – 2 monthsFresh: very thin white skin; semi-aged: thin, smooth, glossy straw rind
Sfoglia di mozzarellaItaly, Campania30 min – 2 hNone; smooth, glossy, snow-white surface
Slovenská parenica PGISlovakia, the mountain part of the country above 200 mRaw sheep milk, or raw sheep and cow milk with at least 50% sheep milk24 h
Slovenský oštiepok PGISlovakia, the mountain part of the countrySheep, cow or mixed milk; raw on the salaš, pasteurised (73 °C, 15 s) in dairies24 h – 3 days
Stracciata del MateseItaly, Campania2–4 hVery thin white skin, glossy
Strazzatella silanaItaly, Calabria3 daysNone; smooth shiny cream-white
SulguniGeorgiaCow, buffalo or goat milk or a mix; raw or pasteurisedFresh, sold from 24 hours after salting; may be dried for days or weeks
Svanuri sulguniGeorgia, Svaneti
TeniliGeorgia, the Samtskhe-Javakheti region and a municipality of Kvemo Kartli2–3 days
Treccia di Massa di MarateaItaly, Basilicata3–4 h
Treccia di MontellaItaly, Campania3–4 hAlmost none; thin, smooth, shiny skin, milk-white to ivory
Treccia di Santa Croce di MaglianoItaly, Molise3–4 h
Treccia duraItaly, Basilicata4–5 hNone; smooth white surface
Vastedda della Valle del Belìce PDOItaly, Sicily, Valle del BelìceRaw whole milk of Valle del Belìce sheepNone; eaten fresh, 12–48 hours after salting, and packed in polyethylene
Vastedda palermitanaItaly, Sicilia2 daysNone; smooth white-ivory surface
Zázrivské vojkySlovakia, Zázrivá2–10 min
Zázrivský korbáčikSlovakia, the village of Zázrivá in OravaLump cheese from raw or pasteurised cow milkThe specification says springiness falls with ripening
Bebè di SorrentoItaly, CampaniaThin, soft, smooth, white to pale straw
Burrini e burrata di bufalaItaly, CampaniaSkin; smooth, glossy to matt, white to straw as it ages
Dil peyniriTürkiyecow milk
Gołka (ser gazdowski)Poland, Podhale and the Silesian BeskidsCow milk only
Mshallaleh / Syrian string cheeseSyriaTraditionally cow milk; sheep and goat versions exist45 min – 1 h
Queso crinejaVenezuela
Queso de hoja (Puerto Rico)Puerto RicoFresh cow milkNone described; a fresh cheese
Queso peraColombia, BoyacáFresh cow milk
RiavulilloItaly, Campania3–20 daysThin, fairly soft skin, yellow-ochre from the smoke
Scamorza di bufalaItaly, Campania24 hThin elastic skin, waxy after maturing; pearly white, light ochre if smoked
ScamosciataItaly, CampaniaVery thin skin, porcelain white
Türkmen saçak peyniri (saçaklı peynir)Turkey, Kars and Ardahan

Bold names have a full page with the animated steps. Blank cells: no sourced value yet.

Short entries

What the sources record about each of these so far.

Bebè di SorrentoItaly, Campania

A small stretched-curd cow cheese from whole pasteurised milk, made much like caciocavallo but matured for only a few days. The curd is semi-cooked, stretched and shaped like a swaddled baby with a small head, about 0.5 kg. It was probably created for the tourists of the Sorrento peninsula, who wanted a milder taste than aged caciocavallo.

Rind
Thin, soft, smooth, white to pale straw
Size
Egg shape with a small head, 5–6 cm across, 10–12 cm tall, about 0.5 kg
Season
Made all year, most in demand in summer
  1. Prepare the milk
  2. Set the curd
  3. Semi-cook the curd
  4. Stretch and shape like a swaddled baby
  5. Ripen a few days

Safety: Made from pasteurised milk.

Burrini e burrata di bufalaItaly, Campania

Also called burrino di bufala.

Buffalo milk is soured with whey starter from the day before and set with calf rennet, and the curd ripens under its whey until it stretches in water at about 90 °C. Pieces of stretched curd are shaped into pouches around balls of butter churned from the whey cream, then briefly brined. It is eaten very fresh or kept up to about a month.

Rind
Skin; smooth, glossy to matt, white to straw as it ages
Size
0.3–0.5 kg
  1. Make the butter balls
  2. Add whey starter and rennet to the milk
  3. Cut the curd and let it sour under the whey
  4. Test and stretch90–95 °C
  5. Wrap the curd around the butter
  6. Brine briefly
  7. Sell fresh or keep a short time

Safety: The milk is thermised or pasteurised. The ONAF sheet gives a few days for the very fresh cheese and up to about a month for the fresh one, in cool, ventilated cellars or stores or in conditioned rooms. It says that since fridges spread, the cheese is eaten only as a fresh table cheese.

Dil peyniriTürkiye

A Turkish stretched-curd cheese made from cow milk.

Milk
cow milk

Made like Pasta filata (stretched-curd) cheese family.

Gołka (ser gazdowski)Poland, Podhale and the Silesian Beskids

Also called gołka, gołki, ser gazdowski, pucok, kara, golka.

Cow milk is warmed to 36–37 °C and set with rennet, and the curd is kneaded, scalded in hot water and pressed into a decorated cylinder, then smoked in a farmhouse smokehouse. It is the cow-milk cousin of the sheep-milk oscypek, made when the ewes were not being milked.

Milk
Cow milk only
Size
6–15 cm long, 0.3–0.6 kg
Composition
Mean 43.9% water and 3.11% salt in 20 market samples
  1. Warm the milk36–37 °C
  2. Add rennet
  3. Knead and scald the curd
  4. Press into a decorated cylinder
  5. Smoke at home2.3–4.2 % salt

Safety: In 20 market samples the histamine content stayed under 50 mg/kg, but some had high levels of other biogenic amines and many had Enterobacteriaceae, showing hygiene lapses. Buy from makers who keep the milk and curd clean.

Mshallaleh / Syrian string cheeseSyria

Also called jibneh mshallaleh, Tresse cheese.

A Syrian stretched-curd string cheese. Cheese curd is melted, kneaded with salt and nigella seed, stretched and twisted or braided into a rope, then chilled; it pulls apart into strings. Traditional versions are flavoured with mahleb and nigella and may be soaked in brine before braiding.

Milk
Traditionally cow milk; sheep and goat versions exist
Flavour
Mahleb, often with nigella, anise or caraway
Keeping
Soaked in brine for several weeks before braiding (Wikipedia); the home recipe keeps one week in the fridge
  1. Melt and knead with salt and nigella
  2. Stretch and twist
  3. Chill45 min – 1 h

Safety: Keep chilled; the home recipe gives up to one week in the fridge or three months frozen.

Queso crinejaVenezuela

Also called clineja, queso de trenza.

A Venezuelan braided pasta filata cheese of cow milk, or cow and goat milk, often raw. The curd is precooked in a pan until it turns elastic, like queso de mano and guayanés, then stretched, braided and packed in containers.

Size
Braid
  1. Prepare the milk
  2. Cook the curd
  3. Mould and salt
Queso de hoja (Puerto Rico)Puerto Rico

Also called queso de hoja, leaf cheese.

Fresh cow milk is set and the curd is cut into thick blocks that drain for several hours. The blocks are scalded in water or whey at 150 °F (65.5 °C), flattened with a wooden paddle, salted, folded in layers and squeezed in a cloth. Cut open, the thin layers look like leaves stacked on one another, which gives the cheese its name.

Milk
Fresh cow milk
Ripening
None described; a fresh cheese
Size
About 6 inches (15 cm) across and 1–2 inches thick, with slightly rounded faces
  1. Set the milk and cut the curd into blocks
  2. Drain part of the wheySeveral hours
  3. Scald the blocks65.5 °C
  4. Flatten, salt and fold in layers
  5. Wrap in cloth and squeeze
Queso peraColombia, Boyacá

Also called queso de mano (Boyacá), queso charaleño, queso campesino tipo mozzarella.

Queso pera is a fresh Colombian pasta filata cheese shaped like a pear. Cow milk is set with rennet and the curd is left a few hours to sour until its pH falls from 6.6 to about 5.2, then stretched in water or brine above 70 °C, shaped and briefly brined.

Milk
Fresh cow milk
Composition
46 % fat in dry matter; 63 % moisture on a fat-free basis
  1. Set the milk with rennet
  2. Sour the curd
  3. Stretch in hot water or brineat least 70 °C
  4. Shape into pears and salt
RiavulilloItaly, Campania

A miniature caciocavallo from Vico Equense whose name means "little devil", for its size and its spicy heart. Raw cow milk is set with whey starter and calf rennet, the curd sours about 2 hours under its whey, and pieces of the stretched paste are filled with black olives and a piece of chilli, shaped into a small pear, brined and briefly smoked. It is eaten fresh or cooked on embers, and ripens 3–20 days.

Size
Small pear with a head, 50–100 g
Rind
Thin, fairly soft skin, yellow-ochre from the smoke
  1. Add whey starter and rennet
  2. Cut to olive size
  3. Sour the curd under whey2 h
  4. Stretch, fill and shape
  5. Brine
  6. Hang and smoke
  7. Ripen briefly3–20 days

Safety: Made from raw milk and eaten fresh or after 3 to 20 days. Pieces of curd are worked by hand in boiling whey. The ONAF sheet gives no temperature for the curd itself and classes the curd as uncooked. The US CDC says people at higher risk of Listeria infection, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid cheese made from raw milk unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

Scamorza di bufalaItaly, Campania

Whole buffalo milk, raw or pasteurised, is set at 38 °C with calf rennet and an acid farm whey starter in 10–15 minutes. The curd is broken once to hazelnut size and left under its whey for 24 hours to sour, then stretched with water at 94 °C into a ribbon and shaped by hand into a ball with a little head. It is firmed in cold water, brined, sometimes smoked over straw, and sold at once or after 10–15 days at about 4 °C.

Rind
Thin elastic skin, waxy after maturing; pearly white, light ochre if smoked
Size
Roughly round with a small head, 0.300–0.350 kg (ONAF)
Season
Made all year
  1. Add whey starter and rennet10–15 min · 38 °C
  2. Break the curd
  3. Sour under the whey24 h
  4. Stretch with hot water94 °C
  5. Shape, firm and brine
  6. Smoke (optional)
  7. Sell or mature cold

Safety: Made from raw or pasteurised milk; stretching water is at 94 °C, and the cheese is kept at about 4 °C. For the raw-milk version, NHS pregnancy advice says unpasteurised dairy foods may contain listeria, which can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.

ScamosciataItaly, Campania

Evening and morning cow milk is filtered, warmed and set with liquid calf rennet. The curd is broken to olive size, left to sour at room temperature until it stretches, then cut in strips and stretched by hand in boiling whey into a long loaf. It is brined and sold fresh.

Rind
Very thin skin, porcelain white
Size
Variable; elongated loaf (pagnotta)
  1. Filter, warm and set the milk
  2. Break the curd
  3. Let the curd sour
  4. Stretch and shape
  5. Brine

Safety: Made from raw milk and sold fresh; the curd is stretched in boiling whey. NHS pregnancy advice says unpasteurised dairy foods may contain listeria, which can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.

Türkmen saçak peyniri (saçaklı peynir)Turkey, Kars and Ardahan

Also called tel, iplik, kadayıf, saç peyniri (Oltu).

A thread cheese of the Turkmen villages of Kars and Ardahan, named for its fringe-like strands. It can be made from sheep, goat or cow milk, but cow milk is preferred, because fatty milk is hard to shape. The curd is pulled into fine threads and heavily salted, so it ripens little.

  1. Pull into threads
  2. Salt heavily
  3. Keep

Safety: The thesis found the market cheeses unstandardised and called for hygiene training and a standard method; the high salt slows ripening.

Numbers come from cited sources and carry a label that says how each is known. How this atlas is made