An Overview: Specificities and Novelties of the Cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the specificities (milk characteristics, production process, ripening biochemistry, composition, and sensory properties) and novelties of the world-famous traditional cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean (EM). The EM area is remarkably heterogeneous...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fermentation (Basel) 2024-08, Vol.10 (8), p.404
Main Authors: Kalit, Samir, Dolencic Spehar, Iva, Rako, Ante, Bendelja Ljoljic, Darija, Kirdar, Seval Sevgi, Tudor Kalit, Milna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal skins
Ceramics
Cheese
Cheese industry
cheeses ripen in an animal skin sack
cheeses with herbs and spices
Composition
Dairy industry
Dairy products
Eastern Mediterranean cheeses
Environmental aspects
hard cheeses
Milk production
Neolithic
Nutritive value
Pastures
Production processes
Ripening
Sensory properties
Sheep
stretched curd cheeses
Whey
white-brined cheeses
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Summary:The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the specificities (milk characteristics, production process, ripening biochemistry, composition, and sensory properties) and novelties of the world-famous traditional cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean (EM). The EM area is remarkably heterogeneous (11 countries—Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia) in terms of cheese production, but there are some common features that can be associated with EM which are connected to the difficult geoclimaticconditions (hilly terrain and hot summers). Cheesemakers resort to some preservation methods, such as high salt content (in white-brined cheeses), high total solids content (in hard cheeses), the use of hot water in the treatment of the curd (in pasta filata cheeses), the addition of some local herbs with antimicrobial properties, and the use of animal skin sacks for cheese ripening. Due to the high proportion of whey as a by-product, whey is traditionally used in EM for the production of whey cheeses. Preserving the production of traditional EM cheeses is critical to maintaining their cultural significance and meeting the demand of consumers interested in the provenance, craftsmanship, and nutritional value of these unique products.
ISSN:2311-5637
2311-5637
DOI:10.3390/fermentation10080404