home For men Cheese was scooped using a watering can. Chechil cheese - benefits and harm

Cheese was scooped using a watering can. Chechil cheese - benefits and harm

Smoked cheese chechil or, as it is popularly called, “pigtail” belongs to traditional Armenian cuisine. In its consistency and taste, it is very similar to smoked cheese, but still Chechil has significant differences from it. The main difference, perhaps, lies in the appearance, because a braided braid definitely cannot be confused with anything else. But besides its attractive appearance, this cheese has many other qualities. Let's take a closer look at the benefits and harms of Chechil cheese for the body.

The benefits of Chechil cheese

Like any dairy product, smoked cheese is a rich source of calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for healthy hair, nails and bones. This cheese also contains B vitamins, which normalize the functioning of the nervous system and improve sleep. In addition, it is worth noting the excellent nutritional properties of Chechil cheese. One hundred grams of cheese accounts for 320 kilocalories. The fat content of Chechil cheese is quite low (5-10%), so it is perfect for people who want to lose weight, but cannot deny themselves their favorite delicacy.

The composition of Chechil cheese is fresh cow, sheep or goat milk, which sours under natural conditions. It also contains rennet, which is used to curdle milk. Since the composition of the cheese is very neutral, it cannot cause any harm to the body. True, people with stomach diseases need to be careful when consuming smoked products, even if they are dairy products. But in general, the main thing is to choose cheese wisely. Never buy Chechil cheese that is too brightly colored, because this means that dyes were used in its preparation. In addition, cheese that was prepared not by natural smoking, but by means of

Armenian pickled cheese made from cow's milk in the form of thin threads braided. It is considered a national product of Armenia. In texture and taste, it resembles suluguni, but differs from it in its greater layering and delicate taste. Can be sold in classic or smoked form. The taste of Chechil is delicate, creamy, salty, with spicy notes. The pulp is juicy, retaining a lot of liquid due to the tight weaving of the pigtail.

The word “chechil” is translated as “confused.” It can be produced in the form of braids, thin ropes, noodles, straws, balls.

Armenian shepherds were the first to start making Chechil, who thus stored milk for the winter.

Manufacturing

Chechil is made by hand from pasteurized low-fat cow's milk. It is heated to a temperature of 32 degrees and rennet or pepsin is added. When the milk coagulates, the cheese curd is stirred and heated to a temperature of 60 degrees. Plastic cheese flakes begin to collect on the surface, which are separated from the whey, well salted and laid out in the sun.

After some time, the cheese is pulled into thin threads and wound into tight balls or immediately braided into braids. The woven threads are placed in a saline solution, where it remains for about a month. The maximum shelf life is 2.5 months.

Fat content

What goes with it?

Cheese is served on its own, as an appetizer with beer or white wine. To reduce the amount of salt in it, Chechil can be soaked in water or milk. It is added when preparing salads, soups, sandwiches, meat dishes, seafood, sauces, pasta, flatbreads, and casseroles. Chechil harmonizes with mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, coffee, and hot spices.

In Armenia, Chechil is served fried. To prepare it, cheese is fried on both sides in a hot frying pan.

Chechil is a rather capricious cheese, which requires the hands of an experienced cheese maker for proper preparation. Its quality has long been checked by threading threads through the eye of a needle.

To taste a wonderful salty snack, you don’t have to run to the supermarket and buy incredible delicacies. Today we will talk about how to make Chechil cheese at home. It turns out incredibly tasty, juicy and, most importantly, without the slightest suspicion of the presence of GMOs or other harmful components in the composition.

Chechil cheese is known to us under another name - “Pigtail” cheese. We can find it on the counter of any store. It is considered the closest “relative” of suluguni; it is similar in taste and consistency, but its taste and density are still different.

There is no need to age Chechil cheese for weeks; it is prepared quickly both in industrial conditions and at home.

Well, let's try to do it?

Chechil cheese at home

Ingredients

Milk – 3 l+
Pepsin – 10 g+

For the brine

Salt - to taste+
Water - to taste+

Cooking at home

The recipe calls for the use of rennet or pepsin. You can buy such “exotic” in almost any pharmacy.

Add pepsin at the rate of 1 g per 300 ml of liquid.

If we have village milk in front of us, it must be “skimmed” or skimmed, since in the original technology Chechil cheese is made from milk with a low percentage of fat.

To do this, put raw milk in a saucepan or jar in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning remove the top layer, that is, the cream, with a ladle. We remember that this will reduce the volume of milk, so in advance we pour it into a pan larger than 3 liters by about 20-25%.

Then we leave the milk in the open air and let it sour naturally during the day - this way the cheese will turn out more tasty and will stretch better.
It is the acidity of the milk in this recipe that determines how well the cheese pieces can be turned into threads. The optimal moment is when it begins to curl.

We install a divider on the gas stove so that the milk in the pan heats up gradually and evenly, and heat it to 32 - 35 ° C, remove from the heat.
Pour in pepsin in proportion and leave for half an hour. There is no need to touch or interfere with anything - just let it sit.
Over time, a dense mass forms in the pan, put it back on the stove and heat it to 50°C, stirring gently. This will help the serum separate completely.
Then we filter the resulting flakes through cheesecloth and place them on the table. We put on gloves and pull the flakes into threads. They can be twisted into balls or braided, as we are used to seeing.
We make a saline solution and put the resulting chechil cheese in it overnight. In the morning the product is ready for use. You can eat it straight or put it in the smoker to acquire a bright color and spicy aroma.

But there is a faster way to prepare a delicious snack at home.

How to make chechil from fresh milk

For this recipe we need 4 liters of fresh low-fat milk.

How to do

Warm the milk to a temperature no higher than 38°C and add 1 g of rennet. Mix everything thoroughly and immediately remove from heat.
Leave it to curl and thicken for 35-40 minutes, and then cut the resulting mass into squares directly in the pan - this will ensure better separation of the whey. Leave again for half an hour.
In the meantime, prepare a colander, a large sieve or sieve - cover it with several layers of gauze. We discard the resulting cheese and let it drain for an hour.
We heat water over the fire so that the hand can tolerate it, put pieces of cheese into it and pull them into threads. Thanks to the temperature, they will become more plastic and will not tear.
We twist the finished chechil in any convenient way and place it in a pre-prepared saline solution.

Now you know how to make Chechil cheese at home. Cooking recipes vary, so we try different ones to choose the right one, because making cheese is not just a labor-intensive, but also a very delicate process. Who knows which method will work in your hands and in your kitchen?

To taste a wonderful salty snack, you don’t have to run to the supermarket and buy incredible delicacies. Today we will talk about how to make Chechil cheese at home, the recipe for which you will find in our article along with detailed instructions. It turns out incredibly tasty, juicy and, most importantly, without the slightest suspicion of the presence of GMOs or other unhealthy components in the composition.

There is no need to age Chechil cheese for weeks; it is prepared quickly both in industrial conditions and at home.

Well, let's try to do it?