This is a list of Syrian cheeses. There are numerous varieties of Syrian cheese found throughout the Levant including '' kenafa'', '' surke'', ''

baladi Baladi ( ar, بلدي ' relative-adjective 'of town', 'local', 'rural', comparable to English ''folk'', with a lower-class connotation) can refer to an Egyptian musical style, the folk style of Egyptian bellydance (Raqs Baladi), or the Masmou ...

'', and '' tresse''.

Types of cheese

Some of the most common types of cheese from Syria are:

Ackawi

'' Ackawi'' (also ''Akawi'' and ''Akawieh'') is a white cheese with a complex flavor. It is an Arab Palestinian cheese originating from the Palestinian town of Akka, today Acre, Israel (''Akka'' in Arabic), commonly made using pasteurized cow's milk but can be made with goat or sheep's milk. It is produced on a large scale in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, Syria and Palestine.

Baladi

Baladi Baladi ( ar, بلدي ' relative-adjective 'of town', 'local', 'rural', comparable to English ''folk'', with a lower-class connotation) can refer to an Egyptian musical style, the folk style of Egyptian bellydance (Raqs Baladi), or the Masmou ...

'' is a soft-white, smooth, creamy cheese with a mild flavour, usually spread on fresh bread or crackers and most often eaten for breakfast or snacks. ''Baladi'' is fresh, traditionally unpasteurized, and uncultured and is made with a mixture of goat, cow and sheep's milk. Its diverse microflora, high moisture, uncultured, and unpasteurized nature tend to limit shelf life to three days.

Charkassiyea

''Charkassiyea'' is a soft, fresh cheese.

Jibneh Arabieh

'' Jibneh Arabieh'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

for "Arab cheese") is a simple cheese found throughout the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and is particularly popular in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and

Eastern Arabia Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...

. The cheese has an open texture and a mild taste. While the product originated with Bedouins, using goat or sheep milk, current practice is to use cow's milk. ''Jibneh Arabieh'' is used for cooking, or simply as a table cheese.

Jibne Baida

''Jibne baida'' (Arabic for "white cheese") is a hard white cheese with a pronounced salty taste, often boiled before eating.

Kenafa

'' Kenafa'' is an unsalted, very fresh, soft cheese that melts easily. It is used to make the popular cheesecake-like dessert that is sometimes called ''Kenafa'', mainly in Palestine and

. It can also be used as a base for other sweet-cheese desserts. It is sold frozen because there is no salt in it (limiting shelf life) and is available in both retail and bulk packages.

Majdoule

''Majdoule'' is a salty white

string cheese String cheese is any of several different types of cheese where the manufacturing process aligns the proteins in the cheese, which makes it stringy. When mozzarella is heated to 60 °C (140 °F) and then stretched, the milk proteins ...

made up of thick strands braided together (hence the name).

Shelal

''Shelal'' is a salty white string cheese made up of strands woven together.

Surke

'' Surke'', also called ''sorke'' or ''shanklish'', is a mature cheese made with spices and generally presented as balls covered in '' za'tar orchile'' powder; most often eaten as a starter dish with tomato, oil and sometimes onion.

Tresse cheese

Tresse cheese Tresse cheese, also known as ''jibneh mshallaleh'' (Arabic: جبنة مشللة) is a form of string cheese originating in Syria. It can be eaten plain, or mixed with pastries.Roufs, Timothy. Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food an ...

, also known by its Arabic name ''Jibneh mshallaleh'' is a form of

originating in Syria. Gourmantic
Syrian String Cheese
/ref>

Turkomani

''Turkomani'' is a soft porous cheese with a delicate flavor.

Other milk products

Kashta

'' Kastha'' (or ''Kishta'') is a heavy cream that is very popular in the Middle East. Traditionally, it is made by skimming the thickest part of the cream from whey. The product is used both as an ingredient in cooking and is mixed with honey to be eaten as a very rich dessert. It has a 60-day refrigerated shelf life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syrian Cheese Arab cuisine Levantine cuisine Mediterranean cuisine Middle Eastern cheeses Cheese