Telemea () is the name of a Romanian cheese traditionally made of
sheep's milk
Sheep milk is the milk of Sheep, domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured Dairy product, dairy products, such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), pecorino romano (Italy), Roquefort (France) and Ma ...
.
[About Telemea](_blank)
at cheese.com Nowadays the term encompasses cheese made out of cow's milk, and in some cases of goat's, or buffalo's milk.
Description
Similar to the Greek
feta
Feta ( ; ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brin ...
, but also as in the case of Turkish ''
teleme'',
Bulgarian or Macedonian
sirene
Sirene ( ; /; ; ), also known as "white brine sirene" (), is a type of brined cheese originating from Bulgaria. It is made of the milk of goats, sheep, cows, buffalo or a mixture thereof.,Characteristics of major traditional regional cheese ...
, and Serbian ''sir'', telemea can have a higher water content, making it a soft or semi-soft white cheese with a creamy texture and a tangy aftertaste. Alternatively, the cheese is put through an ageing process that makes it crisper, more flavoured and saltier.
Cumin
Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...
seeds are occasionally added for a spicy, nutty flavor.
It is used as a table cheese for snacks, in salads, and in a variety of dishes (e.g., omelettes,
clătite,
plăcinte).
Production
To make ''Telemea'' cheese,
rennet
Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...
is added into milk to curdle it. Most commonly, cow's and sheep's milk are used, with goat's and buffalo's being more of a delicacy. The resulting
curd
Curd is obtained by Denaturation (biochemistry), coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet, a Kefir cheese, ...
is removed and is kept in cheesecloth, pressed overnight, then cut into square pieces. The cheese is then left to mature in brine. This fresh cheese (preserved in brine up to a couple of weeks) has its own name,
caș
Caș () is a type of semi-soft white fresh cheese produced in Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary ...
. Subsequently, it is stored in wooden barrels named ''putini'' (singular: ''putină''). It can be kept throughout winter in a more concentrated brine, in which case, it is desalted in fresh water before consumption.
Certification
Starting 2004, the ''Telemea'' is intended to become a
protected traditional speciality product of Romania, and the following types of ''telemea'' have sought to be recognized under the PDO or PGI labels:
*Telemea de
Argeș
*Telemea de
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County.
According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
*Telemea de
Carei
Carei (; , ; /, , ) is a municipiu, city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești ().
Geography
The municipality of Carei is situated in the north-west of Romania, aw ...
*Telemea de
Harghita
Harghita County (, and , ) is a county () in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc.
Demographics 2002 census
In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a population density of ...
*Telemea de
Huedin
Huedin (, ; ; ) is a town in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania.
Huedin is located at the northern edge of the Apuseni Mountains. It is surrounded by the villages of Nearșova, Domoșu, Horlacea, and others. The town administers one village, Bi ...
*Telemea de
Ibănești (PDO)
*Telemea de
Nucet
Nucet (; ) is a town in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania. Its name means "walnut trees" both in Romanian and Hungarian. It administers two villages, Băița (''Rézbánya'') and Băița-Plai.
Geography
The town is situated at an alti ...
*Telemea de
Oaş
*Telemea de
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
(PGI)
*Telemea de
Vâlcea
In 2017, the
EU acknowledged ''Telemea de Ibănești'' as having
Protected designation of origin (PDO), followed by ''Telemea de Sibiu'' as having
Protected geographical indication (PGI), in 2019.
See also
*
*
*
References
External links
TelemeaWhat Wikipedia can’t tell you about making cheese
{{Cuisine of Romania
Romanian cheeses
Romanian products with protected designation of origin
Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union
Sheep's-milk cheeses
Cow's-milk cheeses
Brined white cheeses