Erzincan Tulum Peyniri

Appearance & taste

Erzincan Tulum Peyniri is a white to cream-coloured, semi-hard cheese with a homogeneous, grainy structure. Pressed between two fingers, it quickly crumbles; in the mouth it crumbles and becomes creamy. It contains at least 55 % dry matter, of which at least 45 % is fat and at most 5 % salt.

The specification describes the aroma as creamy, meaty, fermented, sulphurous and fruity, and the taste as salty and sour, piercing and sharp; it stimulates the flow of saliva. Contributing to this are substances from the breakdown of fat and their oxidation products, which form during ripening, and aromatic compounds from the plants the sheep eat.

Production

At least 95 % of the milk comes from Akkaraman sheep; at most 5 % may be milk from Morkaraman sheep or goats. Milking takes place between the fourth and the ninth month of the year. In spring and summer the sheep graze, on average at least six months a year; in winter they eat hay from the pastures of the area, and winter cereals from the province may be added. Concentrated feed is prohibited.

The milk is curdled with rennet of animal origin. Only Kemah salt, a natural spring salt from the town of Kemah that dissolves easily in the cheese, is used for salting. While draining, the curd is broken and salted at least twice; according to the specification, this gives it its crumbly texture and lets part of the fat oxidise, which shapes the taste. The cheese is then packed tightly and without air bubbles into the skin bags or into plastic containers, which must have several small holes so that whey can continue to drain; with the bags this happens through the skin. For the bags, the skin of slaughtered goats and sheep is removed in one piece, cleaned, salted and dried. All steps, from keeping the animals to ripening, take place in the province of Erzincan.

Origin & history

The province of Erzincan covers 11,903 km² on the upper Euphrates in eastern Anatolia. The climate is semi-arid and continental, with cold, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. High plateaus at around 1,800 m and mountains over 3,000 m create conditions for pastures, meadows and endemic plants. On the Çimen, Melan and Sarıçiçek plateaus 596 endemic taxa have been counted, 64 of which occur only in Erzincan. The main crops are wheat, barley and lucerne.

The Akkaraman sheep are adapted to this harsh landscape. The cheese is a craft product and, according to the specification, originally comes from semi-nomadic tribes; the experience and skill of the producers in breaking and salting the curd, filling and preparing the skin bags determine its quality.