Amongst the kebabs, koftes, baklavas and mezes, cheese tends to fall by the wayside as one of the signature specialties in Turkish cuisine. Couple that with the fact that most of Türkiye’s cheeses are consumed on their own or with bread rather than being incorporated into dishes, which means most foreigners are unaware of the wide selection of cheeses are an integral part of Turkish cuisine. Not only are there a vast number of cheese categories, but each category has its variety and many also differ based on the region the cheese is prepared. This can make a simple shopping trip for cheese quite the conundrum. But don’t fret; let this serve as a simplistic guide for foreigners to what you can regularly find in shops and markets and how to enjoy it like the Turks.
First and foremost, what most believe to be the quintessential Turkish cheese, i.e., feta, is not the Turkish name for this cheese. In Türkiye, the crumbly and salty cheese many foreigners refer to as “feta” is called “beyaz peynir, which translates into English as “white cheese.” Feta cheese is a trademark for Greece’s variation on this type of cheese and was given the name, which is derived from the Italian word for “slice,” which stems from a Latin word, which means “peace.” The cheese was named “Feta” in Greece in the 19th century, yet this salty and brined white cheese has been prepared in Anatolia and the Black Sea region for thousands of years.
Its preparation has many variations, making it hard for the layman to choose. From non-matured curds to matured curds, cheese under the same title can vary from soft to more solid, bland to a distinct and saltier flavor, and prepared with sheep, cow, goat’s milk, or any combination. The taste profile of white cheese can change significantly according to these factors, which makes it hard to choose which type to try. But, as a steadfast rule, if you seek the richest and tastiest variation, then “ezine” white cheese, which hails from the district in Çanakkale it is named for, is, in many people’s opinion, the best version to go for. Ezine is the variety most often served as a standalone meze or accompanied by melon and watermelon. In contrast, the milder variations of beyaz peynir are generally performed as part of the cheese selection at breakfast.
Kasseri cheese, referred to as Kaşar in Turkish, is the second most prevalent cheese available and visible in Turkish cuisine. However, the old “eski kaşar” and the fresh “taze kaşar” vary significantly in taste despite the same name and preparation process of boiling milk curds in salt water. The new version of kaşar is molded and ready to go. At the same time, eski kaşar is preserved for at least half a year resulting in a more complex and much stronger-tasting cheese that occasionally resembles a softer parmesan. While both melt wonderfully, taze kaşar is more prevalent in Turkish cuisine as the cheese used for “test,” which is Türkiye’s variation on a grilled cheese sandwich. Taze kaşar is also a cheese used to coat the “pide” flatbread or to stuff the grilled phyllo dough pastry “gözleme.” The new and old variations are served on their own for breakfast.
Tulum, which means “casing” in Turkish, refers to the traditional process of aging the cheese in a bag of goat skin. However, in most cases, this goat’s milk-based cheese derived from boiled milk and a starter differs tremendously based on the region it is prepared in. Thus, don’t ever assume that when you see the word “Tulum,” one variation will be similar. However, that being said, pretty much all interpretations have a strong taste and are highly coveted cheese variations that are pretty much consumed on their own for breakfast or a tasty snack with bread. As for how to choose among the various types, “Izmir Tulum” is a sort of cheese that stands between ezine beyaz peyniri and eski kaşar. It is less crumbly and more decadent than white cheese, yet not as hard as eski kaşar. “Bergama Tulum” is the most challenging variation of the cheese and is also sometimes referred to as Turkish parmesan. It is mainly sourced from cheese shops and farmers’ markets. Finally, on the opposite spectrum is “Erzincan Tulum,” which is exceptionally soft, crumbly, and has a firm goat’s cheese flavor. While Tulum is meltable, it is also an excellent ingredient for salads and consumed with butter on broken-off pieces of the puffed-up balloon-like flatbreads served at kebab restaurants.
While “lor cheese” is arguably one of the most prevalent in Türkiye, it is also the most subtle in flavor and salt. A crumbly cheese made from whey high in protein and low in salt and thus taste, Lor is most often used in pastries and börek or seasoned with spices such as thyme and red pepper flakes to be consumed as is. Like the ricotta and cottage cheese variations, lor is most commonly used in desserts. Where a misconception can lie is that in some cheese-based dishes in Türkiye, such as in baked pastries, pide, and gözleme, what is referred to as “peynir” and can be assumed to be Türkiye’s tastier “beyaz” cheese is instead “lor” and so when ordering this may be a distinction to be aware of not to be surprised when the “peynir” used is decidedly bland.
