Sür Cheese
A sharp cheese from the Erzurum–Kars region, packed into an earthenware jar or tulum casing and aged for a long time. Its intense, salty, aromatic flavor makes it popular at breakfast and as a meze.
What Is Sür Cheese?
Sür cheese is made in Eastern Anatolia, especially in Erzurum, Kars, and the surrounding area, by packing fresh cheese tightly into an earthenware jar or tulum casing and aging it for a long time without exposure to air. This sealed aging gives it a sharp, distinctive flavor.
As it matures, its intense, salty-aromatic flavor and soft, crumbly texture become more pronounced. It has an important place in the region’s breakfast and meze culture.
Sür Cheese Nutrition Facts
Like aged jar or tulum cheeses, Sür cheese contains about 350 kcal per 100 g, along with high amounts of protein and fat; because it is aged with salt, it is high in sodium. These values are approximate and based on a similar profile.
How Should You Eat Sür Cheese?
Because it is intense, salty, and high in fat, Sür cheese should be eaten in moderation; even a small amount has a pronounced flavor. It can be part of a balanced diet.
This is general information; Sür cheese is a food and is not a substitute for medical treatment.
How to Choose Sür Cheese
Good Sür cheese has a cream to yellowish interior that remains moist, and a distinctive sharp but unspoiled smell. Avoid pieces with an excessively bitter, spoiled odor or that are completely dry.
- The interior should be cream to yellowish and moist.
- The smell should be sharp but not spoiled.
- Avoid completely dry or spoiled pieces.
How to Store Sür Cheese
Store Sür cheese wrapped in a covered container in the refrigerator to keep it from drying out and to contain its strong smell. Its salty, fatty nature makes it relatively long-lasting, but it should still be eaten within a reasonable time.
Using Sür Cheese in the Kitchen
Sür cheese is most often served at breakfast and on meze platters; it is also used in borek, gözleme, and cheese pastries. Because of its intense flavor, even a small amount adds a pronounced character to a dish.
Why Is Sür Cheese Sharp?
Long aging without exposure to air in an earthenware jar or tulum casing intensifies the cheese’s flavor and sharpness; this sealed aging is its distinctive feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sür Cheese the Same as Tulum Cheese?
They are aged cheeses from similar traditions; Sür cheese is a distinctive sharp variety associated with its region and the method of pressing and aging it in an earthenware jar or tulum casing.
What does Sür cheese taste like?
It is intense, salty, sharp, and aromatic; its flavor becomes more pronounced as it ages.
How do you eat Sür cheese?
It is usually eaten in small amounts at breakfast and with meze; it is also used in borek and other pastries.
This is general information; Sür cheese is a food and is not a substitute for medical treatment.