The Benefits of Lor Cheese and How to Use It in the Kitchen

Lor cheese is essentially the next step from strained yoghurt — a low-fat, high-protein dairy product, which makes it a lighter option compared to most other cheeses. Its low salt content means it works comfortably in both sweet and savoury recipes.

What is its nutritional profile?

Lor is a cheese that is high in protein and low in fat, which is why it shows up so often at breakfast tables and in the diets of anyone eating lighter. Its calcium content is close to that of other dairy products, a valuable contribution to bone health.

Lor also carries fewer calories than most other cheeses, another reason it appears so often on diet lists; but since it is still a dairy product, overall calorie balance still matters if eaten in large amounts.

How is it used at breakfast?

Lor is usually eaten plain at breakfast, or with a drizzle of honey; serving it alongside tomato, cucumber and olives is common too. It also works spread on bread, especially thin slices of crusty bread.

Mixing in fresh herbs is a simple way to add flavour; lor mixed with dill, mint or parsley tastes livelier than the plain version.

What role does it play in desserts?

Lor is used as a filling in many pastry-based desserts; the texture of lor cookies or lor-filled sweets comes from the cheese's creamy but light structure. A filling made with sugar and vanilla gives a lighter alternative to heavy cream-based fillings.

Lor cheesecake has also become popular in recent years; its low fat content gives a lighter texture and flavour than a classic cream cheesecake.

How does it differ from other cheeses?

Unlike aged cheeses such as beyaz peynir or kaşar, lor is meant to be eaten straight after production; it is not salted and does not go through an ageing process, which is what gives it its neutral, mild flavour.

Lor is often confused with süzme cheese, but the two are made differently; lor typically comes from straining yoghurt or milk, while süzme cheese goes through a different fermentation process. That difference shows up in the texture of each.

How should lor be stored?

Once opened, lor should be kept in a lidded container in the fridge and used within a few days; being a dairy product, it should not sit at room temperature for long. It can be frozen, but its texture can turn a little watery after thawing, so eating it fresh gives the best result.

There is also a way to make lor at home; once lemon juice or vinegar is added to milk to make it curdle, the part that strains through cheesecloth becomes lor cheese. Homemade lor can come out a bit wetter than the shop-bought kind, so straining it a little further before use often helps.

Getting the ratio right when using lor in a recipe matters too; too much of it can thin out a recipe's overall consistency, so it is best used in moderation, especially in pastry.