Chanakh is a pickled cheese that is popular in Georgia and Armenia. Its fat content is 45%. The product is prepared in the form of a square bar weighing up to 4 kilograms. A distinctive feature of chanakh is the absence of a crust. The product is salty with light creamy notes, colored white. Ripening and storage of cheese occurs in a solution of salt. After 40 days in solution, the cheese is ready for use.
What you need to know about the traditional cheese product, what to combine it with and is it safe to include in your daily diet?
General characteristics of the product
Chanakh is classified as a pickled cheese. The process of its maturation takes place in a special marinade. The recipe for the marinade necessarily includes salt, the remaining components vary depending on the personal preferences of the manufacturer. The composition may include special syrups, spices, honey and even alcoholic beverages. The variability of tastes is the advantage of pickled cheeses. From one batch of milk heads, you can create a dozen different combinations of tastes and aromas both on an industrial scale and in your own kitchen.
The name of the product comes from the pot of the same name. The first batches matured in large vats filled to the brim with spiced brine and cheese bars of various shapes. The basic raw material for chanakh is milk of animal origin. In Armenia and Georgia, sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk is traditionally used. Modern manufacturers prefer only cow's milk in order to reduce the cost of production and reduce the price of the finished product.
The taste of the traditional chanakh consists of a salty and spicy palette. Depending on the composition of the brine, the taste may vary. The structure of the dairy product is fragile, but elastic enough. The product does not crumble, but breaks easily and has a very pliable consistency.
Important: the vats should not fall apart into grains or crumble. If you have a product with such characteristics in front of you, refuse to purchase. Probably, the manufacturer violated the production method or storage rules.
The modern gastronomic market is full of various types of dairy products, but Armenian cheese attracts special attention. It enters the grocery shelves in an unusual shape of a truncated cone. Chanakh, like any other variety of pickled cheese, does not have a crust at all. Its color varies from white to pale yellow. The color can be influenced by the composition of the brine, the type and concentration of milk.
The milk mixture is prepared and a viscous liquid mass is made from it. The mass is stirred, poured into special forms and waiting for it to settle. Fresh cheese is sent to the solution and kept at a temperature of 10-12°C, gradually raising to 15°C. By the end of maturation, the temperature is lowered to 8-12°C.
Important: Ripe cheese is recommended to be eaten within 2 months. After this period, the vats lose their useful properties, change the structure and taste. Be sure to check the date of manufacture before buying and evaluate the external characteristics of the product.
Useful properties of the product
The most useful is vats based on sheep's milk. The risk of hormones and harmful antibiotics in sheep's milk is an order of magnitude lower than in cow's. Moreover, it contains less milk protein, which the human body ceases to absorb in adulthood.
But cow's milk vats also have their benefits. The composition of cheese includes a number of nutrients that are necessary for quality life. Cheese normalizes the functioning of the nervous system and the function of muscle tissue due to vitamins, improves the quality of the skin and the condition of the teeth / bone system due to minerals.
Important: do not forget that dairy products can harm an adult. The adult body cannot break down lactose. This is fraught with hormonal imbalance, rashes on the skin, problems with the intestines and the entire gastrointestinal tract. Nutritionists advise switching to plant-based dairy products and minimizing the consumption of animal milk.
Use in cooking
Salty vats are usually served as an appetizer on their own. It is put on the table directly in brine, which can be drunk, or cut into convenient portioned pieces. The product can serve as an aperitif. It will stimulate the appetite, start the process of salivation and prepare the stomachs of the guests for the meal.
The scope of chanakh is no different from other cheeses. It is added to salads, fruit / vegetable / cheese plates, rubbed into soups, served with pasta, meat, fish. The product can be combined with viscous honey, flower wine and served as a gourmet dessert. Chanakh perfectly tolerates heat treatment. If you need a soft, tender cheese crust, grate it 5-7 minutes before the dish is ready.
Advice. If the taste of chanakh seems too salty, soak it in ordinary filtered water. Taste the cheese periodically to assess the degree of salinity.
Why is cheese dangerous?
The body uses an enormous amount of resources to digest animal dairy products. In addition to energy costs, the balance of nutrients is disturbed. For example, for high-quality assimilation, the body releases the available calcium (Ca) from the bone skeleton. Calcium from milk is absorbed in a minimal concentration and cannot make up for losses. Milk does not strengthen bones and teeth; on the contrary, it makes them thinner and more vulnerable.
Milk protein puts a huge strain on the gastrointestinal tract. The body may simply not have time to cope with the volume of food that is ingested. The result is poor health, sharp pains in the abdomen, problems with the work of the intestines, a violation of the microflora and a skin rash. These symptoms can be eliminated with the help of pills, but much more serious consequences are possible.
In the liver of a cow, a specific substance is synthesized, the composition of which is very similar to a drug. This substance gets into the milk, and from there - into the cheese and onto the plate. Each of us felt the narcotic effect on ourselves - it is very difficult to stop at 1-2 pieces of cheese. We eat at least half the planned portion, but the receptors ask for more and more. This effect brings benefits to producers, but can result in serious health problems for the consumer.
Important: do not forget about the high fat and calorie content of dairy products. They are best avoided by obese people and those who are dissatisfied with the quality of their body.
Another hidden danger is hormones and antibiotics. Hormones are synthesized in the body of the animal and must pass into the milk. Antibiotics become part of the cheese because of unscrupulous manufacturers. They can additionally introduce special solutions that increase performance and affect the behavior of the animal. All these substances are impossible to "get" from milk, so they move to the top of the food chain - man.
Is it dangerous? Yes. The human body is arranged differently and can react with a hormonal imbalance, sharp weight jumps in both directions, psycho-emotional disorders, and so on. It is impossible to predict the reaction of the body. The only way out is to prevent unpleasant symptoms. Eat 10-30 grams of cheese per day, making sure to dilute your meals with fiber and fresh healthy foods (fruits/fish/grains/nuts/superfoods).
Cheese is an obligatory attribute of every Armenian table. Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, it always ends with "cheese sticks". There is even an old Armenian saying: “The Armenian does not live by bread alone, but by bread and cheese.”
Armenians not only love cheese very much, but they also cook it very well. A feature of the preparation of Armenian cheeses is the correct selection of bacterial starter cultures, which allows you to get a cheese with a pronounced taste and smell. We will only talk about a few types of cheeses and how they are prepared.
Cheese Chanakh since ancient times, it has been especially popular not only in Armenia, but throughout the entire Caucasus region. This brine type of cheese is prepared using special pots called vats. It is thanks to the devices that are used in the cooking process that the cheese got its name.
Chanakh matures in a specially prepared brine. It is thanks to the use of brine that Chanakh acquires its unique taste and aroma characteristics. Often, white wines are used for brine, as well as natural honey or syrups. Chanakh cheese has a sharp and at the same time salty taste, which is typical for pickled cheeses. The cheese body is brittle, but not crumbly.
Chanakh cheese. Photo: armproduct.ru
Chanakh can vary in color from white to light yellow. Keep the cheese in brine for no more than two months. If overcooked, Chanakh will be too salty. In addition, many useful compounds of natural origin, which are contained in the chemical composition of the product, will pass into the brine. As a result, not only taste will suffer, but also useful properties. This type of cheese is made exclusively from cow's milk.
Cheese Lori traditionally made from cow's milk, or half diluted with buffalo. Lori got its name from the area where it was first cooked. Unlike other types of pickled cheeses, Lori is stored and matured in a special polymer film, in which it is then delivered to store shelves. The maturation period of Lori is about 45 days.
Lori has a moderately spicy and salty taste and a white or slightly yellowish cheese mass with holes in it of various sizes and shapes. The mass of Lori cheese is a little brittle, but more delicate than other cheeses, texture. This variety of Lori cheese, like other pickled cheeses, does not have a rind. According to the composition, Lori should contain at least 50% fat, up to 4% salt and no more than 44% moisture. Lori is produced, as a rule, with rectangular heads.
Another kind of Armenian cheese Chechil in appearance it has nothing to do with any other cheese. Armenian Chechil is prepared from rennet, which is added to cow's milk. Clots of curdled cheese are stretched into threads, after which they are woven. Ready Chechil is stored in brine.
In a pigtail, due to dense weaving, the cheese retains many useful substances for a long time, although it can be stored for no more than two and a half months. After this period, cheese made without the addition of preservatives may deteriorate.
Chechil was invented in the Caucasus by Armenian shepherds who saved milk for the winter by making cheese out of it.
Motal- another type of Armenian cheese. Motal matures in goat skins for three to four months. Ripening comes with the addition of stems and leaves of mountain thyme, which gives the motal a unique aroma. Motal cheese is produced in small quantities. It is a fatty, crumbly (crumbled) cheese that does not have a definite shape, without an outer rind and artificial coating.
Cheese Motal. Photo: shirak-agro.com
Recently, Motal was included in the "Ark of Taste" list, which includes food products that have disappeared or are on the verge of extinction. International experts emphasize that the Armenian Motal cheese, along with the French Roquefort and the Italian Parmesan, is recognized as one of the highest quality cheeses.
There is also a type of cheese Yeghegnadzor, which is a crumbly curd mass. This type of cheese is usually aged in clay pots and sold as such. Spicy herbs are added to it, such as thyme, for example.
By the way, in addition to traditional Armenian varieties, varieties of various other cheeses are made in Armenia, such as Roquefort, Cheddar, Parmesan, etc.
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The North Caucasus is considered the birthplace of this type of cheese. The name of the cheese comes from the fact that it is kneaded in special pots called vats. To date, the production of Chanakh cheese is mainly carried out by Armenian cheese makers. When making cheese, white wine, honey or syrups are added. Chanakh cheese belongs to the varieties of pickled cheeses. Due to the special brine, the cheeses have a special taste: slightly salty and spicy.
Cheese, like many other useful products, appeared quite by accident. It is known that Caucasians have long used animal abomasums to store milk. And then one day, the milk fermented there and turned into an unusual and tasty mass. This is how people learned about Chanakh cheese and how it was made.
Chanakh cheese belongs to the brine types of cheese, as it goes through the ripening stage directly in brine. Chanakh is a traditional product of the people of the Caucasus. The local climatic conditions are fully conducive to its production.
Cheese has a huge range of useful properties, primarily due to its rich content of trace elements and vitamins. Chanakh cheese contains a whole complex of vitamins: , PP, , B12, B2, B6, folic acid. Of the trace elements in cheese, they are present in significant quantities: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, copper.
Cheese also contains a large amount of salt (up to 7%). Chanakh can have 40% or 50% fat content, while cheese contains up to 50% moisture.
Beneficial features
The presence of phosphorus and calcium in the composition - favorably affects the bone tissue of the body. B vitamins, which are also present in cheese, improve the functioning of the nervous system.
It is also worth noting that some people do not tolerate this product. Due to the rather high calorie content of the product, it is not recommended to use it for people suffering from overweight. In addition, Chanakh cheese contains a lot of cholesterol, so people who have problems with blood vessels or the heart should be careful about its use.
Application
In cooking, Chanakh cheese is used as an independent snack. It is also often added to various salads or casseroles. Before serving the cheese on the table, you need to remove excess salt from it. To do this, the cheese is soaked in water for a short time.
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Chanakh cheese belongs to the brine varieties, that is, it ripens in a marinade prepared according to a special recipe. The name arose from the pot of the same name, in which this product was prepared in antiquity. The composition of the brine can include completely different ingredients, for example, manufacturers use wine, honey, syrups, spices, etc. Due to this, the final product acquires unique taste characteristics. Both cow's milk and sheep's milk can be used as the main raw material.
Chanakh cheese has a salty and spicy taste. This product is characterized by a brittle texture, but at the same time it should not crumble, as this will indicate poor quality. The cheese comes to the shops in the heads of an unusual shape, in 2 truncated cones. Like other pickled cheeses, it does not have a rind. As for the color, it can change and range from white to pale yellow. It should be borne in mind that during long-term storage of Chanakh cheese, it can lose almost all useful properties. Given this, it is not recommended to keep the product for more than 2 months.
Beneficial features
The benefits of Chanakh cheese are due to the presence of a large number of substances that are necessary for life. It contains calcium and phosphorus - minerals that favorably affect the condition of bone tissue. Included in cheese and B vitamins, which improve the condition of muscle tissue and normalize the activity of the nervous system.
Use in cooking
Chanakh cheese is an excellent independent snack that can be served as an aperitif. You can also put it in salads, side dishes, casseroles and other dishes. To reduce the amount of salt before eating, it is recommended to soak the cheese for a while in water.
The harm of Chanakh cheese and its calorie content
The harm of Chanakh cheese can be felt by people with individual intolerance to the product. In addition, it is worth noting the high calorie content, so it is not recommended to abuse it during the period of weight loss, as well as for those who follow the figure or are obese. Given the presence of cholesterol and sodium, people with heart and vascular problems should use this cheese with caution.
Cheese snacks are always very popular, their exquisite, and sometimes original taste, perfectly complements any dish. It is up to you to decide on the basis of which variety to choose, but we suggest trying to cook Armenian cheese at home. It is easy to prepare, and the taste is amazing, such a product will ideally fit into the composition of many snacks, and make them indispensable at any feast.
The peculiarity of the preparation of the Armenian Chechil cheese is that it ripens in a special concentrated saline solution. Due to this, the product has a specific rich taste.
Armenian Chechil differs from other cheeses in its shape, it has an unusual shape for many braids, which are woven from thin cheese fibers. It takes from 6 to 8 hours to prepare such a specific product, excluding the ripening period, but you can eat such a delicious treat in a matter of minutes.
Armenian homemade Chechil cheese
Ingredients
- - taste + -
- — 4 l + -
- — 1/2 tbsp or to taste + -
- Rennet extract- 1 g + -
How to make Armenian cheese
We prepare a concentrated saline solution: mix water and salt to taste. Determine the proportions yourself, depending on what degree of salinity you want to give your homemade product.
We place the threads from the finished cheese in the solution for 24 hours. The next day, we weave a pigtail out of them (you can, if desired, create a different shape), which we serve.
Armenian Mozzarella Cheese: Homemade Recipe
You can also create an analogue of Armenian cheese according to a different recipe, with a completely different ingredient composition and cooking technology.
To create cheese we need
- Mahlab - ¼ tsp;
- Mozzarella - 100 g;
- Seasoning nigella (nigella) - 1 tsp
Step by step cooking
The advantage of this technology is that it takes only about half an hour to prepare such Armenian homemade cheese.
It's much faster than the first recipe. Because of this, such a treat is great for those who are looking for a way to cook a delicious cheese snack in a hurry.
You can serve a quick snack with anything, but it is best combined with grilled dishes.
Another way to deliciously cook hearty Armenian cheese at home is to make it based on milk and matsun with the addition of dried herbs.
If desired, fresh herbs can be added to the dish, but the cheese will be stored much less with it. The highlight of this recipe is the addition of matsun cheese, a special fermented milk drink that is exclusively of Armenian origin.
The preparation of this dish has many subtleties and secrets, and we will describe them in detail in the recipe below.
Ingredients
- Matsun - 1.5 l;
- Butter - 1 tbsp. l.;
- Milk - 3 l;
- Ground red pepper (sweet or hot) - to taste;
- Salt - 10-12 tsp;
- Sour cream - 300 g;
- Dry herbs (savory, cilantro, dill, coriander, cumin) - to taste.
Making homemade Armenian cheese
- We put the milk on fire. In the process of heating, gradually add dried spices to it, then red pepper. We put seasonings a little bit so as not to overdo it, and from time to time we taste the milk mixture.
- Next, add a piece of butter to the hot milk (you can melt it in advance).
- Mix everything, then add salt in small portions. The recipe says - 10-12 tsp. salt, based on this amount, we will get a cheese of medium salinity. But you can adjust the amount of salt to your liking.
However, always remember 2 basic rules of salting:
- firstly, lightly salted cheese is not stored for a long time, so you have to eat it quickly so that it does not disappear,
- secondly, the amount of salt that you add at this stage will later be diluted with a considerable portion of matsun.
So do not spare salt, add more of it. If later the milk turns out to be too salty, just stir it with a fermented milk drink.
- As soon as the first signs of boiling appear on the surface of the milk, add sour cream and matsun to it.
- We quickly mix the product, reduce the heat, and wait until the milk curdles. This usually takes several minutes.
- Let the contents boil for 5 minutes so that the whey is completely separated from the resulting curd. During the cooking process, from time to time, do not forget to stir the product.
- After that, turn off the stove, leave the pan on it for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, we start decanting the serum:
- pour the curdled mass into a sieve covered with gauze, using a ladle;
- pour in small portions, and before scooping up the next portion - “trouble” the mixture, then quickly collect it with a ladle and also quickly pour it into a sieve.
Thanks to this strange, but very simple procedure, we will help the butter and herbs to be evenly distributed throughout the cheese.
If the entire curd mass does not fit into the sieve, then we will decant in 2 stages. When the sieve is filled to the brim, we leave all the contents in it for 5-10 minutes, allowing the excess whey to drain.
To somehow speed up this process, you can shake the sieve slightly or press on the curd with a spoon.
After that, we transfer the strained mass into a colander with gauze and simply leave it to dig further in it. We do the same with the second portion of the curd.
When the second portion dries in a sieve for 5-10 minutes, we will not transfer the cottage cheese into a clean colander, but put it in the same colander in which the first strained portion of cottage cheese already lies. The contents must be carefully packed.
Pressing homemade Armenian cheese
Pour a little fat over the entire expressed mass from above, which remains on the surface of the expressed whey. Then we cover the curd with gauze, tightly tightening the ends.
We put a press on homemade cheese (weighing 1-1.5-liter container with water, tightly covered with a lid). Directly under the press we put a flat plate, with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the colander itself.
We keep the dairy product under pressure for several hours.
When you try the cheese, and its consistency completely suits you, immediately take out the home-made Armenian cheese from under the yoke, free it from gauze and transfer it to a large-diameter flat plate.
Conditions for storing finished cheese in the refrigerator
Top the cheese head (although the cheese may have a different shape, it all depends on the shape of the sieve or shape that you will use) with damp but well-wrung gauze, and then cover the product with a bowl.
In this form, we remove the Armenian product for storage in the refrigerator. If the gauze dries out during storage, you need to soak it in salty whey (or at least in ordinary water), and then cover your favorite Armenian cheese with it again.
Under moist gauze, the cheese is stored for a long time, moreover, it perfectly retains a dense texture, although it remains moderately soft.
Secrets of Successful Armenian Homemade Cheese
Adding spices
Armenian homemade cheese turns out to be tastier if you add dry spices to it.
However, it is not necessary to grind them into powder. It is enough to rub the dried herbs a little with your hands so that it gives the desired aroma and does not creak on your teeth if it comes across in cheese.
You can add absolutely any spice to the product, moreover, you can even put a whole set of dry herbs. Focus mainly on your taste, but do not overdo it with its variety.
As spices, not only the ones indicated above in the recipe, dill, cilantro, cumin, coriander, savory, but also:
- basil,
- mint,
- tarragon,
- and even fresh herbs.
cutting greens
However, greens are not added entirely. To begin with, it will need to be finely chopped, and then poured into milk immediately before adding the matsun.
Do not put many varieties of spices at once, choose a few of the most compatible and 1-1.5 tsp each. add each spicy type to the milk.
The national dishes of Armenian cuisine, which is the Armenian cheese, have a special taste and recipe. You can verify this in full by using one of the above recipes for homemade cheeses.
The effort spent will be worth the amazing taste, satiety and appetizingness of the product that you cook with your “golden” hands. Cook your favorite Armenian cheese at home as often as possible - and let your family feast be pleasant and memorable for your household for a long time.
Enjoy your meal!
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