Description of Kopanisti cheese, cooking options, composition and calorie content. Useful and harmful properties of the variety. How cheese is eaten, what is made from it, the history of its appearance.
Kopanisti is a rare type of cheese made in Karaburun (Izmir province, Turkey) from goat milk, as well as in Greece (on the shores of the Aegean Sea) from a mixture of goat, sheep and cow. Color - white or off-white, brownish or yellowish, cream; aroma - rich, "goaty", "barn"; the texture is soft. If you try the pure fermented milk product, you will notice a pronounced bitterness. But since ripening takes place under a layer of olive oil, the taste can be described as bitter-milky-oily, salty, tart and spicy. The heads are not formed, the consumer is offered ceramic containers filled with cheese.
How is Kopanisti cheese made?
The initial raw material for the manufacture of the variety is the milk yield of goats (less often sheep). It is possible to mix two types of milk or add cow's milk. It is this method of preparing the raw material that is preferred in Greece.
How Kopanisti Peynir is made in Turkey
- Sour milk is heated to 80-85 ° C, mixed with fresh and ripened cheese mass from the previous batch is added to obtain a dense curd curd. The mixture should cool down to 45-50 ° C.
- Chan is removed from the fire and waited for the kale to form. Check for a clean break. This usually takes 45-50 minutes.
- Break into small pieces, mix, collect from the surface with a slotted spoon and transfer to baskets covered with gauze (or cheese cloth) folded in several layers.
- Leave for several days, and then lay out in clay pots glazed from the inside. Indoor temperature - 18-24 ° С, humidity - up to 90-95%.
- The next day, a new batch of cottage cheese is made, according to the same algorithm, and again put in pots. The process is repeated 5-6 times within 2-3 weeks. The surface of the cheese in pots becomes slimy, a strong smell appears, indicating a vigorous fermentation. Lor (cottage cheese) is added again and left for another 1 day.
- In the manufacture of Kopanisti peynir, salting is carried out in 3 stages: first, a small amount of dry salt is mixed in and left for 3 days; then add more salt and, if necessary, fresh ENT; after 7-10 days dry salt is stirred. At the last stage, the amount of salt in the cheese must be at least 5%.
- Olive oil is poured onto the surface of the intermediate product and the neck is covered with a cloth to prevent contact with air and prevent the introduction of fungal flora scattered in the air. The pots are placed in chambers with a temperature of 0-1 ° C and moderate humidity - 60-65%.
How Kopanisti cheese is prepared in Greece
- Pasteurization of raw materials and cooling to 30-32 ° C is possible. Lactic acid bacteria of 2 types are poured in - Lactobacillus casei and Lactococcus lactis.
- Milk is fermented with cheese yeast made from part of the rennet, lamb's stomach.
- After the curd curd is formed, it is crushed (or cut) into cheese grains and, after 2-3 times kneading, transferred into molds. Separation of whey takes place under its own weight and in the same room where the cheese is cooked. Turn over every 3-4 hours.
- After a day, add 4% salt and fresh, freshly made Kopanisti cheese of good quality. Mix, leave for 3 days, and only after that they are laid out in glazed pots.
- You can mix the cheese mass directly in the molds, changing the cheese cloth to a clean one, and gradually adding salt. The process is repeated several times.
- The ripening period is 3-4 weeks, the temperature in the chamber is 8-12 ° C, the humidity is 85-90%. After 40 days, the peynier is transferred from gauze to glass jars or ceramic containers, poured with olive oil and, in order to arrest the activity of thermophilic and gas-forming bacteria, transferred to a chamber with a temperature of 0-1 ° C, where it is stored until sale.
- The product has the richest taste after 46 days. But if you want to enjoy the delicate structure and feel the softness and taste of milk, you should stop at a 32-day aging.
You can make Kopanisti cheese at home, slightly reminiscent of the Greek version in taste: in a food processor or in a blender bowl, beat 200 g of Laura or Feta, 80 g of canned chili, 1 tbsp. l. fresh mint, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice and 25 ml of olive oil. The resulting homogeneous mass is cooled in the refrigerator.
Composition and calorie content of Kopanisti cheese
The energy value of a fermented milk product, if the raw materials are the same, does not change, regardless of which recipe was used to make cheese - Greek or Turkish.
Calorie content of Kopanisti cheese - 218 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Proteins - 8, 93-13 g;
- Fats - 18, 24-30 g;
- Carbohydrates - 5, 77 g.
Greek cheese makers often add spices or flavorings to the composition of Kopanisti cheese. In this case, the calorie content should be calculated separately.
The vitamin and mineral composition is typical: a high amount of B vitamins - choline, folic and pantothenic acid, pyridoxine; tocopherol, retinol, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron. There is a lot of sodium and chlorine, since the salt in the cheese pulp is up to 5%.
The exact values of nutrients cannot be provided today - chemical-physical studies of samples from Turkey were not carried out, and Greek tests were limited to the analysis of microbiological properties.
The low calorie content allows Kopanisti cheese to be included in the diet for losing weight in order to replenish the energy reserve, without fear of gaining extra pounds.
Useful properties of Kopanisti cheese
Whatever recipe this variety was prepared, it contains a high amount of substances that have a beneficial effect on lacto- and bifidobacteria that colonize the human intestine.
Benefits of Kopanisti cheese
- Increases the absorption of nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the human body.
- Accelerates the transformation and absorption of amino acids.
- Normalizes digestion. By consuming this variety 2-4 times a week, you can forget about constipation.
- Suppresses bad breath, which is caused by stagnant putrefactive or fermentative processes.
- Stimulates the secretion of saliva, shifts the acid-base balance in the oral cavity to the acidic side. Such a change suppresses the activity of pathogenic microorganisms, reduces the likelihood of developing inflammatory processes - stomatitis or periodontitis, and prevents caries.
- Strengthens bone and cartilage tissue, which slows down age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system and improves joint mobility.
- Improves memorization functions, stimulates the acceleration of physiological reactions.
- Has a beneficial effect on the brain, reduces the likelihood of thrombosis.
The health benefits of Kopanisti cheese made from goat's or sheep's milk (or mixture) are increased. It can be added to the diet of people who do not have enough enzymes to process milk sugar. The small amount of lactose present in sheep and goat milk production is suppressed during fermentation.
