Description of Lori cheese, photos, manufacturing features. Nutritional value and effect on the body when consumed. How the variety is eaten, what dishes are prepared with it, the history of its appearance.
Lori is a brine Armenian cheese, which was previously made from a mixture of raw sheep and buffalo milk, and now pasteurized cow milk is more often used, adding buffalo. Taste - spicy and salty with a sour aftertaste; the smell is sour-creamy, if the initial raw material is the milk yield of cows, and with the "scent of the barn", if the composition is sheep milk. Color - light yellow or milky white with a yellowish tinge; the texture is brittle, but at the same time softer than that of typical brine varieties; eyes of different sizes. There is no crust. Bar-shaped heads: length - 28-30 cm, width - 12-15 cm, height - 10-14 cm, weight - 3, 8-6, 2 kg.
How is Lori cheese made?
Since the raw materials for traditional Lori cheese recipes are difficult to obtain, farm milk is prepared at home. If equipped with a cooking thermometer, heat to 98 ° C and immediately remove from heat. In order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms, 2 seconds are enough. If there is no kitchen accessory, then the pan is kept without boiling for 30-40 minutes. Long-term pasteurization is carried out at 80 ° C. Visually, it looks like this: foam begins to form near the walls, but it never forms.
Homemade Armenian Lori cheese recipe
- Milk is cooled to 32 ° C, rennet or pepsin is introduced.
- When the kale is formed, it is cut into pieces with edges of 1 cm, and then, by kneading, it is crushed into tiny curd clots the size of rice.
- A third of the whey is drained, and the curd mass is kneaded several times, allowing it to sink to the bottom. Heat slowly to 38 ° C.
- The curd mass is spread on a drainage table covered with a serpentine, wrapped in a bundle, pressed, increasing the weight of the oppression gradually, over 4-6 hours. The layers are turned over.
- Then the cheese mass is dried in the same room by removing the fabric.
- After pressing, the layers are cut into pieces and placed in Lori cheese molds, also covered with serpyanka.
- For self-pressing, 6-7 hours are enough, during which time the future heads are periodically turned over.
- After compaction, the intermediate product is placed in a cool brine - 12-14 ° C with a concentration of 16-18%. After 2 weeks, the heads are packed in cling film and transferred to ripening chambers with a cool microclimate of 4-6 ° C and a humidity of 80-85%. You can taste the cheese in 1, 5 months.
In production conditions, the technology of Lori cheese has some peculiarities. Be sure to introduce a bacterial starter culture, first cut the kale into cubes with edges of 0.8-1 cm, and then grind it to the size of rice grains, pumping it into a vat for kneading the cheese mass. While the curd mass with whey passes through the "milk pipe", it stratifies, and grinding occurs automatically. The serum is also removed with a hose. Due to dry salting, they shorten the holding time in the brine. After self-pressing on a drainage table, the layers are cut and rubbed with dry salt, and only then they are placed in vats with cool liquid. The heads are dried at room temperature for 1-2 days, and then packed and transferred to a chamber with 6-8 ° C, where it is stored until delivery to the consumer. Once this variety matured open in cold natural grottoes, mold often appeared on it. Now it matures under the film, and the introduction of foreign microorganisms does not occur.
When made at home, Lori cheese looks more like feta cheese, only saltier and more porous, dense, with a piquant aftertaste. Dairy products are closer to semi-hard cheeses.
Interesting facts about Lori cheese
According to reviews of Lori cheese by consumers who are not familiar with this variety since childhood, it is simply impossible to eat it, it is so salty. It is not advised to use it as an ingredient for sandwiches. In order not to grimace from salt and bitterness, the pieces have to be soaked, the bread will get wet. But it is suitable for cheese sauces, pasta or meat dishes made by baking.
It is not surprising that Lori cheese appeared in Armenia, a country in a hot climate. In the absence of refrigerators, a slightly salted fermented milk product will quickly deteriorate.
The variety was developed on the basis of soft brine and semi-hard cheeses, combining qualities and tastes, about 200 years ago. But the modern version, as already mentioned, appeared only after the invention of vacuum packaging. Previously, a thin crust formed on the heads, which was washed during aging, since mold often appeared on it.
There were attempts to import Lori, but they failed. In the fall of 2013, the variety was banned from selling in the United States. The reason was characterized as follows: "increased microbiological hazard." The references indicated that the pathogenic flora was identified when the storage and transportation conditions were violated.
When visiting Armenia, one should not buy Lori cheese for friends and acquaintances as a gift to get acquainted with the national flavor. It is better to bring pieces of dried baklava or sharokh (churchkhella or sweet sujukh) with you. It is better to eat salted cheese yourself. And store only in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, and no longer than 3 days.
Watch the video about Lori cheese:
