Sirene , officially called the "white brine sirene" is a type of
brine cheeseBrine cheese is a kind of cheese that is soaked in brine for a period of between hours and weeks during the maturation process. Telemea variant of brinza, sirene and feta are well-known examples....
made in South-Eastern Europe, especially popular in
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
, the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and other Balkan countries. It was originally made of
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's milk, but the predominant variation today is made of the cheaper cow's milk,
sheep milkSheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Bulgaria and Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano ...
or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 40-45%. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture.
Sirene , officially called the "white brine sirene" is a type of
brine cheeseBrine cheese is a kind of cheese that is soaked in brine for a period of between hours and weeks during the maturation process. Telemea variant of brinza, sirene and feta are well-known examples....
made in South-Eastern Europe, especially popular in
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
, the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and other Balkan countries. It was originally made of
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's milk, but the predominant variation today is made of the cheaper cow's milk,
sheep milkSheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Bulgaria and Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano ...
or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 40-45%. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking.
Recipes
Sirene, together with
yoghurtYoghurt or yogurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of lactose produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its texture and its characteristic tang...
, is a national food of all the countries in
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Many Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians and Greeks regularly eat some sirene or yoghourt in some form.
Traditional dishes using sirene are:
Soups: Potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба).
Salads:
Shopska saladShopska salad is a dish popular in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania and the Czech Republic...
with
tomatoThe tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es,
bell pepperBell pepper is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, green and orange. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers". Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America...
s,
cucumberThe cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon.- Botany :...
s,
onionOnion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
s and sirene. Ovcharska salad ("shepherd's salad") with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.
Eggs: Fried eggs and omelettes with sirene. There is also a popular kind of boiled eggs over mashed sirene with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, parsley and walnuts (яйца по панагюрски; eggs a la
PanagyurishtePanagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. The town is situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. As of 2005 Panagyurishte has a population of 20,938 and the mayor...
).
Pasta and
cornmealCornmeal is flour ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour...
: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or
ketchupKetchup , also known as tomato ketchup, tomato sauce, red sauce, Tommy sauce, Tommy K, or dead horse, is a condiment, usually made from tomatoes...
. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка", Macedonian: "јуфки" or "кори") with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal,
polentaPolenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed into English from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal originally made with Chestnut meal in ancient times. It can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture...
or the Romanian
mămăligăMămăligă is a dish made out of yellow maize traditional for Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. It is better known to the rest of the world in its Italian form - polenta....
) is always eaten with sirene.
Pastry: The traditional banitsa and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.
Stuffed peppers:
Stuffed peppersStuffed peppers is a dish which exists in different names and forms around the world.-India:Stuffed Peppers is one of several stuffed vegetable dishes in Indian cuisine...
are more often made with rice filling but there is a very popular recipe with sirene-and-eggs filling.
Also it is consumed as an appetizer.
Sirene (and similar cheeses) in other countries
Similar cheeses are known in other countries by different names:
- Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
: FetaFeta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in (Greece. A sheep's milk cheese, varying amounts of goats’ milk may be added, as long as goat milk makes up less than 30% of the total...
- Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
- Israel
Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
: Bulgarit (בולגרית) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)'
- Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
: Bulghari (بلغاري) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)'
- Romania
Romania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
: TelemeaTelemea is the name of the traditional Romanian cheese. The term encompasses cheese made out of cow milk and more often, sheep milk. As is the case in Greek feta, Bulgarian/Macedonian sirene, and Serbian sir; Telemea can have a higher water content, making it a semi-soft, white cheese with a...
, Brinza
- Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
: Brinza (Брынза)
- Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
: Beyaz peynirBeyaz peynir is a salty, white cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The cheese has a slightly grainy appearance and is similar to Greek feta cheese....
'White cheese'
- Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
: Cotija 'Queso Cotija'