Traditional Cheeses in Southeastern Anatolia Region in Turkey

In Southeastern Anatolia region, various cheese varieties such as Urfa Cheese, Antep Cheese, Diyarbakır Örgü Cheese, Adıyaman Şuji Cheese and Siirt Otlu Cheese are produced from ewe’s and goat’s milk.

Urfa cheese is a semi-hard, white-brined cheese with generally a spherical shape and the diameter of around 5-7 centimetres. Antep cheese is another semi-hard cheese type which is manufactured from ewe’s or goat’s milk or the mixtures of them and stored in brine. This cheese is usually 3-4 cm long and 2 cm thick, rectangular or cube shaped. Diyarbakır Örgü cheese is a hard pasta-filata type cheese variety which is stored in brine. This cheese is made from ewe’s or goat’s milk or the mixtures of them and is like a hair braid is shape. Adıyaman Şuji cheese is a semi-hard, white-brined cheese variety which is made from cow’s milk or sheep’s milk or goat’s milk or the mixtures of them. This cheese is in the form of an accordion-like circle with a diameter of about 7-10 centimetres. Although Otlu cheese is mainly produced in Eastern Anatolia region, it is also produced in Diyarbakır and Siirt villages in the Southeastern Anatolia region. The main difference of these cheeses is Van Otlu cheese is ripened in brine, but Siirt Otlu cheese is ripened without brine. Siirt Otlu cheese is manufactured from ewe’s or goat’s milk and stored in a plastic container or sheep’s skin bag by burying it underground.

Keywords: Adıyaman Şuji cheese, Antep cheese, Diyarbakır Örgü cheese, Siirt Otlu cheese, Urfa cheese.