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Kasseri (Greek: κασέρι,Turkish:kaşar[1]) is a medium-hard or hard pale yellow cheese made from pasteurised or unpasteurisedsheep milk and at most 20%goat's milk.[2] "Kasseri" is aprotected designation of origin, according to which the cheese must be made in the Greek provinces ofThessaly,Macedonia,Lesbos, orXanthi,[2] but a similar type of cheese is found inTurkey,[3]Romania, and theBalkans, where it is known askashkaval. The same cheese is made with cow's milk, but in that case it cannot be legally sold as "kasseri" in theEU and is instead sold under names that are particular to each producer.
Kasseri is of semi-hard to hard consistency, smooth rather than crumbly, chewy, and with a hard rind. It belongs to thepasta filata family of cheeses, which includes fresh cheeses likemozzarella and aged ones likeProvolone andCaciocavallo.[3] Kasseri is made by heating milk to 36 °C (97 °F) and adding enoughrennet for a curd to set in 45 minutes.[2] Once the curd has set, it is divided into pieces about the size of amaize cob and then cooked at 38–40 °C (100–104 °F) while stirring.[2] Afterwards, the curd is transferred to draining tables, where it is ground to small pieces by hand, tightly bound in cheesecloth, topped with a small weight, and left to drain and ferment until itspH is about 5.2. The curd is then cut into thin slices, placed in hot water at 70–80 °C (158–176 °F), and kneaded until it becomes a malleable mass that can be spun into a smooth thread of at least 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) in length.[2] The kneaded cheese mass is salted and then put into molds for two or three days. Finally, it is taken out of the mold and aged for at least three months at a temperature of 18 °C (64 °F).[2]
The name kasseri is said to come from Turkishkaşer, which in turn comes from Hebrew כָּשֵׁר (kosher).[4] The explanation is that the lack of use of rennet during its invention by the Jews of Kırkkilise (modernKırklareli, Turkey) made the cheese fit for the requirements of the Jewish law.[5] However, rennet is in fact used in the making of kasseri therefore the above is likely a case offolk etymology.
Kasseri is consumed insandwiches as the main constituent inkasseropita andsaganaki.[citation needed]
Assyrians use Kasseri cheese to make a traditional Assyrian cheese dish, calledgupta tomirta (ܓܘܒܬܐ ܜܘܡܪܬܐ 'buried cheese'), that is topped withcumin and sometimes other seasonings.[citation needed]
