A mould-ripened mountain curd cheese from Pshavi and Mtiuleti, pungent and crumbly, melted into butter and eaten with bread. Georgia recognises it as intangible cultural heritage, and it is hung to mould in clay pots.
It depends on a specific wild mould colonising the curd in a mountain house, then months sealed in clay at ambient temperature — what grows on curd hung in a different kitchen is not the same organism.
What goes into it
- skimmed sour milk curd
- salt
- a clay pot
How it is made
Curd from skimmed soured milk is drained hard, shaped into balls and hung in a warm dark place until a mould covers them completely — several weeks. The moulded balls are then washed, salted, packed into a clay pot and sealed, where they ripen for months more into a sharp, crumbly cheese.
How long it takes: several weeks to mould, then two to six months in the pot
How it is eaten
Melted with butter and eaten with bread or mchadi, or added to khinkali filling.
History
A Pshavi and Mtiuleti cheese hung to mould in clay pots; Georgia recognises it as intangible cultural heritage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dambalkhacho?
Dambalkhacho is a cheese & dairy from Georgia: mould-ripened mountain curd cheese, pungent and crumbly, melted into butter dishes. A Pshavi and Mtiuleti cheese hung to mould in clay pots; Georgia recognises it as intangible cultural heritage.
How is Dambalkhacho made?
Curd from skimmed soured milk is drained hard, shaped into balls and hung in a warm dark place until a mould covers them completely — several weeks. The moulded balls are then washed, salted, packed into a clay pot and sealed, where they ripen for months more into a sharp, crumbly cheese. It takes several weeks to mould, then two to six months in the pot.
Can I make Dambalkhacho at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It depends on a specific wild mould colonising the curd in a mountain house, then months sealed in clay at ambient temperature — what grows on curd hung in a different kitchen is not the same organism.
What goes into Dambalkhacho?
Skimmed sour milk curd, salt, a clay pot.
How is Dambalkhacho eaten?
Melted with butter and eaten with bread or mchadi, or added to khinkali filling.
