A brined sheep’s cheese pitted with small holes, sharp and crumbly, from Lighvan village near Tabriz. It is ripened in skins or tins for months and is Iran’s most prized cheese.
It is a raw-milk cheese ripened submerged in brine for months in a controlled cool store, and its character comes from one village’s mountain pasture.
What goes into it
- raw sheep’s milk, sometimes with goat’s milk
- rennet
- salt for the brine
How it is made
Raw milk from the mountain flocks is set with rennet, the curd cut and drained under weights, then cut into blocks and packed in tins or animal skins with brine. It ripens submerged for three months or more in a cool cellar, developing its small eyes and its sharp salty bite.
How long it takes: three to six months in brine
How it is eaten
With sangak bread, walnuts and fresh herbs for breakfast, or in a sabzi khordan spread.
History
From Lighvan village near Tabriz, ripened in skins or tins for months; Iran’s most prized cheese.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lighvan cheese?
Lighvan cheese is a cheese & dairy from Iran: brined sheep cheese pitted with small holes, sharp and crumbly. From Lighvan village near Tabriz, ripened in skins or tins for months; Iran’s most prized cheese.
How is Lighvan cheese made?
Raw milk from the mountain flocks is set with rennet, the curd cut and drained under weights, then cut into blocks and packed in tins or animal skins with brine. It ripens submerged for three months or more in a cool cellar, developing its small eyes and its sharp salty bite. It takes three to six months in brine.
Can I make Lighvan cheese at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a raw-milk cheese ripened submerged in brine for months in a controlled cool store, and its character comes from one village’s mountain pasture.
What goes into Lighvan cheese?
Raw sheep’s milk, sometimes with goat’s milk, rennet, salt for the brine.
How is Lighvan cheese eaten?
With sangak bread, walnuts and fresh herbs for breakfast, or in a sabzi khordan spread.
