Sulguni

Ingredients

Milk

• 8 litreswhole cow’s milk, not UHT, ideally raw from a trusted dairy; buffalo milk is the Samegrelo original
• ¼ tspmesophilic starter culture, or 200 ml live natural yoghurt
• 2 mlliquid rennet, diluted in 50 ml cool unchlorinated water
• 10 mlcalcium chloride solution, only if the milk is pasteurised

Brine

• 2 litrescooled whey or water
• 360 gfine salt, for an 18 per cent brine

Optional smoking

• Alder or hornbeam wood chips

Directions

1. Warm the milk slowly to 32–34°C (90–95°F), stir in the starter and hold 45 minutes for the acidity to begin building.
2. Stir in the diluted rennet with 20 up-and-down strokes, still the milk and leave it undisturbed 40–45 minutes until it gives a clean break on a knife.
3. Cut the curd into 1.5 cm cubes and rest 5 minutes, then stir gently while raising the temperature to 36–38°C (95–100°F) over 20 minutes, until the cubes shrink and feel springy.
4. Drain off the whey, keeping 2 litres back, and let the curd knit into a slab under its own weight.
5. Now mature the curd at 32–34°C (90–95°F) for 3–6 hours, turning it occasionally, until the pH falls to about 5.0–5.2. Test it: drop a strip in water at 75°C (165°F) and pull; when it stretches into a long shiny ribbon without tearing, it is ready. Too early it crumbles, too late it goes short and greasy.
6. Slice the ripe curd into finger-width strips. Heat the reserved whey to 70–75°C (160–165°F) and work the strips in it with a wooden spoon until they fuse into one glossy, elastic mass.
7. Fold the hot mass over on itself repeatedly, like kneading toffee, then tuck the edges under to make a smooth ball with no seams and press it into a bowl to form a flat disc about 15 cm across.
8. Drop the disc into cold whey or iced water for 30 minutes to firm the skin and hold the shape.
9. Float it in the 18 per cent brine at 10–12°C (50–55°F) for 12–24 hours, turning once. Young sulguni is eaten from here: springy, squeaky and mildly sour.
10. For the smoked version, dry the surface a day in the fridge, then cold-smoke over alder or hornbeam at under 30°C (85°F) for 4–6 hours until amber.

Technique

• Sulguni is a pasta filata cheese, cousin to mozzarella and kashkaval. The single decisive variable is curd acidity at stretching, which is why cheesemakers test a strip in hot water rather than watching the clock.
• Raw milk carries a genuine risk of listeria, salmonella and E. coli. Use milk from a dairy you trust, or pasteurise at 63°C (145°F) for 30 minutes and add calcium chloride to restore the set.
• Keep the brine at 18 per cent and cold, and change it if it turns cloudy or ropey; weak brine softens the rind and lets spoilage bacteria in.
• Overworking the hot curd squeezes out butterfat and gives a tough, rubbery cheese that will never melt properly.

Substitutions

• For a vegetarian cheese use microbial or fig-derived rennet at the same dose; the set is a touch softer and the flavour slightly more bitter with long ageing.
• No starter culture: 200 ml live yoghurt or a cup of clean whey from a previous batch will acidify the milk, just more slowly.

Variations

• Fresh young sulguni, brined a day and eaten within the week.
• Smoked sulguni from Samegrelo, hung above the hearth until amber and firm.
• Sulguni in matsoni or sour cream, a Megrelian breakfast, and the melting cheese inside elarji and khachapuri.

History

Kneaded pulled-curd cheese of Samegrelo and Svaneti; the melting heart of Megrelian khachapuri and of elarji.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sulguni?

Sulguni is a cheese & dairy from Georgia: springy brined cheese from Samegrelo, often smoked, melted into breads. Kneaded pulled-curd cheese of Samegrelo and Svaneti; the melting heart of Megrelian khachapuri and of elarji.

How long does Sulguni take to make?

Sulguni takes 1 hr of preparation and 8 hr, plus 24 hr in brine of cooking. The recipe makes about 1 kg cheese. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Sulguni?

Yes, within limits. For a vegetarian cheese use microbial or fig-derived rennet at the same dose; the set is a touch softer and the flavour slightly more bitter with long ageing. No starter culture: 200 ml live yoghurt or a cup of clean whey from a previous batch will acidify the milk, just more slowly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sulguni?

Sulguni is a pasta filata cheese, cousin to mozzarella and kashkaval. The single decisive variable is curd acidity at stretching, which is why cheesemakers test a strip in hot water rather than watching the clock.