Ingredients
Curd
- 5 litreswhole milk — sheep’s, cow’s or buffalo
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ¼ tspmesophilic starter, or 4 tbsp live yoghurt
- ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
Brine
- 1 litrewater
- 120 gcoarse non-iodised salt — a 12% brine
- 2 tbspwhey from the cheese
Directions
- Warm the milk to 32°C (90°F) and stir in the calcium chloride if using pasteurised shop milk.
- Stir in the starter, cover, and leave 45 minutes for the milk to acidify slightly.
- Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, stop the milk moving, and leave undisturbed for an hour until it gives a clean break.
- Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes, leave 10 minutes, then stir gently for 20 minutes while raising the temperature to 35°C (95°F).
- Ladle the curd into a muslin-lined mould and press under a light weight — 1 to 2 kg is plenty — for 12 hours, turning once.
- Cut the pressed cheese into blocks and pack them into a jar. Dissolve the salt in the water, stir in a little whey, cool completely and pour it over so the blocks are submerged.
- The brine must be cold. Warm brine softens the surface and the blocks slump into one another.
- Leave in the fridge at least two weeks before eating. It goes on improving for two or three months, growing saltier and more crumbly. Soak a slice briefly in cold water if it is too salty to eat straight.
Technique
- Whey in the brine matters. Plain salt water pulls calcium out of the cheese and leaves a slimy softening surface.
- Twelve percent is not a suggestion — a weaker brine will not hold the cheese for months.
- Sheep’s milk gives the traditional telemea; cow’s is milder and what most people will make.
Substitutions
- Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter.
- Buffalo milk, which is used in Romania and is richer.
- Vegetarian microbial rennet.
Variations
- Eaten fresh after pressing and before brining, when it is mild and squeaky.
- The Bulgarian sirene and Greek feta are the same family of brined white cheese.
History
Romania’s brined white cheese, made from sheep, cow or buffalo milk; the Ibănești version holds EU protected designation of origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Telemea?
Telemea is a cheese & dairy from Romania: white brined cheese sliced onto bread with tomatoes. Romania’s brined white cheese, made from sheep, cow or buffalo milk; the Ibănești version holds EU protected designation of origin.
How long does Telemea take to make?
Telemea takes 45 min plus 12 hours pressing and 2 weeks in brine of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Telemea?
Yes, within limits. Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter. Buffalo milk, which is used in Romania and is richer. Vegetarian microbial rennet.
What is the most important thing to get right in Telemea?
The brine must be cold. Warm brine softens the surface and the blocks slump into one another.
