A crumbly, sharp cheese ripened inside a goatskin bag — the tulum — in cool caves. Erzincan tulum holds a Turkish geographical indication, and the skin is the ripening vessel rather than the packaging.
The vessel is a cured animal skin ripened in a cave — the whole method — and it is a raw-milk cheese held for months without refrigeration.
What goes into it
- raw sheep’s or goat’s milk
- rennet
- salt
- a cured goatskin
How it is made
The milk is set with rennet, the curd drained hard in cloth, then crumbled, salted and packed tight into a cured goatskin with the air pressed out. The skin is sealed and matured in a cool cave for three months or more. It lets moisture out slowly while excluding air, and the cheese comes out oily, crumbly and very sharp.
How long it takes: three to six months in the skin
How it is eaten
Crumbled with bread and olives, or melted into dishes and pastries.
History
Matured in skin, called tulum, in cool caves; Erzincan tulum holds a Turkish geographical indication.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tulum cheese?
Tulum cheese is a cheese & dairy from Turkey: crumbly sharp cheese ripened inside a goatskin bag. Matured in skin, called tulum, in cool caves; Erzincan tulum holds a Turkish geographical indication.
How is Tulum cheese made?
The milk is set with rennet, the curd drained hard in cloth, then crumbled, salted and packed tight into a cured goatskin with the air pressed out. The skin is sealed and matured in a cool cave for three months or more. It lets moisture out slowly while excluding air, and the cheese comes out oily, crumbly and very sharp. It takes three to six months in the skin.
Can I make Tulum cheese at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. The vessel is a cured animal skin ripened in a cave — the whole method — and it is a raw-milk cheese held for months without refrigeration.
What goes into Tulum cheese?
Raw sheep’s or goat’s milk, rennet, salt, a cured goatskin.
How is Tulum cheese eaten?
Crumbled with bread and olives, or melted into dishes and pastries.
