Sirene
Encyclopedia
Sirene/ Sirenje or known as "white brine sirene" ' onMouseout='HidePop("2145")' href="/topics/Bulgaria">Bulgaria
, the Republic of Macedonia
and other Balkan countries. It was originally made of goat
's milk, but the predominant variation today is made of the cheaper cow's milk, sheep milk
or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 40-45%. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking.
, is a national food of all the countries in Balkans
. Many Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians and Greeks regularly eat some sirene or yoghurt in some form. In Macedonia especially are popular the Maleševo and Mavrovo cheese.
Traditional dishes using sirene are:
Soups: Potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба).
Salads: Shopska salad
with tomato
es, bell pepper
s, cucumber
s, onion
s and sirene. Ovcharska salad ("shepherd's salad") with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.
Eggs: Fried eggs and omelettes with sirene. There is also a popular kind of boiled eggs over mashed sirene with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, parsley and walnuts (яйца по панагюрски; eggs à la Panagyurishte
).
Pasta and cornmeal
: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or ketchup
. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка, jufka", Macedonian: "јуфки, jufki" or "кори, kori ") with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal, polenta
or the Romanian mămăligă
) is always eaten with sirene.
Pastry: The traditional banitsa and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.
Stuffed peppers: Stuffed peppers
are more often made with rice filling but there is a very popular recipe with sirene-and-eggs filling.
Also it is consumed as an appetizer.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and other Balkan countries. It was originally made of goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's milk, but the predominant variation today is made of the cheaper cow's milk, sheep milk
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...
or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 40-45%. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking.
Recipes
Sirene, together with yoghurtYoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
, is a national food of all the countries in Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Many Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians and Greeks regularly eat some sirene or yoghurt in some form. In Macedonia especially are popular the Maleševo and Mavrovo cheese.
Traditional dishes using sirene are:
Soups: Potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба).
Shopska salad
Shopska salad is a traditional Bulgarian cold salad popular throughout the Balkans and Central Europe.It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers , sirene Shopska salad (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian: Шопска салата; Croatian: Šopska salata; Romanian: Salata bulgărească;...
with tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, bell pepper
Bell pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...
s, cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
s, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s and sirene. Ovcharska salad ("shepherd's salad") with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.
Eggs: Fried eggs and omelettes with sirene. There is also a popular kind of boiled eggs over mashed sirene with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, parsley and walnuts (яйца по панагюрски; eggs à la Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Panagyurishte...
).
Pasta and cornmeal
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка, jufka", Macedonian: "јуфки, jufki" or "кори, kori ") with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal, polenta
Polenta
Polenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...
or the Romanian mămăligă
Mamaliga
Mămăligă is a porridge made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania and Moldova. It is similar to the Italian polenta.In Transylvania and in Carpathia mămăligă is also called puliszka...
) is always eaten with sirene.
Pastry: The traditional banitsa and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.
Stuffed peppers: Stuffed peppers
Stuffed peppers
Stuffed peppers is a dish which exists in different names and forms around the world.- India :Stuffed Peppers is one of several stuffed vegetable dishes in Indian cuisine...
are more often made with rice filling but there is a very popular recipe with sirene-and-eggs filling.
Also it is consumed as an appetizer.
Sirene (and similar cheeses) in other countries
Similar cheeses are known in other countries by different names:- GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
: FetaFetaFeta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
- Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) - IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
: Bulgarit (בולגרית) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)' - LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
: Bulghari (بلغاري) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)' - RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
: TelemeaTelemeaTelemea is the name of the traditional Romanian cheese. The term encompasses cheese made out of cow milk and more often, sheep milk. As is the case in Greek feta, Bulgarian/Macedonian sirene, and Serbian sir; Telemea can have a higher water content, making it a semi-soft, white cheese with a...
, BrinzaBrînzaBrînza is a commune in Cahul district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Brînza.... - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
: BryndzaBryndzaBryndza is a sheep milk cheese made in Central and Eastern Europe. Recipes differ slightly across the countries.-Etymology:Brânză or brînză is the generic word for "cheese" in Romanian, there is no special type of cheese associated with it...
(Брынза) - TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
: Beyaz peynirBeyaz peynirBeyaz peynir is a salty, white cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The cheese has a slightly grainy appearance and is similar to Greek feta cheese....
'White cheese' - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
: Cotija cheeseCotija cheeseCotija is a hard cow's milk cheese that originated from Mexico. It is named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán.Cotija comes in two primary versions. El queso Cotija de Montaña or "grain cheese" is dry and firm, with little taste beyond salt... - IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
: Tabrizi: 'White cheese (paneer)'