Chhurpi () or ''durkha'' is a traditional
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
consumed in
Tibet. The two varieties of chhurpi are a soft variety (consumed usually as a side dish with rice) and a hard variety (chewed like
betel
The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...
).
Preparation
Chhurpi is prepared in a local
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
or at home from
buttermilk. The buttermilk is boiled and the solid mass that is obtained is separated from the liquid and wrapped and hung in a thin cloth to drain out the water. The product is rather like the Italian
ricotta, which also is made from
whey. It is soft, white, and neutral in taste. However, it is often left to ferment a bit to acquire a tangy taste.
To prepare the hard variety, the soft chhurpi is wrapped in a
jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
bag and pressed hard to get rid of the water. After it dries, it is cut into small cuboidal pieces and hung over fire to harden it further.
Consumption
Soft chhurpi is consumed in a variety of ways, including cooking with green vegetables as savoury dishes, as a filling for ''
momo'', grinding with tomatoes and chillies for ''senpen (''
chutney)and as a soup. In the mountainous regions of Tibet, chhurpi is consumed as a substitute for vegetables because it is an excellent source of protein.
Hard chhurpi is usually consumed by keeping it in the mouth to moisten it, letting parts of it become soft, and then chewing it like a gum. In this manner, one block of chhurpi can last up to two hours.
[Cooper, Robert and Yong Lui Jin "Cultures of the World: Bhutan".
]
See also
* Tibetan cheese
* Shosha (cheese) Shosha, also known as ''churul'' or ''churu'', is a type of soft cheese in Tibetan cuisine. Tibetan cheese is a staple food and is often made from animals suited to the climate such as yak and goat. It is a pungent cheese compared with blue chees ...
* List of cheeses
* List of Tibetan dishes
References
{{Reflist
Bhutanese cuisine
Indian cheeses
Nepalese cuisine
Tibetan cheeses
Tibetan cuisine
Yak's-milk cheeses