Sirene ( ; /; ; ), also known as "white brine sirene" (), is a type of

brined cheese Brined cheese, also sometimes referred to as pickled cheese for some varieties, is cheese that is matured in brine in an airtight or semi-permeable container. This process gives the cheese good stability, inhibiting bacterial growth even in warme ...

originating from

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. It is made of the milk of goats,

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

or a mixture thereof.,
Characteristics of major traditional regional cheese varieties of East-Mediterranean countries: a review
, Efstathios Alichanidis & Anna Polychroniadou, Dairy Sciеnce & Technology, Volume 88, Number 4–5, July–October 2008 It is slightly crumbly, with at least 46–48% of dry matter containing 44–48% of fat. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, in salads, and in baking. In 2023, the name "Bulgarsko byalo salamureno sirene" was registered as a

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

in the European Union.

Recipes

Traditional dishes using sirene are: Soups: potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба). Salads:

shopska salad Shopska salad ( Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian: ''Шопска салата''; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a cold salad popular throughout Southeastern Europe. It is Bulgaria's most famous salad and national dish. Ingredients and serving The dish is ...

with tomatoes,

bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as sweet pepper, paprika, pepper, capsicum or, in some parts of the US midwest, mango) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in diff ...

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.Panagyurishte Panagyurishte (, also transliterated ''Panagjurište'', ) 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. The town is ...

). Pasta and

cornmeal Maize meal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize. It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', Third Editi ...

: for breakfast,

macaroni Macaroni (), known in Italian as ''maccheroni'', is a pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as "elbow macaroni". Some ...

or flat noodles (Bulgarian: юфка; yufka) with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal,

polenta Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled. The variety of cereal used is ...

or the Romanian

mămăligă Mămăligă (;) is a polenta-like dish made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania, Moldova, south-west regions of Ukraine and among Poles in Ukraine (''mamałyga''), Hungary (''puliszka''), the Black Sea regions of Georgia (country), ...

) is always eaten with sirene. Pastry: the traditional

banitsa Banitsa ( Bulgarian: баница), also transliterated as banica and banitza, is a traditional pastry made in Bulgaria. It is also made in Budjak, where it is known as milina by Ukrainian Bulgarians; North Macedonia; and southeastern Serbia. ...

and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.

Stuffed peppers Stuffed peppers is a dish common in many cuisines. It consists of hollowed or halved bell peppers filled with any of a variety of fillings, often including meat, vegetables, cheese, rice, or sauce. The dish is usually assembled by filling the ca ...

are more often stuffed with rice, but are also made with sirene-and-eggs filling. It is also consumed as an

appetiser An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or th ...

Similar cheeses in other countries

Many Balkan and other cheeses are similar to (but not the same as) sirene, and are known by various names. The local consumers of each country are usually well aware of the differences between the various white cheeses. Part of the differences are that the breeds of sheep and goats in each region are different, and their feed may have specific regional characteristics that affect the taste and texture of cheese made from their milk. * Albania: djathë i bardhë – white cheese * Czech Republic:

Balkánský sýr Balkánský sýr () is a type of white brined cheese produced from cow's milk in Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is a salty semi-hard white cheese, analogous to Bulgarian sirene, and Greek feta. It is usually not matured (). It is mainly used as ...

– Balkan cheese * Greece:

feta Feta ( ; ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brin ...

–

(PDO) * Iran: Lighvan or Tabrizi

paneer Paneer (), is a fresh acid-set cheese, common in cuisine of South Asia, made from cow milk or buffalo milk. It is a non-aged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice. Pa ...

– cheese of Lighvan or

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

* Israel: Bulgarit (בולגרית) – Bulgarian (cheese) * Lebanon: Bulghari (بلغاري) – Bulgarian (cheese) * Mexico:

cotija cheese Cotija ( , ) is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán. White in color and firm in texture, its flavor is salty and milky. "Young" (or fresher) cotija cheese has been described as akin to a mil ...

* Romania:

telemea Telemea () is the name of a Romanian cheese traditionally made of sheep's milk.About Telemea
at cheese.com

* Russia:

bryndza Bryndza or brynza is a sheep milk cheese made across the countries in Central and Eastern Europe, most notably in Slovakia and Moldova. Bryndza cheese is creamy white in appearance, known for its characteristic strong smell and taste. The chee ...

(Брынза) * Türkiye:

beyaz peynir Beyaz peynir (, ) is a brine cheese produced from unpasteurized sheep, cow or goat milk. The cheese has a slightly grainy appearance and is similar to lighvan, feta, sirene and other Balkan white cheeses. Vegetable rennet is added to the she ...

– white cheese * Ukraine:

(бринза)

References

{{Cuisine of Bulgaria Albanian cheeses Bulgarian cheeses Serbian cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses Lebanese cuisine Iranian cuisine Israeli cheeses Brined white cheeses

Recipes

Similar cheeses in other countries

See also

References