Sirene ( ; /; ; ), also known as "white brine sirene" (), is a type of brined cheese 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, buffalo 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 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). 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 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 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 – 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 – 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 * Romania: telemea * Russia: bryndza (Брынза) * Türkiye: beyaz peynir – white cheese * Ukraine: bryndza (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