Tresse cheese, also known as ''jibneh mshallaleh'' (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: جبنة مشللة), is a form of

string cheese String cheese is any of several different types of cheese where the manufacturing process aligns the proteins in the cheese, making it stringy. When mozzarella is heated to 60 °C (140 °F) and then stretched, the milk proteins line ...

originating in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. It can be eaten plain, or mixed with pastries.Roufs, Timothy. Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture The cheese is properly mixed with

mahleb Mahleb or mahlepi is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of a species of cherry, '' Prunus mahaleb'' (the Mahaleb or St Lucie cherry). The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5 mm diameter, soft and chewy ...

, which is often mixed with '' Nigella sativa'' (black cumin),

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

or caraway seeds. It is soaked in

brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...

for several weeks before being braided. Described as a "fine white semi-soft smooth and springy cheese...similar to

mozzarella Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy. It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names: * or mozz ...

" with a "nutty" aroma it is traditionally made from

cow's milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Milk contains many nutr ...

, but variations are found with sheep or goat milk. It can be used as a substitute for Mexican

Oaxaqueno Oaxaca cheese () ( ), also known as quesillo and queso de hebra, is a white, semihard, low-fat cheese that originated in Mexico. It is similar to unaged Monterey Jack, but with a texture similar to mozzarella or string cheese. History It is nam ...

cheese.

History

It is believed to have originated in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

as ''majdouleh'', before being taken to Aleppo.

Availability

Canadian versions of the cheese are produced by Fromagerie Marie Kade in

Boisbriand, Quebec Boisbriand () is an Greater Montreal, off-island suburb of Montreal, at the entrance of the Lower-Laurentides in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the North Shore (Montreal), north shore of the Rivière des Mille Îles in the Thérèse-De Blainvi ...

References

{{reflist, 2

History

Availability

See also

References

Further reading