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Tzfatit, or Tzfat cheese (, ''gvina tsfattit'') is a semi-hard salty
Israeli cheese goes artisanal
/ref> The cheese has an elastic texture and low fat content. The milk is pasteurized at a low , which preserves the food proteins. Trimming is mainly based on the action of
Fresh Tzfatit is used in salads and sandwiches. The salted and aged variety can be grated for baking or cooking.
cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range 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 prod ...
produced in Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, originally from 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 ...
's milk. It was first produced in Safed
Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel.
Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
(''Tzfat'' in Hebrew) in 1840 and is still produced there by descendants of the original cheese makers.
History
The cheese was first produced around 1840 at HaMeiri Dairy, established in the home of Meir Arzoni (later HaMeiri), who immigrated to the Holy Land from from Qajar Iran. Gvina sfatit is a mild curd cheese molded in a basket that gives the cheese distinctive circular striations./ref> The cheese has an elastic texture and low fat content. The milk is pasteurized at a low , which preserves the food proteins. Trimming is mainly based on the action of
enzymes
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...
contained in a special ferment and on calcium chloride
Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound, a Salt (chemistry), salt with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline solid at room temperature, and it is highly soluble in water. It can be created by neutralising hydrochloric acid with cal ...
rather than on the action of lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
. The fermentation
Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...
is quick, about an hour. After most of the whey is separated, the cheese is stored in straw or plastic baskets for several hours to drain the remaining whey and form its round shape.
For the remainder of the draining time, the cheese is inverted several times to help the draining and to form the basket's pattern on all sides.
Fresh Tzfatit is used in salads and sandwiches. The salted and aged variety can be grated for baking or cooking.
Water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...
Tzfatit is usually flavored with ''Nigella sativa
''Nigella sativa'' (common names, black caraway, black cumin, nigella or kalonji) is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to western Asia (Arabia, the Levant, Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Iraq), and eastern Europe (Bulgari ...
'' seeds.
See also
*List of sheep milk cheeses
This is a list of sheep milk cheeses. Sheep milk cheese is prepared from sheep milk (or ewe's milk), the milk of domestic sheep. The milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, such as cheese.
Sheep milk cheeses
* Abbaye de ...
*Israeli cuisine
Israeli cuisine primarily comprises dishes brought from the Jewish diaspora, and has more recently been defined by the development of a notable fusion cuisine characterized by the mixing of Jewish cuisine and Arab cuisine.Gold, Rozann''A Region's ...
* List of Israeli cheeses
This article is a list of Israeli cheeses. Cheese in Israel dates back to the Ancient Israelite cuisine, Israelites who inhabited Israel in ancient times. In the modern era, there is a variety of cheeses in Israeli cuisine.
History
Ancient ...
References
{{Jewish cuisine Israeli cheeses Jewish cuisine Sheep's-milk cheeses Middle Eastern cheeses Brined white cheeses