Sirene

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Sirene
Country of origin Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia
Region, town N/A
Region Balkan (Eastern Europe)
Source of milk Goats, Sheep, Cows
Pasteurised Depends on variety
Texture Depends on variety
Aging time min. 3 months

Sirene or Sirenje (Bulgarian: сирене, pronounced [ˈsirɛnɛ]; Macedonian: сирење, pronounced [ˈsireɲe]; Serbian/Croatian: сир, sir, Albanian: djath i bardhe) or known as "white brine sirene" (Bulgarian: бяло саламурено сирене, [ˈsirɛnɛ]; is a type of brine cheese made in South-Eastern Europe, especially popular in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece and also in Israel. It is made of goat milk, sheep milk, cow milk or a combination of milks.[1] It is slightly crumbly with min. dry matter of about 46-48% and fat content in dry matter of about 44-48%.[2] It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking.

Recipes

Sirene, together with yogurt, is a national food of all the countries in the Balkans. Many Romanians, Bulgarians, Bosnians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Albanians and Greeks regularly eat some sirene or yoghurt in some form.

Traditional dishes using sirene are:

Soups: Potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба).

Products for preparation of Bulgarian Shopska salad (including Sirene).

Salads: Shopska salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and sirene. Ovcharska salad ("shepherd's salad") with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.

Eggs: Fried eggs and omelettes with sirene. There is also a popular kind of boiled eggs over mashed sirene with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, parsley and walnuts (яйца по панагюрски; eggs à la Panagyurishte).

Pasta and cornmeal: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or ketchup. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка, yufka", Macedonian: "јуфки, jufki" or "кори, kori") with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal, polenta or the Romanian mămăligă) is always eaten with sirene.

Pastry: The traditional banitsa and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.

Stuffed peppers: Stuffed peppers are more often made with rice filling but there is a very popular recipe with sirene-and-eggs filling.

Also it is consumed as an appetizer.

Sirene (and similar cheeses) in other countries

Similar cheeses are known in other countries by different names:

See also

  1. ↑ , "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
  2. ↑ "The Bulgarian Institute for Standardization BDS 15:2010". The Bulgarian Institute for Standardization (BDS). 
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