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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Armenia, Georgia

Chechilչեչիլ

Skimmed cow milk is left to sour, then set and heated with stirring until the curd pieces stick together and can be pulled into threads by hand. The threads are coiled, cooled and tied into rope-like bundles of white, salty cheese that smells of cultured milk; a smoked form also exists. Made in 5 steps over 5 min – 10 min. The longest step, set the curd, takes 5–10 min (Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia 2012) and runs at 38–40 °C (Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia 2012). Lactic bacteria that sour the milk before setting does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step5–10 minSet[meskh-spec]Set the curd
Temperature38–40 °CSet[meskh-spec]Set the curd

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe Georgian specification gives no amounts; a finished bundle weighs 0.5–3 kg.
Skimmed cow milk · Ripened to 45–50 °T acidity before setting, in the Georgian specification[meskh-spec]
Salt · The finished cheese tastes quite salty[meskh-spec]
Starter: natural acid development in the milk (45–50 °T)

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 min – 10 min

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
Milk sugarLactic acidshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: Skimmed cow milk is left to sour before it is set

Step 1 of 5
Let the skimmed milk sour
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: soured skimmed milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

lactic bacteria raise the acidity

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Chechil is made from skimmed milk that is soured before setting, so the curd stretches at a low 38–40 °C in the Georgian rules. It is pulled into threads and tied into ropes, not shaped into balls like most pasta filata cheeses.

Milk
Skimmed cow milk
Size
0.5–3 kg rope-like bundles

Related ferments

Variants

  • Smoked chechilThe same cheese, smoked.
  • Meskhuri chechili (Georgia)The Georgian GI form, from fat-free cow milk in Samtskhe-Javakheti.
  • Civil peyniri (Erzurum)Turkish PGI relative from skimmed cow milk, clotted by heat at 52–53 °C and stirred to 65–70 °C before kneading and hanging.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [meskh-spec] Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, Meskhetian Chechili, geographical indication specification (Georgian registration no. 8, 24 January 2012), published by the UK governmentspec
  2. [denk2025] Denk E. 2025, An important cheese in Turkish cuisine, a research on PGI-registered Erzurum civil cheese, Journal of Ethnic Foods 12:17paper