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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Indonesia, South Sulawesi

Dangkedangke

Fresh buffalo or cow milk is heated and set with papain-rich latex from young papaya, and the curd is shaped in a coconut shell and wrapped in banana leaf. It is a boundary entry, not a microbial ferment; a study of dangke samples calls it an unfermented dairy product. Made in 6 steps over 2 days. The longest step, keep briefly, takes 2 days (Al-Baarri A.N 2018).

Key numbers
Main step2 daysReported[albaarri2018]Keep briefly
Temperature75 °CReported[albaarri2018]Heat the milk
AciditypH 6.2–6.8Measured[albaarri2018]Keep briefly

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceOne litre of milk, the lab method of one study, which yielded 680 g of dangke.
1 LFresh cow milk · Lab method; buffalo milk is also used[albaarri2018]
0.3% w/vLatex from young papaya · Its papain enzyme sets the casein; unripe papaya latex leaves a slightly bitter taste[albaarri2018]
Salt · Commonly used to help keep it[albaarri2018]
Coconut shell and banana leaf · To shape and wrap the curd[albaarri2018]
Starternone; papain from papaya latex sets the curd

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: fresh buffalo or cow milk

Step 1 of 6
Take fresh milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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

Dangke is set by a plant enzyme, papain from papaya latex, in heated milk, with no souring culture at all. Its curd is shaped in a coconut shell and sold in a banana leaf.

Milk
Fresh buffalo or cow milk
Coagulant
Papain in the latex of young papaya, with heat
Keeping
About 2 days at room temperature

Related ferments

Variants

  • Buffalo-milk dangkeMade from buffalo milk.
  • Cow-milk dangkeMade from cow milk.

Safety

Dangke is not fermented and has a near-neutral pH (about 6.2–6.8), so there is no acid to slow spoilage; it keeps only about 2 days at room temperature. Staphylococcus aureus has been found in dangke and on the skin of its makers, so clean handling matters.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus (nuc gene confirmed in 4 of 14 dangke samples; also on the skin of 4 of 10 dangke makers).

History and sources

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

Dangke comes from Enrekang in South Sulawesi and is now also sent to Java and Sumatra as tourism grows.

  1. [albaarri2018] Al-Baarri A.N., Legowo A.M., Arum S.K., Hayakawa S. 2018, Extending shelf life of Indonesian soft milk cheese (dangke) by lactoperoxidase system and lysozyme, International Journal of Food Science 2018:4305395paper
  2. [juwita2022] Juwita S., Indrawati A., Damajanti R., Safika S., Mayasari N.L.P.I. 2022, Genetic relationship of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from humans, animals, environment, and Dangke products in dairy farms of South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, Veterinary World 15:558–564paper