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Cheese from Türkiye, Karaman province, Ayrancı district

Karaman Divle Obruğu Tulum PeyniriDivle Obruk peyniri

Raw goat, cow and sheep milk mixed 1:1:8 is set with rennet at 32–34 °C, the curd is heated briefly to 55 °C, pressed, washed in cool water and pressed again, then crumbled and salted at 2.7–3%. Packed tightly into goat or lamb skins, it ripens 90–120 days or more in the Divle sinkhole cave at about 4 °C, where blue, white and then brick-red moulds cover the skins.

Fully documentedCheese3.3 monthsDesignation of origin (TÜRKPATENT No 270, 2017)Family: Formaggio di fossa (pit-ripened)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe registration gives doses per 100 kg of milk. Skins of 1.5 kg or less and larger skins ripen for different minimum times.
Raw milk from animals grazing in Ayrancı1 part goat, 1 part cow, 8 parts sheep[divle-tp]
Rennet (abomasum, microbial or traditional)10 mL per 100 kg of milk, diluted with 4–6 times its volume of cold water[divle-tp]
Salt2.7–3% of the crumbled curd[divle-tp]
Goat or lamb skins, salted, hung for a year, shorn and sewn into bags[divle-tp]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.3 months

Start
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What changes: Raw goat, cow and sheep milk are mixed and strained through cloth

Step 1 of 8
Mix and strain the raw milks
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Moulds
Yeasts
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

At a glance

Raw goat, cow and sheep milk mixed 1:1:8 is set with rennet at 32–34 °C, the curd is heated briefly to 55 °C, pressed, washed in cool water and pressed again, then crumbled and salted at 2.7–3%. Packed tightly into goat or lamb skins, it ripens 90–120 days or more in the Divle sinkhole cave at about 4 °C, where blue, white and then brick-red moulds cover the skins. Made in 8 steps over 3.3 months. The longest step, ripen in the Divle cave, takes at least 3 months (TÜRKPATENT 2017) and runs at 3–5 °C (TÜRKPATENT 2017). Salt is 2.7–3 % (TÜRKPATENT 2017). Lactic acid bacteria, abundant during production and ripening; the authors link the build-up of peptides to them and The cave's own mould flora, which grows over the skins and ripens the cheese do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsSet[divle-tp]Ripen in the Divle cave
Temperature3–5 °CSet[divle-tp]Ripen in the Divle cave
Salt2.7–3 %Set[divle-tp]Crumble and salt
AciditypH 4.5–5.1Set[divle-tp]Ripen in the Divle cave

What makes this one different

Unlike other tulum cheeses it ripens in the Divle sinkhole cave, a natural cold store with its own mould flora; the curd is also washed in cool water and pressed twice.

Milk
Raw goat, cow and sheep milk mixed 1:1:8
Ripening
At least 90 days (skins up to 1.5 kg) or 120 days (larger) in the cave, about 5–6 months in all
Composition
As sold, salt 2.90–3.80%, dry matter 50.78–56.25%, fat in dry matter 29.80–37.20%
Cave
A natural cold store about 150 m long, 1.5–2 km south-east of the village; skins go in and out by lift

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is raw. The cave holds 4 ± 1 °C while cheese is inside, and skins of 1.5 kg or less ripen at least 90 days, larger skins at least 120 days. The registration gives acidity and pH ranges for the sold cheese. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not remove E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria may grow in certain cheeses during ageing. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid cheese made with raw milk unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

History and sources

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

Ripening tulum cheese in the Divle sinkhole is described in the registration as a centuries-old custom; the cheese is taken out for sale in October and November.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [divle-tp] TÜRKPATENT, Coğrafi işaret tescil belgesi No 270, 'Karaman Divle Obruğu Tulum Peyniri' (menşe adı), Karaman Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, registered 08.12.2017spec
  2. [budak2016] Ozturkoglu Budak S., Figge M.J., Houbraken J., de Vries R.P. 2016, The diversity and evolution of microbiota in traditional Turkish Divle Cave cheese during ripening, International Dairy Journal 58:50–53 (abstract)paper
  3. [budak2018] Ozturkoglu-Budak S., Aykas D.P., Kocak C., Dönmez S., Gursoy A., de Vries R.P., Bron P.A. 2018, Temporal microbiota and biochemical profiles during production and ripening of Divle Cave cheese, International Journal of Dairy Technology 71:99–106 (abstract)paper
  4. [budak2016v] Ozturkoglu-Budak S. et al. 2016, Volatile compound profiling of Turkish Divle Cave cheese during production and ripening, Journal of Dairy Science 99(7):5120–5131 (abstract)paper
  5. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  6. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov