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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Hungary

Rögös túró TSGRögös túró

Cow milk is soured by lactic starter cultures, slowly over 12–20 hours or quickly over 4–6 hours after pre-ripening, sometimes with a little rennet. The curd is chopped into walnut-sized lumps, warmed, cooled and drained only by gravity, so it stays in loose, moist lumps that look like cauliflower. Made in 7 steps over 10 h – 28 h. The longest step, curdle by souring, takes 4–20 h (Commission Implementing Decision of 19 March…) and runs at 22–32 °C (Commission Implementing Decision of 19 March…). Mesophilic acidifying and aroma-producing lactic acid bacteria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step4–20 hSet[tsg2019]Curdle by souring
Temperature22–32 °CSet[tsg2019]Curdle by souring
Fully documentedCheese10 h – 28 hTSG (EU, Regulation (EU) 2019/1288; file HU-TSG-0007-01113)Family: Fresh lactic (acid-set) cheese familyMore fresh acid-set cheesesMore from Hungary

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification gives the method and limits, not a batch recipe. Starter amounts are a percentage of the milk.
Cow milk, raw or pasteurised · Fresh, at most 7.2 °SH acidity[tsg2019]
Cream · Added to reach the fat grade wanted[tsg2019]
0.5–1.5 % (slow method) or 4–5 % (fast method)Lactic starter culture · Acidifying and aroma-producing lactic acid bacteria, 36–40 °SH[tsg2019]
Rennet (mixed-curdling method only)[tsg2019]
Starterlactic starter culture of acidifying and aroma-producing lactic acid bacteria; rennet only in mixed curdling

Total time across the recorded steps: 10 h – 28 h

Start
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Milk sugarLactic acid12–15 °Cshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: In the fast method the cool milk sours a little before it goes into the vat

Step 1 of 7
Pre-ripen the milk (fast method only)
Time
6–8 h
Set
Temperature
12–15 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The slow method skips this step. Full milk or cream is then added if the fat level needs adjusting.

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

Rögös túró is the lumpy form of Hungarian túró. Its curd is soured by bacteria, chopped into large lumps and drained only by gravity, never pressed or kneaded, so the lumps stay whole and wet inside.

Texture
Loose lumps of 4–20 mm, like cauliflower, wet inside and filmed with whey
Fat grades
Full-fat (at least 60 % fat in dry matter) down to skimmed (under 10 %)
Dry matter
At least 40 % (full-fat) down to at least 15 % (skimmed)

Related ferments

Variants

  • Slow-curdling method0.5–1.5 % starter at 22–32 °C, 12–20 hours, warmed to 30–40 °C.
  • Fast-curdling methodMilk pre-ripened 6–8 hours at 12–15 °C, then 4–5 % starter at 30–32 °C for 4–6 hours, warmed to 36–48 °C.
  • Mixed curdlingA little rennet is added alongside the starter.

Safety

The specification cools the curd quickly to 18–22 °C to stop over-souring and the spread of contaminants, and keeps the finished túró below 6 °C.

History and sources

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

The specification cites ethnographic sources on 18th–20th century curd cheese kept by grinding it into grain- or hazelnut-sized pieces, a 1925 dairy text noting that crumblier curd keeps fresh longer, and a 1960 description of curd lumps "reminiscent of cauliflower". In 1980 the dairy scientist Sándor Szakály wrote that the lumpy type made up 80 % of Hungarian curd cheese. The EU registered the name as a TSG in 2019.

  1. [tsg2019] Commission Implementing Decision of 19 March 2019 publishing the application for 'Rögös túró' (TSG), Annex product specification HU-TSG-0007-01113, OJ C 111, 25.3.2019, pp. 5–10 (UK government copy)spec
  2. [reg2019] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1288 of 25 July 2019 entering the name 'Rögös túró' (TSG) in the register of traditional specialities guaranteed (CELEX 32019R1288, read via the lexaris.de copy)gov