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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Romania, Sibiu county

Telemea de Sibiu

Telemea de Sibiu is a white brined cheese made by hand from fresh raw sheep milk, with only rennet and salt added. The curd is scooped in thin slices, cut and pressed in a cloth, cut into blocks and brined. It is sold fresh after brining, or matured at least 21 days under brine. Made in 9 steps over 6.7 months – 13 months. The longest step, store cool, takes 6–12 months (Asociația Producătorilor de Telemea de Sibiu…) and runs at 6–14 °C (Asociația Producătorilor de Telemea de Sibiu…). Salt is 16–22 % (Asociația Producătorilor de Telemea de Sibiu…). Native lactic flora of the raw sheep milk does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step6–12 monthsSet[caiet]Store cool
Temperature6–14 °CSet[caiet]Store cool
Salt16–22 %Set[caiet]Brine the blocks
Fully documentedCheese6.7 months – 13 monthsPGI (EU No PGI-RO-02473; Reg. (EU) 2019/1725)Family: White brined cheese family (Feta PDO as template)More white brined cheesesMore from Romania

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives temperatures and times but no batch amounts. Blocks weigh 0.3–3 kg and stand 12–14 cm high.
Fresh raw sheep milk · From sheep raised in Sibiu county; strained through a sieve and three layers of cloth[oj2019][caiet]
Rennet · An amount set by the cheesemaker for the quantity and quality of the milk[caiet]
Salt · For a 16–22 % brine, and sprinkled between layers in the maturing tubs[caiet]
No starter · The specification lists only rennet and salt as ingredients[caiet]
Starter: none (rennet only)

Total time across the recorded steps: 6.7 months – 13 months

Start
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What changes: Fresh raw sheep milk is strained through cloth into the churn

Step 1 of 9
Strain the fresh milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The milk is checked for acidity, density and fat on arrival and processed at once. Output: strained raw sheep milk.

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

Unlike most Romanian telemea it uses only raw sheep milk with no starter, and the curd is sliced, cut and pressed inside a cloth by hand before the blocks are brined.

Milk
Sheep milk, raw, freshly milked, unpasteurised; sheep graze 200–230 days a year
Setting
Enzymatic (rennet)
Composition, fresh
Water at most 57 %, fat in dry matter at least 47 %, protein at least 15 %, sodium chloride at most 6 %
Composition, mature
Water at most 55 %, fat in dry matter at least 50 %, protein at least 15 %, sodium chloride at most 8 %
Size
Cuboid blocks 12–14 cm high, 0.3–3 kg

Related ferments

Variants

  • FreshSold after brining, without maturation.
  • MatureMatured at least 21 days in brine.

Safety

The milk is raw and the cheese is not heat-treated. ANSES names Listeria, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli as the main hazards of raw-milk cheeses and advises pregnant women, young children, people over 65 and immunocompromised people to avoid them. Keep the cheese under brine and cool.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (named for raw-milk cheeses in general).

History and sources

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

The specification says the trade of the baci is old and respected in the area, and that the method has been passed on unchanged. The name was registered as an EU PGI in 2019.

  1. [oj2019] European Union, Single document 'Telemea de Sibiu', EU No PGI-RO-02473, Official Journal C 203, 17.6.2019, pp. 7–9 (2019/C 203/06)spec
  2. [caiet] Asociația Producătorilor de Telemea de Sibiu 2018, Caiet de sarcini 'Telemea de Sibiu' IGP, section 5, production method (MADR; archived copy)spec
  3. [eu-reg] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1725 registering 'Telemea de Sibiu' (OJ L 263, 16.10.2019), as listed in the eAmbrosia registerspec
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov