Beyaz peynir, kaşar, tulum, çeçil, lor, mihaliç, otlu peynir and geographically protected regional cheeses. How each is made, why they differ, which recipe to use them in.
The Tatonia Editors··8 min read
Türkiye ranks among the world's top ten cheese-producing countries, and domestic consumption averages 17 kg per person per year. Most of that goes to the beyaz peynir on the breakfast table, but in reality every region of Anatolia carries its own cheese tradition. From Ezine to Erzincan tulum, from Kars kaşarı to Van otlu, Türkiye is home to over 190 registered cheese varieties. This article gathers which cheese matches which milk, which method, and which recipe.
How cheese is made
Cheese is fundamentally the separation of the solid fraction of milk from the liquid (whey). This separation happens in two ways: acidification (lactic acid fermentation or direct vinegar/lemon) or with an enzyme called rennet. As detailed in Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, rennet, the chymosin enzyme obtained from calf stomach or microbial source, clusters milk proteins (casein) and forms a thick gel. This gel is cut, heated, pressed, salted, and aged.
A cheese's character depends on:
Milk source: cow, sheep, goat, water buffalo, or a blend. Each animal's milk carries a different fat, protein, and mineral profile.
Acid or rennet: acid cheeses (lor, ricotta) are soft and light; rennet cheeses (kaşar, beyaz) are more durable.
Aging time and conditions: fresh (0-1 months), medium (2-6 months), aged (6 months and over). As time stretches, moisture drops, enzymes break down proteins, and aroma deepens.
Salt ratio: both for flavor and preservation. Turkish beyaz peynir contains 5-8% salt; Italian pecorino sits at a similar level; cheddar is around 1-2%.
Beyaz peynir
Türkiye's most-consumed cheese. Technically it falls into the brined fresh cheese category; feta (Greece) and Bulgarian sirene are close relatives. It is made from cow, sheep, or goat milk; the classic Aegean and Thracian beyaz peynir uses sheep milk or a sheep-cow blend. Cow milk is softer and lighter, sheep milk fattier and more aromatic, goat milk the sharpest and most sophisticated.
Ezine peyniri is a geographically protected product of Çanakkale; it must contain at least 45% sheep milk and the farm animals must graze in the Ezine region. This definition is what separates it from ordinary beyaz peynir: the terroir (soil, climate, herb character) effect transfers clearly to the taste.
In the kitchen: breakfast, börek filling, salad (çoban, Aegean arugula, seasonal), on top of menemen, tepsi mantı. It softens lightly under heat; it is used for crumbling, not melting.
Kaşar
A pasta filata (stretched-curd) cheese from the Italian caciocavallo and provolone family. In production, the milk gel is kneaded in hot water until elastic, shaped, salted, and aged. Through this process it becomes a cheese that melts, giving texture to pizza-like or tost-style recipes.
Two main types:
Kaşar type
Aging
Texture and color
Use
Fresh kaşar
1-3 months
Light yellow, soft, low salt
Tost, pide, sandwich (melts easily)
Aged kaşar
6+ months
Deep yellow, firm, salty, nutty
Grated, on pasta, on meze plate
Kars kaşarı is one of Türkiye's most famous geographically protected cheeses. It was developed in the late 19th century by Swiss cheese masters who settled in the Kars highlands together with immigrant families of Caucasian origin. Original Kars kaşarı is made from raw cow milk and aged 3-6 months in caves; it is far denser than ordinary kaşar.
Tulum
One of Anatolia's most characterful cheeses. Fresh curd is pressed into a cleaned goat or sheep skin (tulum), the opening sealed, and aged 3-6 months in a cool cave. Because oxygen is limited, fermentation continues with anaerobic microbes, producing the characteristic sharp and tangy taste.
Main regional types:
Region
Milk
Character
Note
Erzincan tulumu
Sheep-dominant
Medium salt, crumbles
The best known, breakfast + meze
Divle (Karaman)
Sheep
Gray-green mold on surface
Geographically protected, Roquefort-style
İzmir (Bergama)
Sheep-dominant
Lighter, less tangy
A softer alternative
Boğatepe (Kars)
Cow
Medium fat, Caucasian influence
Modern style
In the kitchen: meze, rakı table, jarred-cheese böreks (especially Black Sea region muhallebi), spoon by spoon on its own. Not cooked, eaten raw.
Çeçil, lor, mihaliç and others
Çeçil (Erzurum)
A stringy cheese. After the milk is coagulated, it is pulled into fibers by hand and placed in brine. Sheep or cow milk; garlic and plain versions exist. Dried in a cool shaded place. A garnish on a special breakfast plate, an aroma boost in börek filling. A classic of the Erzurum and Kars region.
Lor
Technically not a cheese but a by-product of cheese production. The whey is heated a second time (85-90°C), the remaining protein (serum albumin) coagulates and is strained. It is the sibling of Italian ricotta. Fat-free, slightly sweet, neutral. Used in mantı filling, börek, dessert (a künefe alternative), wet cake cream. Eaten with honey and walnuts at breakfast.
Mihaliç (Bursa)
A firm, fatty, salty sheep cheese. When aged, it approaches Parmigiano Reggiano character; grated. On pasta, in soup, or on a meze plate. The classic geographically protected product of Bursa.
Otlu peynir (Van, Bitlis, Muş)
Fresh mountain herbs (sirmo, siyabu, kirli hanım, wild thyme) are mixed into the milk during cheesemaking. The herb aroma integrates with the cheese and it is eaten on its own at breakfast or as a jarred meze. Unique to Eastern Anatolia; the same chemistry cannot be transferred outside the region because the herbs are local.
Abaza peyniri (Artvin, Düzce)
Belongs to Caucasian immigrant Abkhaz culture, an unsalted or lightly salted fresh cheese. Slightly elastic. Used as a melting cheese in Black Sea dishes like kuymak and mıhlama.
Which cheese for which recipe?
A practical pairing guide:
Dish
Suggested cheese
Why
On menemen
Beyaz peynir or fresh kaşar
Melts and spreads, salt balance
Börek filling
Beyaz peynir + lor blend
Lor adds moisture, beyaz adds salt and flavor
Tost
Fresh kaşar
Melts easily, does not string
On pide
Fresh kaşar (primary) + a little aged
Aged kaşar adds aroma
On pasta
Grated mihaliç or aged kaşar
A Turkish parmigiano alternative
On mantı
Lor or yogurt-based service
Mantı filling: lor + parsley
Meze plate
Erzincan tulumu + beyaz + çeçil
A classic trio + bread
Salad
Cow beyaz or Ezine sheep
Aegean fatty: arugula + Ezine
Breakfast
Mixed slices
East: honey-kaymak-otlu, Aegean: beyaz-olive
At Tatonia we apply this principle in recipes such as: su böreği classic beyaz + lor filling, Aegean pide fresh kaşar, menemen optionally with beyaz peynir on top.
What to watch when buying cheese
Read the label: to legally carry the "peynir" name a product must contain certain ratios of milk protein and fat. A "peynirli ürün" (cheese product) or "peynir imitasyonu" (cheese imitation) label means a cheaper alternative blended with vegetable oil and starch. Aroma, texture, and nutrition profile differ.
Smell and appearance: fresh cheese should be lightly milky, aged cheese nutty/molded. Sour-flat, ammonia-like, excessively sharp, or plastic-smelling cheese is spoiled.
Brine consistency (for beyaz peynir): clear or slightly cloudy is fine; deeply yellowed or smelly brine means the cheese has gone off. Taste a slice before buying.
Salt level: if the beyaz peynir is too salty, soak it in cold water 1-2 hours before use; the salt slowly leaves. But this also reduces aroma, so do not overdo it.
Storage and service
The natural enemies of cheese are drying out and oxidation. Correct storage:
Beyaz peynir: in its own brine in a sealed glass jar, refrigerated. If the brine drops, refresh with 5% salt water. Safe for 2-3 months.
Kaşar: wrap in parchment paper or cheese paper (plastic film does not breathe and leads to mold), loosely covered container. 3-4 weeks of quality.
Tulum: if bought in its skin, in a cool place; once opened in a kitchen jar, tightly sealed in the fridge. 1-2 months.
Lor: the most delicate; should be finished in 3-5 days. Freezer works (texture suffers slightly but is not noticed in cooked recipes).
Service: take the cheese plate out of the fridge and rest 30-45 minutes; cold cheese is flavorless. Firm cheeses like kaşar are sliced with a thin knife, soft cheeses like tulum are spread.
A closing note
Türkiye's cheese variety nearly rivals Italy or France, but this richness does not always make it to the home table. In supermarket chains only 3-4 types are visible; the real diversity hides in local markets, in butcher-side cheesemongers, in geographically protected brands. Trying a few new types both enriches the breakfast routine and supports the local dairy culture. On your next market run, try asking for Divle tulumu, Kars kaşarı, or otlu peynir.