Smoked braid cheese

Smoked braid cheese or otherwise chechil cheese (translated as tangled) is a traditional dish of Armenian cuisine. Outwardly, it is a fibrous cheese, in consistency somewhat reminiscent of suluguni. They make it, as a rule, manually. On the shelves, this cheese is quite easy to recognize - it is difficult not to notice fibrous threads drawn into harnesses in a shape resembling pigtails.

By the way, pigtails are a kind of branded feature of this smoked cheese. It is thanks to them that smoked braid cheese becomes so special, and it "braids" at the very first steps of manufacture, so it simply cannot exist as a whole cheese circle familiar to us. In addition, pigtails are responsible not only for the originality of the product, but also for its quality - due to the so-called bundles of pigtail in smoked cheese, the properties of the raw materials, nutritious juices and useful trace elements are much better preserved.

It is noteworthy that properly cooked smoked braid cheese is completely devoid of any special aroma - it smells like ordinary fermented milk cheese, which cannot be said about taste. The taste of smoked braid cheese is very savoury: sharp-salty, pronounced, with a characteristic brackish finish. The color of such cheese ranges from whitish to slightly yellow, but never buy a product of bright, aggressive color - after all, this is a clear sign of dyes.

Composition of smoked pigtail cheese

It is impossible to call the composition of smoked pigtail cheese complex, because it is based on the freshest milk cow, goat or sheep. Milk dries naturally: at first it heats up a little, and then it is fermented with an already fluffy product. For coagulation, pepsin or rennet is used, which is mandatory in the composition of smoked pigtail cheese.

For about ten minutes, the milk is clotted, after which it is again heated to form flakes, which, under the influence of temperature, begin to adhere, and seven-centimeter strips are formed from them. At the next stage, the strips are taken out of the vat, they are cut and rolled into braids, after which they are sent to brine, in which the cheese ripens until tender. In order to get ready-made smoked cheese pigtail, after ripening it is sent to smoking chambers.

Benefits of smoked pigtail cheese

The benefits of smoked pigtail cheese are especially relevant for people who lack calcium and phosphorus. These elements are known to be responsible for the healthy condition of hair, nails and undoubtedly bone tissue. In addition, the increased nutritional value of this product is necessary for people with a reduced body mass index, because the calorie content of smoked pigtail cheese is about 320 kcal per hundred grams.

Harm of smoked pigtail cheese

The harm of smoked pigtail cheese can only be obvious when liquid smoke is used instead of the real smoking process - the source of many troubles. Unscrupulous manufacturers do not disdain this, who, in pursuit of profit, save not only on raw materials, but also on our health.