Sirene

This article is about cheese. For other uses, see Siren (disambiguation).

Sirene
Country of origin	Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia
Region, town	N/A
Region	Balkan (Eastern Europe)
Source of milk	Cows, Sheep, originally goats
Pasteurised	Depends on variety
Texture	Depends on variety
Aging time	min. 3 months

Sirene/ Sirenje (Bulgarian: сирене, pronounced [ˈsirɛnɛ]; Macedonian: сирење, pronounced [ˈsireɲe]; Serbian/Croatian: сир, sir, Albanian: djath i bardhe) or known as "white brine sirene" (Bulgarian: сирене, [ˈsirɛnɛ]; is a type of brine cheese made in South-Eastern Europe, especially popular in Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and other Balkan countries. It is made of goat milk, cow's milk, sheep milk or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 30-35%. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking.

Recipes

Sirene, together with yogurt, is a national food of all the countries in Balkans. Many Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians and Greeks regularly eat some sirene or yoghurt in some form.

Traditional dishes using sirene are:

Soups: Potato or vegetable soup with sirene (сиренява чорба).

Products for preparation of Bulgarian Shopska salad (including Sirene).

Salads: Shopska salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and sirene. Ovcharska salad ("shepherd's salad") with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.

Eggs: Fried eggs and omelettes with sirene. There is also a popular kind of boiled eggs over mashed sirene with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, parsley and walnuts (яйца по панагюрски; eggs à la Panagyurishte).

Pasta and cornmeal: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or ketchup. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка, jufka", Macedonian: "јуфки, jufki" or "кори, kori ") with sirene and sugar are popular. Kachamak (the local variant of cornmeal, polenta or the Romanian mămăligă) is always eaten with sirene.

Pastry: The traditional banitsa and other kinds of pastry are also made with sirene.

Stuffed peppers: Stuffed peppers are more often made with rice filling but there is a very popular recipe with sirene-and-eggs filling.

Also it is consumed as an appetizer.

Sirene (and similar cheeses) in other countries

Similar cheeses are known in other countries by different names:

• Greece: Feta - Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
• Israel: Bulgarit (בולגרית) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)'
• Lebanon: Bulghari (بلغاري) - 'Bulgarian (cheese)'
• Romania: Telemea, Brinza
• Russia: Bryndza (Брынза)
• Turkey: Beyaz peynir 'White cheese'
• Mexico: Cotija cheese
• Iran: Tabrizi: 'White cheese (paneer)'

See also

• Kashkaval

پنیر کردی Kurdish white-brined cheese