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Sirene
Country of origin	Bulgaria, Macedonia
Region, town	N/A
Source of milk	Cows, Sheep, originally goats
Pasteurised	Depends on variety
Texture	Depends on variety
Aging time	min. 3 months

Sirene (Bulgarian: сирене, pronounced [ˈsirene]; Macedonian: сирење; Serbian/Croatian: сир, sir), officially called the "white brine sirene" (Bulgarian: бяло саламурено сирене, [biˈalo salaˈmureno ˈsirene]; Macedonian: бело сирење во саламура) is a type of brine cheese made in South-Eastern Europe, especially popular in Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and other Balkan countries. It was originally made of goat's milk, but the predominant variation today is made of the cheaper cow's milk, sheep milk or a combination of milks. It is slightly crumbly with a fat content of about 40-45%. 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.

[edit] Recipes

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

Traditional dishes using sirene are:

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

Bulgarian Sirene and products for preparation of Shopska salad.

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 a la Panagyurishte).

Pasta and cornmeal: Spaghetti with sirene and tomato sauce or ketchup. For breakfast, makaroni or flat noodles (Bulgarian: "юфка", Macedonian: "јуфки" or "кори") 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.

[edit] 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: Brinza (Брынза)
• Turkey: Beyaz peynir 'White cheese'
• Mexico: Cotija 'Queso Cotija'

[edit] See also

• Kashkaval