Its real name is Chechil. Recently, this product has gained popularity among buyers in our country. This cheese is made from small fibers. At the same time, it tastes almost like suluguni. Most often, such a product is made by hand. “Pigtail” cheese stands out among other varieties due to its unusual shape, which is presented in the form of threads neatly formed into a braid. On grocery store shelves you can find a product of any length and thickness.

How to make braided cheese

Usually, only fresh milk from a goat, sheep or cow is used to make Chechil cheese. In this case, the product is fermented naturally. Initially, the milk is heated and then mixed with rennet elements and a special starter culture. The cheese curds very quickly. This process takes only 10 minutes. After this, the product is heated again. In this case, flakes should form. They are formed into strips, the length of which is about 8 centimeters. After this, the product is taken out and cut into strips. Subsequently, the cheese from them is placed in a vat, where it gradually ripens. The finished chechil is sent to chambers for further smoking. The fat content of cheese is 5-10%. Now you know how to make pigtail cheese. The manufacturing technology is quite simple. This allows you to prepare the product at home.

Where can I use this cheese?

Homemade “pigtail” cheese is a delicious snack on its own that goes perfectly with beer. Individual strips of the product are often used to decorate ready-made dishes, for example, to decorate sandwiches and salads. Also, strips of cheese allow you to neatly tie pancake bags and rolls together.

Classic recipe

If you doubt the quality of a purchased product, you can make it yourself. How to prepare “Kosichka” cheese at home? The recipe for this snack is not so simple. But the end result is a product that has an extraordinary taste. For preparation you will need not only milk, but also pepsin. In addition, it takes a lot of time to prepare. Required ingredients:

1. Milk. To prepare a kilogram of cheese, 9 liters of fresh product are required.
2. Pepsin.
3. Whey or sour milk.

Manufacturing process

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared only from homemade products. First, you should leave the milk to sour. This should happen naturally. If you want to speed up the process, you can add a little sour milk or whey.

The sour product should be poured into a large container and placed over low heat. The product must be cooked until a curd mass begins to form. After this you need to add pepsin. In this case, certain proportions must be observed. Only one gram of pepsin is required per 300 grams of liquid.

The resulting mixture must be heated to 50 °C. The flakes should begin to form into a denser mass. At this stage, the product needs to be mashed with a spoon, preferably a wooden one. Gradually, the cheese mass must be formed into a ribbon, which should be transferred to the work surface with a flat side. The product must be cut into thin strips. The thickness of the workpiece should not be more than five millimeters. After this, you can make a pigtail from the strips. Of course, the preparation doesn't end there. Prepared “pigtail” cheese at home must be sent for ripening. To do this, the product should first be placed in cold water, and then a solution with salt. If you need smoked cheese, you should place it in a smokehouse after ripening.

Second cooking method

“Pigtail” cheese is made without a rind. It matures in a salt solution. This is a fairly ancient method that is widespread in the East.

To prepare you will need:

1. Milk.
2. Leaven.
3. Salt.

In this case, the milk must be heated to 35 °C and the starter must be added. The same pepsin can be used as this component. All products should be thoroughly mixed and placed in a warm place for one hour to allow the product to curdle. As a result, the mass should become lumps. The colander should be lined with gauze. You need to put the resulting mass here. This will remove excess liquid.

Now you need to check the cheese. To do this, the product should be placed in hot water. If the cheese does not tear and stretches easily, then you did everything right. If the product breaks, then it must be left to stand for a while.

The finished cheese must be cut into pieces and filled with cold water for about 20 minutes. After this, the product should be transferred to a container, preferably aluminum. The cheese should be filled with water heated to 65 °C. In this case, the mixture must be stirred so that the product becomes homogeneous and more elastic.

Hot cheese should be placed in a funnel, previously suspended over a pan with a salt solution. Under its own weight, the cheese will gradually flow down, forming threads. The product should be left in such a bath for six hours. After this, you need to form a braid and place it in the refrigerator. The product is ready. “Pigtail” cheese is a wonderful dish that can even be served on a festive table.

Chechil cheese recipe

To prepare this product at home you will need:

1. Salt - to taste.
2. Rennet, for example, rennin - one gram.
3. Milk - 4 liters.
4. Water - as much as needed.

How to do

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared exclusively by hand. The unusual form of this product allows you to preserve all its nutritional and beneficial properties. To prepare, milk should be poured into a fireproof container and placed on the fire. The liquid must be heated to 38 °C. Rennet should be added to the milk and mixed well. After this, the container should be removed from the heat. The composition should stand for about 40 minutes. After this, the thickened mass should be divided into pieces with a knife. She should stand for another half hour. This will allow the whey to separate completely.

The sieve must be covered with gauze, and then the cheese must be placed in it. You need to leave the product in this form for another hour to allow the remaining whey to drain off. After this, the cheese must be placed in hot water and carefully pulled out into threads. You should work with gloves.

Cheese strings should be placed in a 20% salt solution, preferably for a day. Only after this you need to form pigtails from the product or roll it into a ball. That's all. “Kosichka” cheese can be consumed in its pure form or slightly smoked. Then the product tastes more delicate and original.

How to smoke correctly

It is best to smoke the product in a home smokehouse. Then the whole process takes a minimum of time, and the quality of the cheese does not raise suspicions. Of course, to create a product that has a unique taste, you should know some rules and nuances. So, how to smoke suluguni cheese? The “pigtail” after this processing turns out even more delicious.

Before placing the cheese in the smokehouse, you should wrap it in cloth or parchment. Then the product must be placed in a bag made of fairly dense material.

It is better to smoke cheese in a suspended state for several minutes. It is very important here not to overexpose it. Otherwise, the taste of the cheese will only worsen, making it simply impossible to eat.

Currently, interest in food products produced on the basis of natural raw materials in small enterprises is growing all over the world. Pigtail cheese - Chechil is a national Armenian cheese that fully meets these criteria. It is produced mainly at home and only by hand. In addition, this cheese should be of interest to people who are advocates of a healthy diet; this cheese can be safely eaten while on a diet.
Pigtail cheese is made from natural products, during the production process of which no chemical components are added, and in addition, due to a unique technology, it retains the maximum of useful substances inherent in the original raw material, including nutritional juices and microelements. It differs from other cheeses in its structure in the form of threads braided into a braid. Based on the shape of this braid, it is called Chechil - it is braided into braids. Without going into details, many people call it just that - a pigtail.

Video of the correct production of braided cheese (chechil):

The starting product for this cheese can be cow's milk, or a mixture of cow, goat, and sheep. First you need to let the milk sour; you can add a little sour milk to the bowl with milk to speed up the process. Then, the sour milk is heated, when curdling begins, pepsin is added at about 40 degrees (1 g per 200-300 ml of milk). After some time, the resulting pieces of cottage cheese begin to stick together, the temperature is raised to 50 degrees. The resulting substance is carefully crushed to form a ribbon, gradually removed and laid out lengthwise, cut into thin threads, braided, washed with cold water and placed in brine (15-20%).

Normalized milk at a temperature of 65 degrees enters the cheese maker (1), where grain is formed, cut, and dried, the resulting mixture is transported through a drainage drum (2), and the whey is separated. Within 15 minutes, a layer is formed from the cheese dough lying on the press trolley (3), and after that, within another hour, the cheese mass gains acidity. The manually chopped layer enters the plasticization module (4), where cheese strings are formed. Well, our cheese is almost ready, it can be packed and sent to the storage room.

The production scheme described above allows us to produce up to 4 tons of product per day.
Such a production process scheme allows you to constantly update the product range due to the reconfiguration of technological parameters and the flexibility of the production process.

The original appearance of the braided cheese is achieved by tying it by hand. Chechil cheese, by definition, cannot be just a piece of cheese; the braids are woven at the very beginning of the manufacturing process and, in addition to its unusual appearance, help it retain the beneficial properties of the original raw material better than other cheeses due to the so-called bunches. If Chechil is prepared correctly, it does not have any special smell that greatly distinguishes it from other cheeses; on the contrary, it has a special taste, quite piquant, spicy-salty, with a pleasant salty aftertaste. The color of the cheese should not be very bright; when purchasing it, it is better to give preference to cheese that is whitish to slightly yellow in color.

Composition of smoked braid cheese.

The composition of the cheese is not complex. It is based only on natural products: fresh cow, goat and sheep milk; souring occurs naturally with the addition of pepsin or rennet, which is part of smoked pigtail cheese.
When heated, milk curdles very quickly, in about 10 minutes, after which it is heated again, flakes are formed, which stick together during further heating. Strips are formed from this mass, which are subsequently cut and woven into braids.
To obtain smoked cheese, the braids, after ripening, are sent to smoking chambers. That's all. A tasty, aromatic and most importantly healthy, natural product is ready.

Video - Family business cheese production:

Its real name is Chechil. Recently, this product has gained popularity among buyers in our country. This cheese is made from small fibers. At the same time, it tastes almost like suluguni. Most often, such a product is made by hand. “Pigtail” cheese stands out among other varieties due to its unusual shape, which is presented in the form of threads neatly formed into a braid. On grocery store shelves you can find a product of any length and thickness.

How to make braided cheese

Usually, only fresh milk from a goat, sheep or cow is used to make Chechil cheese. In this case, the product is fermented naturally. Initially, the milk is heated and then mixed with rennet elements and a special starter culture. The cheese curds very quickly. This process takes only 10 minutes. After this, the product is heated again. In this case, flakes should form. They are formed into strips, the length of which is about 8 centimeters. After this, the product is taken out and cut into strips. Subsequently, the cheese from them is placed in a vat, where it gradually ripens. The finished chechil is sent to chambers for further smoking. The fat content of cheese is 5-10%. Now you know how to make pigtail cheese. The manufacturing technology is quite simple. This allows you to prepare the product at home.

Where can I use this cheese?

Homemade “pigtail” cheese is a delicious snack on its own that goes perfectly with beer. Individual strips of the product are often used to decorate ready-made dishes, for example, to decorate sandwiches and salads. Also, strips of cheese allow you to neatly tie pancake bags and rolls together.

Classic recipe

If you doubt the quality of a purchased product, you can make it yourself. How to prepare “Kosichka” cheese at home? The recipe for this snack is not so simple. But the end result is a product that has an extraordinary taste. For preparation you will need not only milk, but also pepsin. In addition, it takes a lot of time to prepare. Required ingredients:

1. Milk. To prepare a kilogram of cheese, 9 liters of fresh product are required.
2. Pepsin.
3. Whey or sour milk.

Manufacturing process

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared only from homemade products. First, you should leave the milk to sour. This should happen naturally. If you want to speed up the process, you can add a little sour milk or whey.

The sour product should be poured into a large container and placed over low heat. The product must be cooked until a curd mass begins to form. After this you need to add pepsin. In this case, certain proportions must be observed. Only one gram of pepsin is required per 300 grams of liquid.

The resulting mixture must be heated to 50 °C. The flakes should begin to form into a denser mass. At this stage, the product needs to be mashed with a spoon, preferably a wooden one. Gradually, the cheese mass must be formed into a ribbon, which should be transferred to the work surface with a flat side. The product must be cut into thin strips. The thickness of the workpiece should not be more than five millimeters. After this, you can make a pigtail from the strips. Of course, the preparation doesn't end there. Prepared “pigtail” cheese at home must be sent for ripening. To do this, the product should first be placed in cold water, and then a solution with salt. If you need smoked cheese, you should place it in a smokehouse after ripening.

Second cooking method

“Pigtail” cheese is made without a rind. It matures in a salt solution. This is a fairly ancient method that is widespread in the East.

To prepare you will need:

1. Milk.
2. Leaven.
3. Salt.

In this case, the milk must be heated to 35 °C and the starter must be added. The same pepsin can be used as this component. All products should be thoroughly mixed and placed in a warm place for one hour to allow the product to curdle. As a result, the mass should become lumps. The colander should be lined with gauze. You need to put the resulting mass here. This will remove excess liquid.

Now you need to check the cheese. To do this, the product should be placed in hot water. If the cheese does not tear and stretches easily, then you did everything right. If the product breaks, then it must be left to stand for a while.

The finished cheese must be cut into pieces and filled with cold water for about 20 minutes. After this, the product should be transferred to a container, preferably aluminum. The cheese should be filled with water heated to 65 °C. In this case, the mixture must be stirred so that the product becomes homogeneous and more elastic.

Hot cheese should be placed in a funnel, previously suspended over a pan with a salt solution. Under its own weight, the cheese will gradually flow down, forming threads. The product should be left in such a bath for six hours. After this, you need to form a braid and place it in the refrigerator. The product is ready. “Pigtail” cheese is a wonderful dish that can even be served on a festive table.

Chechil cheese recipe

To prepare this product at home you will need:

1. Salt - to taste.
2. Rennet, for example, rennin - one gram.
3. Milk - 4 liters.
4. Water - as much as needed.

How to do

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared exclusively by hand. The unusual form of this product allows you to preserve all its nutritional and beneficial properties. To prepare, milk should be poured into a fireproof container and placed on the fire. The liquid must be heated to 38 °C. Rennet should be added to the milk and mixed well. After this, the container should be removed from the heat. The composition should stand for about 40 minutes. After this, the thickened mass should be divided into pieces with a knife. She should stand for another half hour. This will allow the whey to separate completely.

The sieve must be covered with gauze, and then the cheese must be placed in it. You need to leave the product in this form for another hour to allow the remaining whey to drain off. After this, the cheese must be placed in hot water and carefully pulled out into threads. You should work with gloves.

Cheese strings should be placed in a 20% salt solution, preferably for a day. Only after this you need to form pigtails from the product or roll it into a ball. That's all. “Kosichka” cheese can be consumed in its pure form or slightly smoked. Then the product tastes more delicate and original.

How to smoke correctly

It is best to smoke the product in a home smokehouse. Then the whole process takes a minimum of time, and the quality of the cheese does not raise suspicions. Of course, to create a product that has a unique taste, you should know some rules and nuances. So, how to smoke suluguni cheese? The “pigtail” after this processing turns out even more delicious.

Before placing the cheese in the smokehouse, you should wrap it in cloth or parchment. Then the product must be placed in a bag made of fairly dense material.

It is better to smoke cheese in a suspended state for several minutes. It is very important here not to overexpose it. Otherwise, the taste of the cheese will only worsen, making it simply impossible to eat.

To taste a wonderful salty snack, you don’t have to run to the supermarket and buy incredible delicacies. Today we will talk about how to make Chechil cheese at home, the recipe for which you will find in our article along with detailed instructions. It turns out incredibly tasty, juicy and, most importantly, without the slightest suspicion of the presence of GMOs or other unhealthy components in the composition.

Chechil cheese is known to us under another name - “Pigtail” cheese. We can find it on the counter of any store. It is considered the closest “relative” of suluguni; it is similar in taste and consistency, but its taste and density are still different.

There is no need to age Chechil cheese for weeks; it is prepared quickly both in industrial conditions and at home.

Well, let's try to do it?

Ingredients

• — 3 l + -
• Pepsin – 10 g + -

For the brine

• - taste + -
• - taste + -

Cooking at home

The recipe calls for the use of rennet or pepsin. You can buy such “exotic” in almost any pharmacy.

Add pepsin at the rate of 1 g per 300 ml of liquid.

If we have village milk in front of us, it must be “skimmed” or skimmed, since in the original technology Chechil cheese is made from milk with a low percentage of fat.

1. To do this, put raw milk in a saucepan or jar in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning remove the top layer, that is, the cream, with a ladle. We remember that this will reduce the volume of milk, so in advance we pour it into a pan larger than 3 liters by about 20-25%.

1. Then we leave the milk in the open air and let it sour naturally during the day - this way the cheese will turn out more tasty and will stretch better.
   It is the acidity of the milk in this recipe that determines how well the cheese pieces can be turned into threads. The optimal moment is when it begins to curl.

1. We install a divider on the gas stove so that the milk in the pan heats up gradually and evenly, and heat it to 32 - 35 ° C, remove from the heat.
2. Pour in pepsin in proportion and leave for half an hour. There is no need to touch or interfere with anything - just let it sit.
3. Over time, a dense mass forms in the pan, put it back on the stove and heat it to 50°C, stirring gently. This will help the serum separate completely.
4. Then we filter the resulting flakes through cheesecloth and place them on the table. We put on gloves and pull the flakes into threads. They can be twisted into balls or braided, as we are used to seeing.
5. We make a saline solution and put the resulting chechil cheese in it overnight. In the morning the product is ready for use. You can eat it straight or put it in the smoker to acquire a bright color and spicy aroma.

But there is a faster way to prepare a delicious snack at home.

How to make chechil from fresh milk

For this recipe we need 4 liters of fresh low-fat milk.

How to make Chechil cheese

• Warm the milk to a temperature no higher than 38°C and add 1 g of rennet. Mix everything thoroughly and immediately remove from heat.
• Leave it to curl and thicken for 35-40 minutes, and then cut the resulting mass into squares directly in the pan - this will ensure better separation of the whey. Leave again for half an hour.
• In the meantime, prepare a colander, a large sieve or sieve - cover it with several layers of gauze. We discard the resulting cheese and let it drain for an hour.
• We heat water over the fire so that the hand can tolerate it, put pieces of cheese into it and pull them into threads. Thanks to the temperature, they will become more plastic and will not tear.
• We twist the finished chechil in any convenient way and place it in a pre-prepared saline solution.

Now you know how to make Chechil cheese at home. Cooking recipes vary, so we try different ones to choose the right one, because making cheese is not just a labor-intensive, but also a very delicate process. Who knows which method will work in your hands and in your kitchen?

Share the details of making Chechil cheese in the comments and post photos of the finished product, friends!

Cheese "pigtail" is a traditional dish. Its real name is chechil. Recently, this product has gained popularity among buyers in our country. This cheese is made from small fibers. At the same time, it tastes almost like suluguni. Most often, such a product is made by hand. “Pigtail” cheese stands out among other varieties due to its unusual shape, which is presented in the form of threads neatly formed into a braid. On grocery store shelves you can find a product of any length and thickness.

How to make braided cheese

Usually, only fresh milk from a goat, sheep or cow is used to make Chechil cheese. In this case, the product is fermented naturally. Initially, the milk is heated and then mixed with rennet elements and a special starter culture. The cheese curds very quickly. This process takes only 10 minutes. After this, the product is heated again. In this case, flakes should form. They are formed into strips, the length of which is about 8 centimeters. After this, the product is taken out and cut into strips. Later they are braided into a braid. The cheese is placed in a vat, where it gradually matures. The finished chechil is sent to chambers for further smoking. The fat content of cheese is 5-10%. Now you know how to make pigtail cheese. The manufacturing technology is quite simple. This allows you to prepare the product at home.

Where can I use this cheese?

Homemade “pigtail” cheese is a delicious snack on its own that goes perfectly with beer. Individual strips of the product are often used to decorate ready-made dishes, for example, to decorate sandwiches and salads. Also, strips of cheese allow you to neatly tie pancake bags and rolls together.

Classic recipe

If you doubt the quality of a purchased product, you can make it yourself. How to prepare “Kosichka” cheese at home? The recipe for this snack is not so simple. But the end result is a product that has an extraordinary taste. For preparation you will need not only milk, but also pepsin. In addition, it takes a lot of time to prepare. Required ingredients:

1. Milk. To prepare a kilogram of cheese, 9 liters of fresh product are required.
2. Pepsin.
3. Whey or sour milk.

Manufacturing process

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared only from homemade products. First, you should leave the milk to sour. This should happen naturally. If you want to speed up the process, you can add a little sour milk or whey.

The sour product should be poured into a large container and placed over low heat. The product must be cooked until a curd mass begins to form. After this you need to add pepsin. In this case, certain proportions must be observed. Only one gram of pepsin is required per 300 grams of liquid.

The resulting mixture must be heated to 50 °C. The flakes should begin to form into a denser mass. At this stage, the product needs to be mashed with a spoon, preferably a wooden one. Gradually, the cheese mass must be formed into a ribbon, which should be transferred to the work surface with a flat side. The product must be cut into thin strips. The thickness of the workpiece should not be more than five millimeters. After this, you can make a pigtail from the strips. Of course, the preparation doesn't end there. Prepared “pigtail” cheese at home must be sent for ripening. To do this, the product should first be placed in cold water, and then a solution with salt. If you need smoked cheese, you should place it in a smokehouse after ripening.

Second cooking method

“Pigtail” cheese is made without a rind. It matures in a salt solution. This is a fairly ancient method that is widespread in the East.

To prepare you will need:

1. Milk.
2. Leaven.
3. Salt.

In this case, the milk must be heated to 35 °C and the starter must be added. The same pepsin can be used as this component. All products should be thoroughly mixed and placed in a warm place for one hour to allow the product to curdle. As a result, the mass should become lumps. The colander should be lined with gauze. You need to put the resulting mass here. This will remove excess liquid.

Now you need to check the cheese. To do this, the product should be placed in hot water. If the cheese does not tear and stretches easily, then you did everything right. If the product breaks, then it must be left to stand for a while.

The finished cheese must be cut into pieces and filled with cold water for about 20 minutes. After this, the product should be transferred to a container, preferably aluminum. The cheese should be filled with water heated to 65 °C. In this case, the mixture must be stirred so that the product becomes homogeneous and more elastic.

Hot cheese should be placed in a funnel, previously suspended over a pan with a salt solution. Under its own weight, the cheese will gradually flow down, forming threads. The product should be left in such a bath for six hours. After this, you need to form a braid and place it in the refrigerator. The product is ready. “Pigtail” cheese is a wonderful dish that can even be served on a festive table.

Chechil cheese recipe

To prepare this product at home you will need:

1. Salt - to taste.
2. Rennet, for example, rennin - one gram.
3. Milk – 4 liters.
4. Water - as much as needed.

How to do

“Pigtail” cheese is prepared exclusively by hand. The unusual form of this product allows you to preserve all its nutritional and beneficial properties. To prepare, milk should be poured into a fireproof container and placed on the fire. The liquid must be heated to 38 °C. Rennet should be added to the milk and mixed well. After this, the container should be removed from the heat. The composition should stand for about 40 minutes. After this, the thickened mass should be divided into pieces with a knife. She should stand for another half hour. This will allow the whey to separate completely.

The sieve must be covered with gauze, and then the cheese must be placed in it. You need to leave the product in this form for another hour to allow the remaining whey to drain off. After this, the cheese must be placed in hot water and carefully pulled out into threads. You should work with gloves.

Cheese strings should be placed in a 20% salt solution, preferably for a day. Only after this you need to form pigtails from the product or roll it into a ball. That's all. “Kosichka” cheese can be consumed in its pure form or slightly smoked. Then the product tastes more delicate and original.

How to smoke correctly

It is best to smoke the product in. Then the whole process takes a minimum of time, and the quality of the cheese does not raise suspicions. Of course, to create a product that has a unique taste, you should know some rules and nuances. So, how to smoke “Pigtail” after this treatment turns out even more delicious.

Before placing the cheese in the smokehouse, you should wrap it in cloth or parchment. Then the product must be placed in a bag made of fairly dense material.

It is better to smoke cheese in a suspended state for several minutes. It is very important here not to overexpose it. Otherwise, the taste of the cheese will only worsen, making it simply impossible to eat.