Notes on agriculture in Cyprus and its products — John Shaqi
Notes on agriculture in Cyprus and its productsBevan, William
History
Notes on agriculture in Cyprus and its products
Bevan, William
Agriculture -- Cyprus; Produce trade -- Cyprus
_Telemés._--This is another soft cheese, prepared in a similar manner to
"fetta," but it is cut into square blocks and placed not in barrels or
vats, but in tins which, when completely filled with cheese and brine,
are soldered down. This cheese is also made entirely for the Egyptian
market.
_Kaskaval or Kaskavalli._--This is mostly made by cheese-makers who come
over from Greece or Turkey during the cheese-making season.
The curd, after the whey is drained off, is called "phlongos," and it is
almost always bought from the shepherds, each shepherd preparing it in
his own way. It is transported in baskets, sometimes a good distance, to
the cheese factory, or "kassaria," and these drawbacks, added to lack of
cleanliness, are the cause of much cheese of inferior quality being
produced which has no keeping properties and must be quickly consumed.
Having reached a pasty condition, the cheese is placed in reed or willow
baskets and immersed in either boiling whey or clean water and stirred
until the whole mass is transformed into "kossimari"; it is then cut
into pieces weighing one or two okes, and moulded by hand into a
globular form, leaving one slight depression called the "omphalos" or
navel. If not properly stored, this cheese soon dries and becomes rancid
or tasteless.
_Agrafa Cheese._--This is made entirely from sheep's milk. Coagulation
should be completed in 25 to 30 minutes. The cheese remains 20 hours in
the press. Salting lasts from 40 to 60 days, and the cheeses ripen in
four months. If well stored, the cheese may keep for two years.
_Butter_
Butter making is carried on to only a limited extent in Cyprus, and with
two or three exceptions is in the hands of shepherds, who use a
primitive conical-shaped churn, something after the Danish pattern.
Churning consists in beating up the contents of the churn with a stick,
to the end of which is fixed a round wooden disc 6 to 10 in. in
diameter, not unlike a piston in its action. Sheep's milk is mostly used
and, with a modern churn, this will yield 9 to 12 per cent. of fresh
butter. Goats' milk gives about 5 to 6 per cent. About half the above
quantities may be obtained with the older, native churn.
In the Near East (Greece, Turkey, etc.) fresh butter is not used in
cooking, as almost all cooked food is fried and butter containing the
least water and casein cannot serve the purpose. The pure fat must
therefore be extracted. Two methods are applied. The best is that of
plunging the tins containing the fresh butter into hot water which heats
the butter and sends the fat to the surface. It is then collected and
slightly salted. This has a good flavour and keeps well.
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