With the onset of autumn, celebrations are being held across Romania
\nto mark the descent of sheep herds from the mountains. Participants enjoy the
\ngood folk music and traditional local products, such as the pastrami and
\ncheeses, which go extremely well with wine. One special product that holds
\npride of place is the so-called branza de burduf, a local variety of soft
\nsalty cheese which is matured in sheepskins or tree barks. The term burduf is
\nactually a reference to these sheepskins, which are carefully sown together in
\nthe form of a sack. The sack is punctured in places to allow the buttermilk to
\nflow out of the fresh cheese.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Traditionally, the
\npressed cheese is made up in the mountains, in sheepfolds, from sheep soft
\ncheese, or a mix of sheep and cow cheese. The cheese is mixed with salt and
\nbattered into a paste, then placed into the sheepskin and left to mature for
\ntwo weeks. While stored in a cool place, the pressed cheese is suitable for
\nconsumption for up to three months. It has a yellowish color and a fat texture
\nand can be cut into slices, like any other hard cheese without crumbling or
\nsticking to the knife. Industrial milk factories use a plastic cover as a
\nsubstitute to the sheepskin. Local trade fairs also sell pressed cheese in fir
\ntree bark, which gives the cheese a special kind of flavor. One piece of legend
\nhas it that pressed cheese in fir tree bark used to be transported and hidden
\nmore easily during the war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pressed cheese can
\nbe served as an starter, used as filling for pies, served with hot polenta,
\nfried sausages, bacon and eggs or with bulz, a traditional Romanian mixture of
\ncheese, butter and polenta.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cheese balls by now has become an internationally recognized dish.
\nRomanians often use pressed cheese as a substitute for the hard cheese used for
\nthis recipe. You will need 250g of pressed cheese, an egg, a few tablespoons of
\nflour and some baking powder. Mix in all the ingredients and knead them into a
\nthick batter. Cut out small pieces from the batter and roll them into balls.
\nFry the bolls into hot sunflower oil for a few minutes until they have formed a
\nrich golden brown crust. Serve immediately as a starter. Enjoy!<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the onset of autumn, celebrations are being held across Romania to mark the descent of sheep herds from the mountains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45767],"tags":[45857],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-173494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-cooking-show","tag-cheese-matured-in-sheepskin"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n