{{Short description|Greek sheep and goat milk cheese}} {{distinguish|Kayseri}} {{more citations needed|date=February 2024}} thumb|Greek PDO Kasseri

'''Kasseri''' (Greek: κασέρι, Turkish: ''kaşar''<ref name="merriam">Merriam-Webster Unabridged - [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kasseri ''kasseri'']</ref>) is a medium-hard or hard pale yellow cheese made from pasteurised or unpasteurised sheep milk and at most 20% goat's milk.<ref name="kasseri_pdo">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/list.html?&recordStart=0&filter.dossierNumber=&filter.comboName=kasseri&filterMin.milestone__mask=&filterMin.milestone=&filterMax.milestone__mask=&filterMax.milestone=&filter.country=&filter.category=PDOPGI_CLASS_13&filter.type=&filter.status=|title = EAmbrosia| date=24 October 2023 }}</ref> "Kasseri" is a protected designation of origin, according to which the cheese must be made in the Greek provinces of Thessaly, Macedonia, Lesbos, or Xanthi,<ref name="kasseri_pdo"/> but a similar type of cheese is found in Turkey,<ref name="autogenerated2006">"The Art of Making Kasseri", Epikouria Magazine, Fall/Winter 2006</ref> Romania, and the Balkans, where it is known as kashkaval. The same cheese is made with cow's milk, but in that case it cannot be legally sold as "kasseri" in the EU and is instead sold under names that are particular to each producer.

Kasseri is of semi-hard to hard consistency, smooth rather than crumbly, chewy, and with a hard rind. It belongs to the pasta filata family of cheeses, which includes fresh cheeses like mozzarella and aged ones like Provolone and Caciocavallo.<ref name="autogenerated2006"/> Kasseri is made by heating milk to {{cvt|36|C}} and adding enough rennet for a curd to set in 45 minutes.<ref name="kasseri_pdo"/> Once the curd has set, it is divided into pieces about the size of a maize cob and then cooked at {{cvt|38-40|C}} while stirring.<ref name="kasseri_pdo"/> Afterwards, the curd is transferred to draining tables, where it is ground to small pieces by hand, tightly bound in cheesecloth, topped with a small weight, and left to drain and ferment until its pH is about 5.2. The curd is then cut into thin slices, placed in hot water at {{cvt|70-80|C}}, and kneaded until it becomes a malleable mass that can be spun into a smooth thread of at least {{convert|1|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} in length.<ref name="kasseri_pdo"/> The kneaded cheese mass is salted and then put into molds for two or three days. Finally, it is taken out of the mold and aged for at least three months at a temperature of {{cvt|18|C}}.<ref name="kasseri_pdo"/>

The name kasseri is said to come from Turkish ''kaşer'', which in turn comes from Hebrew כָּשֵׁר (kosher).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=ka%C5%9Far|title=kaşar|website=Nişanyan Sözlük|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref> The explanation is that the lack of use of rennet during its invention by the Jews of Kırkkilise (modern Kırklareli, Turkey) made the cheese fit for the requirements of the Jewish law.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kırklareli Peynirlerinin Tarihsel Gelişimi ve Coğrafi Karakteristikleri|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337456736}}</ref> However, rennet is in fact used in the making of kasseri therefore the above is likely a case of folk etymology. Another origin of the word points to the ancient Latin word for cheese, 'Caseus'

Kasseri is consumed in sandwiches as the main constituent in kasseropita and saganaki.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Assyrians use Kasseri cheese to make a traditional Assyrian cheese dish, called ''gupta tomirta'' ({{Script/Syriac|ܓܘܒܬܐ ܜܘܡܪܬܐ}} 'buried cheese'), that is topped with cumin and sometimes other seasonings.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==See also== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Assyrian cuisine * Cuisine of Cyprus * Greek cuisine * Greek food products * Kashkaval * Turkish cuisine {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Cuisine of Cyprus}} {{Cuisine of Greece}} {{Cuisine of Turkey}} {{Greek cheeses}}

Category:Greek products with protected designation of origin Category:Greek cheeses Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses Category:Goat's-milk cheeses Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Category:Greek Macedonian cuisine