Ayvalık Kelle Cheese (Ayvalık Kelle Peyniri) is a cheese produced in Ayvalık and Burhaniye districts of Balıkesir province. The milk used in production is supplied from the geographical area, and all production stages of the cheese must be carried out within this geographical area.

^{Ayvalık Kelle Cheese (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Product Description and Distinctive Features

Ayvalık Kelle Cheese / Ayvalık Sepet Cheese is produced using sheep, goat, and cow milk or a mixture of these. When sheep and/or goat milk is used in the milk mixture, its ratio is at least 10% and at most 30%. The milk does not contain any substances that inhibit/neutralize acidity, and no processes such as fat removal or water addition are performed to change the composition of the milk. The cheese has a hard rind, a color ranging from yellow to white, and a structure that is crack-free and porous. According to its hardness, it mainly falls into the hard, and to a lesser extent, semi-hard cheese category. It is a brined cheese.

Its shape is round and perforated. It contains at least 40% milk fat in dry matter. The salt content in dry matter is at most 6%. The ripening period is an important criterion for the characteristic appearance of the cheese. It is ripened for at least 120 days. With ripening, the pores enlarge and spread homogeneously, with a maximum diameter of 8 cm. Hardness increases with ripening time. Its basket shape and low salt content at the end of ripening are among the distinctive features of this cheese. The moisture content of the cheese is at most 60%.

History and Reputation Link

• Ayvalık Kelle Cheese / Ayvalık Sepet Cheese has a deep-rooted history.
• Production began with cheese masters who settled in this region during the population exchange.
• It holds an important place in the culinary culture and economy of the geographical area.
• For these reasons, it has a reputation link with the geographical area.

Production Method

The milk used in production is obtained from animals supplied from the geographical area. A large part of the feeding of small ruminants is done through pasture grazing, while a small part is done with clover and barley-oat flakes (pellet feed). Roughage (silage, corn, clover, hay) and pellet feed are used in the feeding of cattle. In addition, olive leaves and pomace, which are by-products of olive oil factories in the geographical area, are also used in cattle feeding. Raw milk is filtered to remove foreign substances. The milk is heated between 57-68 °C for at least 15 seconds to prolong its storage life before processing. After heat treatment, it is cooled to renneting temperature (27-36 °C depending on the season). For the renneting process, 10-20 grams of rennet are used per 100 liters of milk.

The chickpea-sized curd formed by renneting is traditionally broken by hand or with a curd knife. The curd is broken by scalding with hot water at 80-90 °C or by heating in a jacketed system; the whey temperature is generally in the range of 38-50 °C. High temperatures are not reached for the formation of specific pores during ripening. After scalding, the curd is separated from the whey, allowed to settle, and drained. Depending on the desired hardness, the curd is placed on a curd table for 60-90 minutes and shaped into a basket shape using colanders.

The shaped cheeses are rested for one day at approximately +4 °C. The outer part of the cheese is rubbed with salt at intervals; 250-270 grams of salt are used per 2.5 kg mold. They are rested for 10-21 days in rooms at 10-25 °C. The cheese is ripened in brine containing 10-12% salt for at least 120 days from the production date. The porous structure forms at this stage.

Inspections

Inspections are carried out by the inspection authority established under the coordination of Ayvalık Municipality, with the participation of at least 3 experts from Ayvalık Municipality, Ayvalık District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, and Ayvalık Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen. Inspections are conducted regularly once a year, and whenever deemed necessary or upon complaint.

Inspection criteria include the sourcing of raw milk from the geographical area, the suitability of milk and rennet, adherence to the production method (especially the ripening period), the suitability of product characteristics such as color, hardness, and porous structure, packaging and storage conditions, and the appropriate use of the origin mark emblem.