Suluguni is a pickled, semi-hard cheese from Georgia with a tart, tangy flavor. It’s made by separating curds from whey, kneading the curds, and pickling them in brine. Suluguni is used in dishes like khachapuri and can be fried and served as an appetizer or salad ingredient.
Suluguni is a type of cheese native to the country of Georgia and surrounding areas. It’s a semi-hard cheese made in much the same way as cheddar cheese, except that it’s pickled near the end of the cheese-making process and isn’t aged for very long. The cheese has a tart, tangy flavor that can be very subtle or sharp, depending on the exact timing used while it is being made. In Georgia, suluguni cheese is very popular and can be fried before eating. Other recipes that include suluguni include a type of cheese-filled unleavened bread known as khachapuri, and a variety of salads that include cheese as the main ingredient.
Making suluguni starts by using bacteria on the milk to separate the curds from the whey. This is traditionally done using a live starter, but can be done with rennet in more commercial production. The cheese is then formed into blocks and processed regularly until the acidity reaches the desired level. The curds are cut into pieces and kneaded until they begin to come together into a solid mass. The suluguni is placed in cold brine for several days, after which it is formed into the final shape and completed.
Although suluguni has the outward appearance of mozzarella cheese, it actually has a much more elastic texture and has a more pronounced flavor. Some of the cheese that is formed into rounds is actually fried in oil before being sold to develop the flavors and create a crust around the inner cheese. There are different styles of suluguni based on the type of milk used, from sweet cow’s milk to a sour, goat’s milk version.
One use for suluguni is a type of bread known as khachapuri. This is made with rolled dough that contains baking powder rather than yeast as the leavening agent. The flattened dough is filled with the cheese and an egg before being folded over to seal the filling inside. It is cooked and served hot, sometimes accompanied by a salad.
Another preparation is to cut the cheese into medallions, dredge them in flour and fry them in butter until golden brown on both sides. This is possible because the cheese has a high melting point and can withstand rapid frying while retaining most of its shape. Fried cheese can be sprinkled with diced mint or parsley and served as an appetizer, or it can be used as an ingredient in a salad.
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