This question cannot be answered unambiguously. For some, it is simply a tasty product that can be used in cooking as an independent dish or an additional ingredient. But most cheese connoisseurs will definitely mention its unusual tastes, smells, shapes and colors. simply huge. Considering the large number of manufacturers of this product, it is not easy for an ordinary consumer to understand this diversity. Belarusian cheese occupies a special niche in the market. Which one is the best? Let's try to figure this out.

A little about cheese

There are many varieties of this product, many of which have a very interesting history of origin. Mozzarella is one of the most famous cheeses. The first mentions of it date back to the 17th century. Roquefort is a blue cheese made from it. It has an unusual, specific taste. Feta is a product of Greek origin. The olive oil in which it is stored gives it an unusual aroma. Camembert is a dessert cheese with a hard rind and a slight coating of white mold.

It has a spicy taste with a light mushroom aroma. Gouda is a Dutch product, spicy and piquant, firm, yellow in color. It has varying degrees of aging. You can list the varieties endlessly, but it will take a lot of time. Some of them are familiar to consumers firsthand. These are gouda, gorgonzola, parmesan, cheddar, tofu, brie and many others. Belarusian cheese is presented in no less quantity. Manufacturers have learned to make a great product with excellent taste. What cheeses can be considered the best?

History in Belarus

Belarusian cheeses, reviews of which speak of their high quality and excellent taste, have firmly won their niche in the market. The history of production is closely connected with the emergence of this industry in Russia. As you know, cheese was brought to Russia by Peter I, who established its production with the help of foreign cheesemakers. Gradually, schools for training their specialists were created. On the territory of modern Belarus they began to raise a large number of livestock.

The surplus milk that remained with the landowners began to be put into production by purchasing the necessary equipment. At the end of the 19th century, large enterprises producing butter and cheese were already found in Belarus. This industry began to develop with varying degrees of success. Modern Belarus is a rapid development of agriculture and the processing industry. The country has a program for the development and revival of rural areas. Thanks to this, we can enjoy the wonderful taste of dairy products from their producers.

The best Belarusian producers

Among Belarusian producers there are also leaders not only in terms of the volume of products produced, but also in terms of their taste and compliance with all requirements. For example, the Berezovsky Cheese Factory produces about 17 tons of cheese per year. “Slutsk Cheese-Making Plant” is a leader among the best. Its volume is about 20 tons of product per year. You can also highlight Savushkin Product, Molochny Mir, Shchuchinsky Creamery and some other manufacturers.

All of them have equipped their factories with the best equipment that meets all modern requirements. Manufacturers place greater emphasis on quickly ripening cheeses. This is due to the large amount of raw materials and limited production volumes. But there are Belarusian cheeses whose names and taste qualities correspond to the best varieties with a long ripening period. Roqueforty blue cheese is in no way inferior to its foreign counterparts.

Poshekhonsky cheese

Many people wonder which Belarusian cheese is the best. There can be many opinions here, as they say, there are no comrades according to taste. But, according to experts, the best product in this category produced in Belarus is Poshekhonsky (Slutsk) cheese. It has excellent taste and meets all parameters. It is classified as rennet cheese, which is produced with a low second ripening temperature.

Flavor-forming and ideally, this cheese has a thin rind without damage. Its taste is slightly sour and well expressed. It has a uniform consistency and breaks at the bend. Its eyes are round or oval. This Belarusian cheese is great for making sandwiches, as an independent dish or as an additional product used in preparation.

Rocforti

This is an elite blue mold cheese produced in Belarus. Roqueforti is not much inferior in taste to its analogues. It is made from normalized pasteurized cow's milk. This is the main component, but in addition, salt, animal enzymes, a mold culture, a bacterial starter culture and calcium chloride are added to the cheese.

Roqueforti is a hard cheese and has a medium amount of mold. It has a creamy taste and a slight spicy aftertaste. Having fairly high performance, Rocforti is cheaper than its peers, which is its advantage. It is served with wine or as an appetizer before main courses.

Cream cheese

How to choose Belarusian cheeses? Manufacturers of this product may not always be honest with their consumers. Cheese is made from different raw materials, not always adhering to established requirements. That is why it is important to choose a manufacturer that has proven itself in the market. Cream cheese from the Belovezhskie Cheeses company is a high-quality product.

It is made from pasteurized cow's milk, salt, bacterial culture and natural milk-clotting agent. The mass fraction of fat in this product is 50%. The cheese has a pronounced creamy taste and aroma, plastic consistency and a beautiful yellow color.

Monastery cheese

This is a rennet solid product, which is made from pasteurized cow's milk with the addition of milk-clotting enzymes and bacterial starter cultures. Cheese production technology includes all the necessary operations: shaping, pressing and maturing. The fat content of the product is 50%. Monastyrsky cheese is produced by OJSC “Moloko” in Vitebsk. In terms of its taste, the cheese meets all international requirements.

Dutch cheese

Many consumers prefer Belarusian cheeses. Their composition is only natural products of the highest quality. Semi-hard cheeses are considered to be the most delicate, with a delicate taste and aroma. They are well absorbed by the human body. For their production, only high-quality milk and special starter culture are used. The ripening period for such cheeses is about 40-45 days. From this category we can distinguish from the Gormolzavod in Minsk. The fat content of the product is 45%. By choosing a responsible manufacturer, you can be sure of the quality of the cheese.

Conclusion

Recently, Belarusian cheeses have occupied a significant share of the dairy products market. Manufacturer names play a big role when choosing. It is not only the opinion of experts that is important here, although only they can give a full assessment of the quality of the products and their compliance with standards. The main thing is the opinion of consumers who prefer a particular product. Belarusian cheeses have gained many fans in our country. This happened due to the high quality of the products and their taste. Let's hope that all these indicators will continue to remain at the proper level.

As a result of food counter-sanctions, most varieties of Italian and French cheese disappeared from stores, but numerous Russian and Belarusian analogues appeared. The Village obtained several samples from markets and stores and asked an expert sommelier to rate how similar they were to the original.

The essence of the experiment

The expert tastes seven varieties of cheese, evaluates the taste and consistency of each and gives a rating on a scale from 1 to 10. The tasting proceeds in an increasing order: from neutral ricotta to piquant blue with mold - so that the taste of the cheeses is revealed gradually.

Ricotta

“The cheese has almost no smell - this is normal for ricotta. Good ricotta should have the consistency of unsticky cottage cheese, but the taste should be like cheese. The consistency of this one is all right, and the taste is basically the same, although here you can feel that this is either not too bland cottage cheese, or some sort of curd cheese. I've tried it before. Belarusian ricotta is not similar to Italian, but it’s not bad.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Belarus, Gomel region, Bonfesto company

GRADE:
7 points

Mozzarella cigliegina

“This mozzarella is bland and tastes more like cottage cheese than cheese. It won't be suitable for something classic like caprese. The taste of cow's milk is very mediocre. The balls are too big for cigliegini, more like bocconcini, although they look good in appearance: layered, without air bubbles. And one more thing: proper mozzarella should be stored in brine, ideally in water with sea salt. This brine has a strange smell - like sour milk. Something has clearly gone wrong here.

This mozzarella would be perfect for pizza. The main thing is that it tastes similar and does not stretch: this is critical for pizza. I think once it melts it will be fine.

Of course, it is not like classic buffalo mozzarella (the production of which will probably never appear in Russia). In our country there are no black buffaloes, from whose milk this type of cheese is made. I heard that some entrepreneurs were importing these animals, but so far they haven’t succeeded.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
JSC "Shchapovo-Agrotechno", Shchapovskoe settlement

GRADE:
5 points

Hard mozzarella

“Maybe my knowledge is lacking, but I don’t understand what this cheese is for. It is salty (which is unacceptable for classic mozzarella). Stretchy. It can be used for sandwiches, but it has absolutely no taste! This is the base that just sits on top of the bread. To eat it, you need either salted butter or some kind of bread with additives - something flavorful.

This cheese is perhaps two weeks old: mediocre, young, slightly salty. I can taste pasteurized milk. Warmed up, not very appetizing.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Belarus, farming

GRADE:
3 points

Maasdam

“I have a very good attitude towards Altai cheeses. This one is delicious, has a slight sweetness, with notes of forest herbs. Personally, I don’t like sweetness in cheeses; in my opinion, it’s not very good for sandwiches.

The structure confuses me. The cheese is very loose, with small holes. Maasdams are characterized by a smaller number of holes: they converge closer to the edge and form larger ones. Perhaps accelerated maturation was used for this. It can still ripen."

WHERE PRODUCED:

GRADE:
6 points

Swiss cheese

“Swiss cheese in the USSR was called emmental. If you travel abroad, you will most likely encounter it at lunch (for example, in sandwiches, although sometimes young cheddar is also available).

Externally, this variety looks decent, it doesn’t even look like a Russian product. He has very decent holes. Similar to emmental. If I had seen this cheese on a display case, even without the name of the manufacturer, I would have decided that it was worthy of attention.

The taste, of course, is inferior to real Swiss cheese: Altai cheese is blander. I’m not sure how he will behave if he is allowed to mature further (maybe he has not reached condition). But when I eat it, I feel like I’m eating good cheese.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Altai region, farm

GRADE:
5 points

Cheddar

“I didn’t like this cheese at all. I love aged cheddar, the kind where you cut it and it crumbles. Moscow cheddar is very soft, almost plasticine. It was either taken off early, or it simply cannot mature any longer. It tastes like an unboiled pan.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Moscow, LLC "Algoy"

GRADE:
1 point

Kuban blues (blue cheese)

“Are you sure it's fresh? The packaging is leaking. A good blue cheese shouldn't leak.

The Kuban blues do not have such a distinct moldiness: it does not reach the same level as the Swiss samples. Boring taste, no interesting spice. But there is a plus - it is unsalted. Many Russian cheeses are terribly salty (it’s easier to make them this way), and salt overpowers the delicate taste of mold. Overall a good example.

This variety is good for a salad or pie - where it would be secondary. For wine - probably not. I wouldn’t recommend it, the taste will be lost.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Krasnodar region, company "Kaloriya"

GRADE:
5 points

Conclusion

“Historically, cheese making has not been very developed in Russia. Now, thanks to the embargo, many are beating themselves in the chest: “I’ll get it now!” But I’m skeptical about this: in Europe it took several centuries.

If you want to make money, it’s more profitable for you to sell the cheese faster to get your money back. The sooner the money turns around, the more you will get. We produce a lot of decent soft cheeses because they are easy to produce and difficult to spoil. This is mainly done by small farm dairies. We don’t have complex aged cheeses (such as Parmesan, for example), and it’s unlikely that we will soon.

Good cheese (especially with white mold and goat cheese) is made by “Lefkadia” in the Krasnodar region, there are decent examples from small farms - Signore Formaggio, “Cosa Nostra”, but, unfortunately, they don’t reach many places.”

“Enrico Cerea, the chef of the Italian restaurant Da Vittorio, which his father founded 50 years ago, is visiting Minsk. The restaurant has three Michelin stars. The last one was received by Enrico and his brother Roberto in 2010. In between the master classes and the gala dinner, Enrico stopped by the TUT.BY editorial office to evaluate the “Italian” cheeses offered by Belarusian producers.

“It tastes good, but it’s definitely not what it says on the package.”

We did not set ourselves the goal of offering Enrico all the Italian cheeses that are produced in Belarus. We bought parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta and mascarpone at the supermarket closest to the office. There, in the bread section, they looked at ciabatta, and for variety, they put the usual cottage cheese with five percent fat in the basket.

First of all, Enrico picks up the ciabatta. In the store this bread costs 2 rubles 46 kopecks is positioned as “dark Italian”, but the chef believes that “Belarusian” ciabatta is more like toast bread.

“Too soft,” the cook says first. — Ciabatta should be crispy, with a crust that would break in your hands. And this one is very rubbery. But it smells delicious, the flour is of good quality. Perhaps the wrong processing was chosen or a lot of liquid was added to the dough. Porosity must be distributed, this is not the case here, and we can talk about low quality.

As for the packaging, it is similar to what Italian producers use, says Enrico. With the exception of two products (No. 1 and No. 3).

- What it is? - he asks about the packaging, which does not have the name of the product in Latin letters (no. 1 in the photo).

- Parmesan.

- Parmesan? — the chef asks, looking at the cheese with annoyance. — Of course, it doesn’t look like Parmesan at all. It is similar to Dutch cheese in both consistency and color. Parmesan has certain granules that form it.

Our parmesan had a monochromatic, even structure and, according to Enrico, the technology necessary to make such cheese was not followed.

- But the cheese tastes good. But this is not Parmesan, and the packaging says otherwise.

“It should be softer, creamier, and there are a lot of granules here.” The taste is vaguely reminiscent of mascarpone. Very, very fatty cheese.

We tell the Italian that the store also had Italian mascarpone, but we were looking for Belarusian one. Enrico nods understandingly and says if the price is lower, you need to be prepared for the result.

— Italian products are expensive. But if a person realizes that yes, the product is not Italian, but simply different, why not use it?

“Is this called mozzarella? It’s even insulting!”

There are several more untouched products on the table. Among them are two types of mozzarella.

- And what's that? Is this called mozzarella? It must be said that it’s even a shame that such a product was called mozzarella (No. 3).

Enrico explains that there is mozzarella in the form of sausages, which is grated onto low-end pizzas. Perhaps the product he is holding in his hands is designed for this.

— These sausages were simply cut and packaged to be sold. But it didn't work out very well. Now I’ll try this magical mozzarella,” Enrico jokes and adds: “No, I didn’t insure my life!”

The Italian says that this product can be called whatever you like, but it has nothing to do with mozzarella. But he likes the other mozzarella (No. 6).

— The consistency is acceptable. It's different for me because I'm used to eating a different product. And, apparently, this leaves an imprint. Still, you can eat it.

The ricotta we bought has more granules than the cook is used to, but it's an acceptable consistency. But the taste seems unsaturated, without any peculiarity.

— The taste is neutral, more like Yoka cheese than ricotta (cheese No. 5). And, of course, we are not talking about any fruits with ricotta. The berries can be combined with yogurt or added to dumplings if you are making them from cheese and flour.

The second type of ricotta also reminds the chef of another type of cheese.

“It’s very hard, all the water has been taken out of the cheese.” And it is completely impossible to eat! It’s simply impossible, like plastic,” Enrico hastened to put down product No. 7.

After the tasting, the Italian chef from a restaurant with three Michelin stars apologized for the criticism and noted that his assessment was subjective.

- This is only in my opinion, taking into account my taste and experience.

“You don’t have to repeat after someone else, it’s better to create something of your own”

When all the “Italian” Belarusian products were tasted, the turn came to cottage cheese, which Enrico put aside at the very beginning. At first glance, in the still closed package, he identified it as “something that is not made in Italy.” Let's try.

- If you ask me which cheese of all (and Italians also call five percent cottage cheese cheese) I would like to eat with this bread, I will take this one (points to cottage cheese. - Website note). There's a good level of sourness here, it feels good in the mouth, it's delicious. I like the structure. Add two tomatoes, two cucumbers and a little olives to it - and it will be some kind of Belarusian salad, which is not found anywhere.

The Italian believes that Belarusians should use traditional products. Then the dishes made from them will be authentic.

“After all, it is not necessary to repeat what has been created by other people, especially when these products do not meet the given standards. Maybe you need to develop something of your own?

As for the rest of the products, the Italian called mozzarella (No. 6) and mascarpone (No. 4) similar cheeses (albeit very distantly) to the original. But their level is low, even below average, Enrico believes.

“If I came to work in Belarus, I would be happy if I could bring my mozzarella,” he smiles. - If not, then I’d better come up with recipes with this (points to cottage cheese).

Enrico has already tried Belarusian sour cream and was delighted.

— I would serve it with caviar. Or with smoked salmon, dill cream and bottarga.

Finally, we asked the Michelin-starred chef if he goes to expensive restaurants when traveling.

- Yes, I come in and try it because I’m interested. I spent a lot of money. Seriously, I've spent a fortune going to other places I've eaten at. But I also try completely ordinary food, some nonsense, street food. The main thing is that food should be tasty and bring pleasure, give emotions.

Compound: normalized milk, thickening salt - calcium chloride, milk-clotting enzyme of microbial origin, bacterial starter of thermophilic cultures.

Nutritional value of 100 g of product:
Proteins – 20.1
Fat – 17.6 g
Energy value – 238.8 kcal (999.8 kJ)
Store at temperatures from +2 o C to +6 o C at a relative humidity of 75-85%.
Vacuum packed.
Once opened, consume the package within 48 hours.

TU BY 490871155.002-2011
TI RB 490871155.002

Semi-hard cheese Mozzarella Pizza (Italian: Mozzarella Pizza) is the most famous cheese of the Pasta Filata group.

Pizza mozzarella best reveals its taste when exposed to temperature, which is why this cheese is so popular in dishes that require baking and heat treatment, for example, as a topping for pizza and lasagna. At the same time, the scope for using semi-hard mozzarella is much wider: sandwiches, salads, all kinds of cold appetizers - there are countless options.

Mozzarella Pizza and Mozzarella Fior di Latte differ mainly in moisture content and fat content in dry matter. Pizza mozzarella is characterized by low humidity and a reduced mass fraction of fat, which increases shelf life and improves the characteristics of the cheese after melting. Pizza mozzarella, unlike varieties such as Provola and Scamorza, does not ripen - this cheese is suitable for packaging immediately after preparation.

Mozzarella Pizza is great not only for making pizza, but also casseroles, lasagna, and pies. Pizza's most famous Mozzarella pie is the calzone. Buy Mozzarella Bonfesto (Bonfesto) Turov Belarusian.

Aram Mikhailovich, are you going to Moscow for an inspection or are you planning to open a new restaurant? Now is the time - a crisis, a favorable period for growth, as economists say.

I'm not here for inspection, but for pleasure! Previously, before Traffic jams on Tsvetnoy, Moscow was perceived by me as a city where I would not want to work. I can’t sit back, and I didn’t have my place here. I didn’t understand what it was like to have your own restaurant in Moscow. Now everything is different: I come here to have fun, because I really like my restaurant in Moscow.

So, maybe you should get a second one, and you will be twice as happy?

No, I won’t have a second restaurant in Moscow. I don’t like to give up, but I definitely don’t plan to open new restaurants in the capital.

Three months into the food embargo, and it feels like nothing has changed. So has it changed or not changed, in your opinion?

It has changed, of course. This is not noticeable to the consumer, but Chefs and restaurateurs have a lot of unnecessary troubles associated with obtaining products that were previously at hand. Of course, this is not catastrophic, but it is distracting.

Do you now cook with alternative ingredients or use original leftovers?

Cheeses from Serbia and Morocco will never replace French and Italian, there’s nothing to talk about. AND Belarusian mozzarella, sorry, this is funny. The product and its gastronomic qualities are determined by the place of origin - climatic factors, local traditions. In Russia we cannot make cheese, we can only boil it. We have never had cheese making, cheese making only. AND Far Eastern oyster- This is a fundamentally different product. Some people like it, but it will not replace those classic oysters that we are used to.

But I’ll emphasize once again: all this is not critical. Understand that the disappearance of French and Italian cheeses, Dutch vegetables, and Polish apples is not noticeable to people. Now, if they chopped guilt, the consumer would immediately feel this.

And we have long forgotten about the leftovers. The restaurant needs a stable food supply situation. The market is freeing up, new suppliers sense a free niche and there is a flow of new products, including very good ones, of impeccable quality.

What is so new and interesting that has appeared on our market?

Products from Iceland- fish, meat... I've been to Iceland many times, I really love this country and its people. Every time I’m there, my friends discover new restaurants, products and dishes for me, and every time it’s delicious! Not for me, but for our market, Iceland is a revelation. Icelandic products have always been expensive, but now, after their crisis and under the embargo, they have become quite affordable. Argentine meat yet again...

Did you have to adjust the menu a lot?

Twenty percent. The most important thing is cheeses and salads. There are no high-quality green salads in Russia in sufficient quantities. And what exists does not meet any requirements. Holland has disappeared from the shelves, and salads have disappeared. Almost all of my restaurants are Italian. To prepare some dishes, you definitely need those products that are embargoed. The most difficult thing with cheeses: Parmesan, buffalo mozzarella- nothing can replace them. But of course we can always maintain the authenticity with a wonderful selection of Italian wines and my favorite Italian water San Benedetto.

Has the crisis in the restaurant industry already arrived?

The general economic situation naturally affects restaurants. People have less money, and they are very biased in choosing establishments based on price and quality. Time of fierce competition. Anything done on your knees will fall apart. This applies primarily to the entire service sector - travel agencies, hairdressers, and restaurants. Everything of high quality will remain.

What are your personal criteria for assessing a good restaurant?

The main thing in a restaurant is the atmosphere. It would be a mistake to think that the atmosphere can be formed by the interior. The atmosphere is about people: both the guests and the restaurant team. How they smile at me at the entrance, how they accept my clothes, how they show me to the table - everything is important. In a good restaurant, all employees know everything about their restaurant, menu, dishes, wine, history, that is, they live this place.

What do you attribute the success of Traffic Jam on Tsvetnoy to?

Only what is done harmoniously and in balance can be successful. A wonderful team, a clear, simple menu, stability in everything. We are a classic gastronomic restaurant, very high quality. We don't do anything too original, we go from season to season.

Well, seasonality is some kind of strange, alien concept in our realities...

Yes, the season in Russia is a non-existent concept. What do we have in season - basically only pumpkins and mushrooms, and what else? Smelts in St. Petersburg! Russia produces few of its own products and has no developed agriculture. Therefore, the cuisine is not very diverse. Although, as you know, we have the opportunity to make all this happen. Therefore, we will believe that we will cope and will see another renaissance of Russian gastronomy.