Sulguni

Sulguni(Georgian:სულგუნი, სულუგუნიsulguni, suluguni;Mingrelian:სელეგინsuluguni) is abrinedGeorgian cheesefrom theSamegreloregion. It has a sour, moderately salty flavor, a dimpled texture, and an elastic consistency; these attributes are the result of the process used, as is the source of its nickname "pickle cheese". Its color ranges from white to pale yellow. Sulguni is often deep-fried, which masks its odor. It is often served in wedges. Sulguni ispatentedby Georgia since 24 January 2012
A typical sulguni cheese is shaped as a flat disc, 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters thick. It weighs 0.5 to 1.5 kg (1.1 to 3.3 lb) and contains 50% water and between 1% and 5% salt. Dry fat content averages 45%.Sulguni is produced only of natural ingredients: normalized cow milk by clotting by rennet with pure cultures of lactic bacteria.
The name is etymologized asMingrelian:სელეგინ(suluguni).
Afolk etymologyposits that the namesulgunicomes from two Georgian words:suli(which means "soul") andguli("heart").
There is a version, that the wordsulguniis etymologized asOssetic (Digor dialect)сулугун (sulugun) addingGeorgiannominative formanti, wheresulumeansWhey, and formant-gunmeans "made of".However, this version does not take into account the fact that initially this cheese was produced in Samegrelo region in the western Georgia, which doesn't border to other regions of Georgia where partially Ossetian language is used. At the same time, initially in Megrelian language the name sounds asselegin(sele- verb. "to knead",gin- cattle family (buffalos, cows) whose milk is used to produce the cheese). Kneading of the primary cheese is the key stage of the final cheese production process. These arguments contradict the etymologization on the basis of Ossetiansulu. It is assumed thatseleginwas transformed intosulugunias a result of migration of the name into Georgian and to Eastern and other regions of Georgia.
According to the 1970s sources, sulguni accounted for around 27% of cheese production in Georgia.It was the third most popular pickled cheese of theSoviet Union, with 16.5% share in 1987 (afterbryndzaandOssetian cheese).
Sulguni may be produced from normalized milk of cow,buffalo, or a mix of these milks. It is a "quick cheese" maturing in just one or two days.The mix of normalized milk and bacterial starter is scalded at 36-38 °C or, alternatively,rennetedwithout scalding. It is thencheddaredinwheyat 34-35 °C for up to five hours, reachingtitratable acidityof 140-160°C.
The cheddared mass is then diced into pieces 1 to 3 centimeters long. They are heated to 60-80 °C in a rotating mixer, either directly or with added whey or brine. Plasticizing of raw mass takes five to seven minutes. Direct dry plasticizing yields fatter, drier cheese with superior taste.Plasticized cheese mass is then cooled, drained of whey and shaped by hand. Shaped cheeses are cured in cold (8-12 °C), mildly acidic brine for 6 to 48 hours.
For a long time, sulguni rennet cheese was produced only by local Georgian farmers but in 2012 the Georgian dairy company "LTD Sante GMT products" started producing packaged sulguni. They are utilizing a fully automated production process, with minimized manual operations.
InRussia, suluguni cheese is produced by technology described inGOSTR 53437-2009 "Suluguni and Sloistyi cheeses. Specifications". Word "sloistyi" (Russian:слоистый) means "layered"; this name (layered cheese) is being used sometimes in theUSSRand disused in current Russian language.