INDUSTRIES DEPENDING ON ANIMAL PRODUCTS 1 365 



after a time the whole of the cheese lies in a bath of whey, in which it ri- 

 pens ; the duration of the process of ripening varies according to the cheese 

 maker. On the market, cheeses of more or less advanced stage of ripening 

 are found. 



The finished cheese put on the market is completeh- white and is soft 

 and friable. Its taste, slightly tart and piquant, varies according to the 

 degree of ripening and the manner of keeping the finished product (whether 

 kept on the mountain, in the vallej' or in town). The older the cheese the 

 more it tends to take on a consistency resembling that of hard butter, so 

 that it can be easily spread on bread. After keeping 6 to 8 months the 

 cheese partly loses its taste ; if it is made with skim milk its taste is not so 

 pleasant. This latter method is regarded as fraudulent, although there is 

 no law prohibiting this cheese being sold as though made from full cream 

 milk. A good cheess should never contain holes. 



2) " Kaschkaival " . — This belongs to the group of cooked cheeses and 

 the sub-group of solid and sour descriptions. The raw material (milk) is 

 put through the same treatment as in the manufacture of ordinary Bulga- 

 rian cheese, but always consists of ewe's milk and never buffalo milk. 

 After passing through the filter the mass of curd is wrapped in the cloth and 

 the latter is twisted so as to wring out the whey ; to promote drainage the 

 casein is also pressed b}' hand. These operations distinguish " Kaschka- 

 wal '. manufacture from that of ordinary Bulgarian cheese. When the 

 Avhey is drained off, the casein is put into wooden moulds, then thoroughly 

 triturated betw^een the fingers ; the cloth is twisted a second time and the 

 curd once more pressed by hand to force out the rest of the whey. 



For this secondary fermentation the curd, freed from the whey, must 

 remain in the cloth for some days. If the weather is hot, the secondary 

 fermentation takes from 3 to 5 hours ; if cold, 2 days. The process is 

 judged according to the colour of the mass, which should be a light 3'ellow, 

 and the content of " eyes ", which must have a diameter amounting to i cm. 

 If fermentation takes place slowly, owing to low outside temperature, whey 

 is poured into the curd. 



On completion of the secondary- fermentation, the casein is cut up 

 into long pieces of an average weight of 50 to 60 gr. which are placed in a 

 water bath at 50-600C.; they are left in this for 8 to 10 minutes and tho- 

 roughly kneaded b}' hand. The paste thus becomes spongy and is shaped 

 into balls weighing i, 2, 5 or 7 kg., which are placed in metal moulds; here:' 

 they remain 3 to 5 clays, cooling and soli(lif>'ing. 



When this operation is completed, the balls are taken out and salted, 

 and kept in layers. The cheese should be salted every day for 10 to 25 

 days, and is then kept in a well ventilated spot. The cheese is stored for 

 about I month until fermentation is completed. 



" Kaschkawal " is found on the market luider two names : " fresh 

 Kaschkawal which is offered for sale immediately after salting, and " old " 

 Kaschkawal or the completely ripened article. The colour of Kaschkawal 

 is hght yellow ; the slightly tart flavour resembles that of original Gruyere ; 



