Çökelek

Çökelek (Azerbaijani: Şor) is a fermented and acid/heat coagulated fresh cheese from Turkey and Azerbaijan.^[1] It can be produced from heating fermented buttermaking by-products such as buttermilk (yayıkaltı), though skimmed milk yogurt can also be used as a starting material.^[1][2] It can also be obtained from yayık ayranı through heat exposure.^[3] Despite its similar appearance, it is distinct from Lor, a form of curdled whey product similar to cottage cheese. Keş,^[4] şor,^[5] ekşimik^[6] and minci are different local names associated with çökelek.

Pide with çökelek and egg filling

According to Sevan Nişanyan, çökelek is etymologically Turkish in origin. It has been postulated that çökelek had derived from the verb çök- (to coagulate, to sit in Turkish) and the suffix -ak/-ek. Oldest written record about the cheese could be dated to 15th century.^[7]

References

1. Kindstedt, Paul (2012-04-01). Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its Place in Western Civilization. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-412-8.
2. Ziraat dergisi (in Turkish). Atatürk Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi. 1979.
3. Yildiz, Fatih (2016-04-19). Development and Manufacture of Yogurt and Other Functional Dairy Products. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-8208-1.
4. Eröz, Mehmet (1991). Yörükler (in Turkish). Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları Vakfı. ISBN 9789754980448.
5. Mayadağlı, Hüsniye Zal; Vaḣabzadă, Băkhtii̐ar (1998-01-01). Bahtiyar Vahabzâde: hayatı ve eserleri (in Turkish). Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı. ISBN 9789753893206.
6. Kurumu, Türk Dil; Demiray, Kemal; Bakr, Muammer (1977). Resimli Türkçe sözlük (in Turkish). Türk Dil Kurumu.
7. "çökelek". Nişanyan Sözlük. Retrieved 2020-02-12.

See also

• Kashk
• Acid curd