Turkish Roquefort cheese owes its flavor to caves

The village of Üçharman, formerly called Divle, is one of the oldest settlements of the region. Obruk cheese, a special, naturally produced cheese produced from goat or sheep's milk, is stored in a 36-meter-deep and 257-meter-high cave in the village, which is also the cheese's namesake. Ayrancı Municipality Mayor Yüksel Büyükkarcı told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the cave where the cheese is stored gives it a unique taste, and it is highly praised by expert foodies. The cave maintains a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius both in winter and summer, but locals produce Obruk cheese mostly in April and May.


The cave where the cheese is stored gives it a unique taste, and it is highly praised by expert foodies.

To make the cheese, sheep or cows fed in their natural habitat are milked. The milk is boiled and fermented, and then the fermented cheese is bagged and kept under rocks until it dries. Later, the cheese is scrubbed and pressed on clean goat or sheep's hide and is then stored in the cave. At first, the cheese maintains its natural color, but then turns ash gray. In the following days, a white mold covers its surface, which falls off when it gains a reddish color. The inside of the cheese is white. "When you see this color, it means the cheese is ready. After a three- or four-month process, the cheese is taken from the cave. Obruk cheese has been produced this way for centuries. The cave is capable of producing 70 tons of cheese," Büyükkarcı said, adding that they have no problem selling the traditional cheese.

Obruk cheese is sent to many cities, notably Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir. "There are foreign customers as well. Famous restaurants are aware of the cheese's taste and their demand is high. However, we can only produce a limited amount," he said. The bacteria are only present in the cave. Büyükkarcı said researchers tried and failed to reproduce it in another place. "Roquefort, the famous French cheese, is stored in artificial caves or storehouses. It can be produced according to demand. However, we can only produce 70 tons of Obruk cheese each year," he said. A kilogram of Roquefort is TL 500 ($173), while a kilogram of Obruk cheese is around TL 45 or TL 50. "The price of Obruk cheese should be around the price of Roquefort," he mused.

Büyükkarcı said they sometimes encounter problems with quality standards as the cheese is not produced at a single establishment. "Obruk cheese is high-quality but lacks certain standards. It is necessary to form a production facility and promote the cheese in the market," he said. "The municipality has prepared a project and seeks financial resources. The milk will be collected in one place. If we can successfully produce Obruk cheese in such a way, its price will even surpass Roquefort." Emphasizing that Obruk cheese is sold by the gram, not by the kilogram, he added: "We can compete with other cheeses as we trust in Obruk cheese's taste and quality."

Üçharman village head, Cemal Kütahya, said fake Divle Obruk cheese is sold, as it is not possible to produce thousands of tons of Obruk cheese considering the cave's capacity. "The mold's reddish color is the most important feature of Obruk cheese. It takes its color from the cave. However, there are some people who color the cheese with red dye. Consumers should not believe false sellers," Kütahya said.