Rumi cheese

Rumi
Other names	None
Country of origin	Egypt
Pasteurized	No
Texture	Hard/Crumbly
Weight	10 kg discs

Rumi cheese (Egyptian Arabic: جبنة رومى gebna Rumi [ˈɡebnæ ˈruːmi], also spelled roumi/roomi) is one of the main types of cheese in Egypt. Despite its name (Rūmī, literally "Roman"), the cheese is Egyptian. It has a pungent smell, and different degrees of saltiness depending on the age. It is also known, e.g. in the United Arab Emirates, as Ras cheese.

Description

Rumi is the main hard cheese in Egypt. It belongs to the same family as pecorino romano and manchego. Rumi cheese is made from cows' milk, or from buffalo milk. No starter culture is used. The milk is natural, with full cream. Peppercorns may be added. After 3–4 months the cheese develops an open texture and a sharp, pungent flavor. Rumi is available in ten-kilogram (22 lb) discs or as slices with variable weight in vacuum packing. A reference serving of 30 grams (1 oz) provides about 400 kilojoules (100 kcal) of food energy, with about 28% saturated fat.

Related products

The addition of low levels of pregastric esterase (used in blue cheese production) or lipases from R. miehei or R. pusillus has been reported to improve the flavor of ras and domiati cheeses. In 1985 an experimental Ras cheese was made using equal amounts by volume of cow and buffalo milk, plus an additional 20% to 30% of soy milk. The fat content was lower than natural cheese, and the flavor was affected slightly, but the aged result was said to have "satisfactory sensory properties". Although the fermented cheese mish is traditionally made from Areesh cheese, commercial products similar to mish may be made from ras and domiati cheeses.

See also

• Egyptian cuisine
• List of cheeses
• Areesh cheese
• Domiati

References

• "African Cheese: Egypt". iFood. 2012. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
• "egyptian romy cheese". Agriculture source. 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
• "Egyptian Roomy Cheese calorie and nutritional information". myfitnesspal. 2012. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
• Ayad, E. H. E.; Awad, S.; El Attar, A.; de Jong, C.; El-Soda, M. (August 2004). "Characterisation of Egyptian Ras cheese. 2. Flavour formation". Food Chemistry. 86 (4): 553–561.
• Fontecha, Javier; Amigo, Lourdes; Angel de la Fuente, Miguel; Juarez, Manuela; Ramos, Mercedes; El-Shikh, Mohamed; El-Shibiny, Safinaz (Oct–Nov 1990). "Ripening changes in Ras cheese prepared from ultrafiltered milk". Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung. 191 (4–5): 310. doi:10.1007/bf01202433. S2CID 83430806.
• Fox, P. F. (1999-08-01). Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology (Major Cheese Groups). Springer. p. 431. ISBN 978-0-8342-1339-5. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
• Fox, Patrick F. (2000-02-29). Fundamentals of Cheese Science. Springer. p. 355. ISBN 978-0-8342-1260-2. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
• Fox, Patrick F.; McSweeney, Paul L.H.; Cogan, Timothy M.; Guinee, Timothy P. (2004-08-04). Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology: Major Cheese Groups. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-08-050094-2. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
• Gunasekaran, Sundaram; Ak, M. Mehmet (2010-12-12). Cheese Rheology and Texture. CRC Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4200-3194-2. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
• Hofi, A. A.; Youssef, E. H.; Ghoneim, M. A.; Tawab, G. A. (September 1970). "Ripening Changes in Cephalotyre "RAS" Cheese Manufactured from Raw and Pasteurized Milk with Special Reference to Flavor". Journal of Dairy Science. 53 (9): 1207–1211.
• Shurtleff, William (2012). History of Soy Yogurt, Soy Acidophilus Milk and Other Cultured Soymilks (1918-2012). Soyinfo Center. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-928914-47-1. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
• Tamime, A. Y. (2011-05-03). "Cheese Flavours". Processed Cheese and Analogues. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-4183-6. Retrieved 2013-04-15.