View source for Telemea

{{short description|Romanian cheese traditionally made of sheep's milk}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Telemea
| image = [[File:Telemea.jpg|200px]]
| othernames =
| country = [[Romania]]
| regiontown = 
| region =
| town =
| source = [[Sheep]], [[cow]]
| pasteurised = Traditionally, no
| texture = soft, semi-soft, brined and creamy
| fat =
| protein =
| dimensions =
| weight =
| aging =
| certification = [[Protected designation of origin]], [[Protected geographical indication]]
}}
'''Telemea''' ({{IPA|ro|teleˈme̯a}}) is the name of a Romanian cheese traditionally made of [[sheep milk|sheep's milk]].<ref name="telemeacheese">[https://www.cheese.com/telemea/ About Telemea] at cheese.com</ref> Nowadays the term encompasses cheese made out of cow's milk, and in some cases of goat's, or buffalo's milk.

==Description==
Similar to the Greek [[feta]], but also as in the case of Turkish ''[[Teleme cheese|teleme]]'',<ref name="HuiEvranuz2012">{{cite book|author1=Y. H. Hui|author2=E. Özgül Evranuz|title=Handbook of Animal-Based Fermented Food and Beverage Technology, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MnG50g_P0VUC&pg=PA280|date=14 May 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-5022-0|pages=280–}}</ref> Bulgarian or Macedonian [[sirene]], and Serbian ''sir'', telemea can have a higher water content, making it a soft or semi-soft white cheese with a creamy texture and a tangy aftertaste. Alternatively, the cheese is put through an ageing process that makes it crisper, more flavoured and saltier. [[Cumin]] seeds are occasionally added for a spicy, nutty flavor.<ref name="telemeacheese" /> It is used as a table cheese for snacks, in salads, and in a variety of dishes (e.g., omelettes, [[Palatschinke|clătite]], [[Plăcintă|plăcinte]]).

==Production==
To make ''Telemea'' cheese, [[rennet]] is added into milk to curdle it. Most commonly, cow's and sheep's milk are used, with goat's and buffalo's being more of a delicacy. The resulting [[curd]] is removed and is kept in cheesecloth, pressed overnight, then cut into square pieces. The cheese is then left to mature in brine. This fresh cheese (preserved in brine up to a couple of weeks) has its own name, [[caș]]. Subsequently, it is stored in wooden barrels named ''putini'' (singular: ''putină''). It can be kept throughout winter in a more concentrated brine, in which case, it is desalted in fresh water before consumption.

==Certification==
Starting 2004, the ''Telemea'' is intended to become a [[Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union|protected traditional speciality]] product of Romania, and the following types of ''telemea'' have sought to be recognized under the PDO or PGI labels:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.libertatea.ro/detalii/articol/carnatii-de-plescoi-nu-intra-inca-in-europa-171744.html|title=Carnatii de Plescoi nu intra inca in Europa|work=Libertatea|date=28 January 2007|language=ro}}</ref>
*Telemea de [[Argeș County|Argeș]]
*Telemea de [[Brașov]]
*Telemea de [[Carei]]
*Telemea de [[Harghita]]
*Telemea de [[Huedin]]
*Telemea de [[Ibănești, Mureș|Ibănești]] (PDO)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imperialtransilvania.com/2018/07/14/read-more/argomenti/local-products-1/articolo/telemea-de-ibanesti-the-ibanesti-salted-cheese-has-become-the-first-romanian-product-to-ge.html |title="Telemea de Ibăneşti" - (The Ibanesti Salted Cheese) - has become the first Romanian product to get protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union |website=imperialtransilvania.com |accessdate=17 November 2018}}</ref>
*Telemea de [[Nucet]]
*Telemea de [[Oaş Country|Oaş]]
*Telemea de [[Sibiu]] (PGI)
*Telemea de [[Vâlcea County|Vâlcea]]

In 2017, the [[EU]] acknowledged ''Telemea de Ibănești'' as having [[Protected designation of origin|Protected designation of origin (PDO)]], followed by ''Telemea de Sibiu'' as having [[Protected geographical indication|Protected geographical indication (PGI)]], in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/list.html?&recordSelection=all&recordStart=0&filter.dossierNumber=&filter.comboName=&filterMin.milestone__mask=&filterMin.milestone=&filterMax.milestone__mask=&filterMax.milestone=&filter.country=RO&filter.category=&filter.type=&filter.status=|title=EU reference site |website=ec.europa.eu|date=24 October 2023 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Brined cheese}}
* {{annotated link|List of cheeses}}
* {{annotated link|List of sheep milk cheeses}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cheese.com/telemea/ Telemea]
* [http://www.zmescience.com/other/science-abc/wikipedia-cant-tell-making-cheese/ What Wikipedia can’t tell you about making cheese]

{{Commons category}}
{{Romanian cheeses}}
{{Cuisine of Romania}}

[[Category:Romanian cheeses]]
[[Category:Romanian products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union]]
[[Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Cow's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Brined white cheeses]]