The cheese counter in Moldova is always long: brânză in brine, telemea, cașcaval, processed cheese, cottage cheese. The names sound familiar, but not everyone knows what is what. Let us go through how to choose and store each one.

Brânză: soft and salty

Brânză is a cheese that ripens in brine. It is white, soft, crumbly, slightly tangy and salty. It is made from sheep's, cow's or mixed milk. Sheep's brânză is richer and more flavourful, cow's is milder and softer.

Good brânză is easy to spot: white or faintly cream, with no yellowing and no slime on the surface. The brine is clear or slightly cloudy, without an unpleasant smell.

Do not mix it up with curd cheese. In Romanian "brânză de vaci" simply means cottage cheese. For the filling of plăcinte take brânză in brine, and add cottage cheese only if the recipe says so.

Telemea: firmer than brânză

Telemea also ripens in brine, but it is firmer and more uniform. It can be cut into thin slices and holds its shape on a plate and in a sandwich. The taste is strong, salty, with a light tang.

The name "telemea" on packs does not always mean the same thing. So look at the ingredients: what milk the cheese is made from and what else is in it, whether there are vegetable fats. A good cheese is made from milk, culture, rennet and salt.

Telemea goes well with mămăligă, tomatoes and bread, in a salad and in baked dishes.

Cașcaval: cheese for the pan and the sandwich

Cașcaval is a semi-hard, yellowish cheese. The curd is stretched and shaped, which is why it is firm and melts well. The taste is mild, slightly creamy, and sharper in the aged kind.

Cașcaval is sliced for sandwiches, grated into bakes and pies, and fried in a pan until it gets a golden crust. A cut surface should be uniform, with no cracks and no dry edges.

Look at the rind: it should not be wet or sticky. The smell is fresh and milky, without a sour or mouldy note.

Here is what the catalogues have on cheese right now:

In the catalogues now: cheese

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Processed cheese

Processed cheese is made by melting cheese and adding other dairy ingredients. It is soft, spreads on bread, does not crumble and melts evenly in soup. You buy it for sandwiches and for baking.

Read the ingredients. The closer cheese and milk are to the start of the list, the better. If vegetable fats and starch come first, what you have is closer to a cheese product than to cheese. That does not make it bad, just not worth paying for as cheese.

Packaging also affects the price: in triangles and portioned slices you pay for convenience. Tub cheese is usually better value by weight.

How to choose on the shelf

First: date and conditions. Cheese in brine should be kept cold, not at room temperature. Second: the pack. Vacuum should not be puffed up, and there should be no moisture or spots on the surface. Third: ingredients and kind of milk.

If the cheese is sold by weight, ask to see a cut. Brânză should not be slimy, telemea should not be dry at the edges, cașcaval should not have spots and cracks. Ask for a taste: a good seller will not refuse.

Compare the price per kilogram, not per piece, especially when pieces differ in weight.

How to soak salty cheese

If brânză or telemea turn out too salty, you can soak them. Cut the cheese into cubes or slices, so it gives up salt faster. Cover with cold water or milk; milk makes the taste softer.

Leave it for an hour or two, then taste. If needed, change the liquid and leave it longer. Do not leave it more than a few hours: the cheese will lose its taste. Soaked cheese is best eaten the same day.

How to store cheese

Keep brânză and telemea in brine, in a tightly closed container in the fridge. If the brine has gone, make new: a teaspoon of salt to a glass of boiled, cooled water. Make sure the cheese stays covered with liquid.

Wrap cașcaval in parchment or paper and put it in a container in the lower part of the fridge. Do not wrap it tightly in film. Close processed cheese after opening and eat it within a few days.

If mould has appeared on hard cheese, cut it off with a generous margin, and throw away cheese with an unpleasant smell altogether.

Where cheese is better value

Cheese costs more when you buy it in small pieces. Buy more, cut it into portions and freeze what can be frozen. A comparison by store shows where it is cheaper right now:

Where it is cheaper: cheese

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In short: what to buy and how to keep it

  • For plăcinte and salads take brânză, for sandwiches telemea or cașcaval.
  • Check the ingredients: milk and culture, not vegetable fats.
  • Compare the price per kilogram.
  • Keep brânză in brine, cașcaval in paper.
  • Soak anything too salty in cold water or milk.