Ewes’ milk and goats’ milk and dairy products manufactured from them
have an important role in the life of the people living in local areas of Iran. Lighvan
and Koozeh (Koopeh) are the most known Iranian traditional cheeses manufactured
respectively in East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Kordestan and Qazvin provinces, in
the north-west of Iran. These cheeses are manufactured traditionally from raw ewe or
goats’ milk or an appropriate mixture of them without using a starter-culture. Using
raw milk for the manufacturing of Lighvan and Koozeh (Koopeh) cheeses provides a
specific taste and flavor and increases their marketability. During manufacturing of
these types of cheese, lamb or commercial calf rennet is used for coagulating the milk
to form the curd. While Lighvan cheese is ripened in the cube form in metal tins
containing 10-12% of brine for 3-4 months, Koozeh (Koopeh) cheese is ground after
dry salting and put into jugs, and then is ripened underground for 2-3 months. In this
chapter, besides discussing the properties of ewes’ and goats’ milk, the manufacturing
methods and physicochemical properties of these Iranian traditional cheeses are also
explained.
Keywords: Dairy products, Ewes’ milk, Goats’ milk, Iranian traditional cheeses,
Koozeh (Koopeh) cheeses, Lighvan cheeses.
