Adyghe cheese is the soft, fresh cheese of the Circassians, and today you will find it in shops all over Russia. It is also one of the easiest cheeses to make at home: milk heated almost to the boil, a splash of sour whey to set it, and a basket or cloth to drain the curds. There is no rennet and no ageing, and it is ready the same day.
Here is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, with the story of the “basket cheese” and its name in Kabardian and Adyghe.
Adyghe cheese recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the milk gently to just below the boil (about 95°C), stirring so it does not scorch.
- Slowly pour in the soured whey; the milk will curdle and the curds rise to the top.
- As soon as the whey turns clear, stop stirring and let it settle for a minute.
- Lift the curds with a slotted spoon into a basket or cloth-lined colander.
- Sprinkle with salt, fold the cloth over, and press lightly.
- Cool, then chill a few hours until firm. Eat fresh, or fry in butter.
Save the leftover whey. Soured overnight, it becomes the starter for your next batch.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Why it is called basket cheese
Traditionally the curds are gathered into woven willow baskets, which press a lace-like pattern into the sides of the cheese. That is where its Adyghe name comes from: матэкъуае, from матэ, basket, and къуае, cheese. In Kabardian, cheese is кхъуей.
The finished cheese is mild and milky, soft but firm enough to slice, and it keeps its shape when fried or baked. That is why it turns up everywhere in Circassian cooking: fried in butter, or as the filling of haliva and mataz dumplings.
A protected name
Adyghe cheese is made all over Russia and beyond, but the name has a home. In 2004 Rospatent, Russia’s patent office, registered “Adyghe cheese” as an appellation of origin, so only certified producers in the Republic of Adygea may sell cheese under that name. Maykop, the capital of Adygea, holds a yearly Adyghe cheese festival.
Circassians in Turkey have a protected cheese of their own: the semi-hard Pınarbaşı Uzunyayla Çerkes peyniri from the Uzunyayla plateau was registered as a designation of origin in 2021.
Cheese words in Kabardian and Adyghe
From the app’s Kabardian lessons: Кхъуей IэфI is “delicious cheese”, and Кхъуей сфIэфIщ means “I like cheese”. A few more:
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| cheese | кхъуейqkhwey | къуаеqwaye |
| milk | шэshe | щэshche |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchyghu |
| butter | тхъуцынэtkhwutsyne | тхъуtkhu |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу дэд'esh'u ded |
More Circassian recipes
With a round of fresh cheese on the table, make haliva, the fried cheese pies, or mataz, the boiled dumplings. For a main course, try Circassian chicken in walnut sauce, and for the bigger picture, 10 traditional Circassian dishes.
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Adyghe cheese: frequently asked questions
What is Adyghe cheese?
A soft, fresh Circassian cheese made by curdling hot milk with soured whey and draining the curds in a woven basket. It is not aged, and it is mild and milky.
Can I make Adyghe cheese at home?
Yes. You need 3 litres of whole milk, 1 litre of soured whey (or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar as a starter) and a teaspoon of salt. It takes about an hour, plus a few hours in the fridge to firm up.
What can I use instead of whey?
The recipe in the app allows 4 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar as the starter. Save the whey from your first batch: soured overnight, it becomes the starter for the next one.
Why is Adyghe cheese called basket cheese?
The curds are traditionally drained in woven baskets that leave a pattern on the sides. Its Adyghe name, матэкъуае, joins матэ, basket, and къуае, cheese.
Can you fry Adyghe cheese?
Yes. It keeps its shape when fried or baked, so it is often fried in butter or used as a filling for pies such as haliva.
Is “Adyghe cheese” a protected name?
Yes. In 2004 Rospatent registered it as an appellation of origin, so only certified producers in the Republic of Adygea may use the name.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section (Circassian Library > Recipes), recipe “Adyghe Cheese”, version 5.2, September 2026. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Wikipedia (Russian), “Adygeyskiy syr”: production, baskets, the name матэкъуае, the Maykop festival.
- ConsultantPlus, legal news on the “Syr Adygeyskiy” appellation of origin (registered by Rospatent in 2004).
- TÜRKPATENT, geographical indication No. 724, “Pınarbaşı Uzunyayla Çerkes Peyniri” (2021).
- Adyghe dictionary in the app (dovlet.info): матэ, “basket”.
- Circassian app, Kabardian and Adyghe lessons Bread & Cheese, Meat & Salt, Fruit & Butter, Drinks, Pets & Poultry and Dining Phrases (kitchen words and phrases).
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