Fresh Adyghe cheese fried in butter with onion and herbs until golden: the cheese browns without melting, crisp outside and soft within.
Koyazh (Fried Adyghe Cheese)
Ingredients
Method
- Fry the onion gently in butter until soft.
- Scatter red pepper over the onion to taste.
- Crumble or slice the fresh cheese and add it to the pan.
- Cook 5–10 minutes, stirring, until heated through and lightly golden.
- For a richer, bound version, stir a whisked egg white through as it cooks.
- Serve hot, scattered with cilantro or green onion, with sour cream alongside.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| cheese | кхъуейqkhwey | къуаеqwae |
| butter | тхъуцынэtkhwutsyne | тхъуtkhu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Koyazh: questions
How long does it take to make Koyazh?
About 20 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Koyazh recipe serve?
It serves 4. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Koyazh made of?
The ingredients are: 400 g fresh Adyghe cheese; 2 onions, finely chopped; 40 g butter; red pepper, to taste; 1 egg white (optional, for a set finish); cilantro or green onion, to garnish; sour cream, to serve.
Is Koyazh an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Cheese & Dairy).
Where does this Koyazh recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Koyazh (Fried Adyghe Cheese)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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Circassian chicken, Adyghe cheese, haliva and 50 more, in English, Russian and Turkish, with servings you can scale. Plus short lessons in Kabardian or Adyghe.
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