Any kind of cheese is rarer than hen's teeth in Kibaya. A limited selection of cheese is available in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma and cheese has been sighted in Arusha but here, forget about it. We are living a very sheltered life where cheese is concerned.
When we were given the gift of a liter and a half of milk by our Masai friend, Debra decided to make her own cheese.
Masai milk has a very high butter fat content and along with blood and meat forms the bulk of the Masai diet. The milk has a smoky flavour owing to its being boiled over a wood fire to sterilize it. It is the only fresh milk available in Kibaya.
To make the cheese the milk must first be strained through a fine cotton cloth, boiled and then put into a ceramic or glass bowl. Then it should be covered with a plate and left on the counter until it thickens and separates into curds and whey. This may take up to thirty hours.
Thirty hours on the counter
Check out those curds
The curd and whey mixture is poured into a sieve lined with thin cotton and allowed to drain overnight in the fridge.
Draining n the fridge overnight
The next morning the curds are mixed with chopped onion, fine herbs, minced garlic and salt to taste. Ground pepper is sprinkled on the surface of the cheese and then it is allowed to set in the fridge for twelve hours.
Enjoy the cheese spread on toast wedges with a mixed salad and a glass of chilled Tanzanian dry white wine.
Voila, le vrai fromage Boursin. Bon Apetit
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