Yemeni cheese, also known as “Taiz cheese” or “local cheese”, is produced in rural areas of Yemen, particularly in the province of Taiz. It is a popular type of cheese that is served in large quantities on Yemeni dining tables as small pieces with bread and often accompanied by tomatoes. Hundreds of families in Taiz rely on traditional cheese-making as an important source of income.
Taiz is famous for several markets where cheese can be purchased, including the popular market “Al-Dabab,” located less than two kilometres west of the city. Other markets for cheese in Taiz include “Al-Shenni” located in the center of the old city, while rural areas are famous for markets like “Hajda,” “Al-Barh,” “Al-Bireen,” and “Al-Kadha.”
To make Yemeni cheese, a container for milk is prepared and sheep milk is collected and mixed with a substance that causes it to curdle and turn into cheese. The cheese is drained of water and salt is added before leaving it to curdle further. Traditional local cheese is often prepared at home by fermenting cow or sheep milk with an ingredient called “al-manfahah,” which is extracted from the intestine of a goat kid that is no more than two weeks old. The cheese is then coagulated inside ceramic vessels made of palm fronds, giving it its solid circular form.
Cheese-makers use a process called “kabaa” to sterilize the cheese by exposing it to smoke and embers from a tree of the same name, which gives it a dark brown color and a pungent odor. The shelf life of local cheese depends on its hardness, with the shortest time being 24 hours, known as “al-‘awab,” and the longest being 30 days. Yemeni expatriates often take these cheese pieces as symbolic gifts.
Yemeni farmer Abdul Salam Thabet explains that cheese-making is an ancestral profession in Yemen, passed down through generations since ancient times, and relied upon by many families as a daily source of income. He believes that sheep milk is the best for making cheese.
Smoked cheese is one of the most famous handmade products from rural areas in Yemen. This industry is considered a traditional profession passed down through generations and provides good financial returns to its owners.
Local cheese prices vary depending on their types and sizes, and their types are named after the regions where they are made. The most famous type is “Al-Awshaki,” and there are also “Al-Fakhri,” “Al-Qamari,” “Al-Qahzi,” and “Al-Awb.” Visitors to Taiz province usually prefer to buy local cheese as a gift for their families and friends.
Al-Ta’izzi cheese, also known as Al-Awshaki cheese, is a grilled and smoked cheese from the rural areas of Taiz, with a reddish crust and creamy filling. It is famous for being consumed with Yemeni spicy chili pepper “Dakoos,” bread, fish, or as an individual dish with Yemeni “Dakoos” on the side. Although it may be similar to the Egyptian “Qareesh” cheese, it has a smoky flavor and richer taste.
Yemeni citizen Ahmed Al-Haddad prefers local cheese, as it has a special flavor in Dakoos and food, and is better than imported cheese. There are several types of Ta’izzi cheese made from camel, cow, and sheep milk, but most Yemenis prefer sheep’s milk in this cheese.
The local cheese industry faces several obstacles, including the lack of special pastures for raising the sheep that provide the milk for production. Additionally, the economic deterioration in the country has greatly contributed to weakening the purchasing power of citizens, and the financial return from selling cheese is not enough to develop the industry.