As a turophile (cheese aficionado) with a penchant for enjoying a platter of cheese as the finale of a good meal, I embarked on a culinary quest to find natural cheeses handmade in Sri Lanka. I sought alternatives to the processed slices and foil-wrapped wedges that masquerade as cheese on supermarket shelves.
Probably real cheese was first made in Sri Lanka by colonial wives in the kitchens of hill country bungalows, utilising milk from the plantation’s farm. The main commercial producers of Sri Lankan cheese today are Kotmale (a Cargills’ company) which produces both natural and processed cheeses, and companies associated with New Zealand Farms at Ambewela.
I recently discovered a female cheesemaker, Maia Donadze, who produces Maia Cheese in the foothills of Madipola, Matale, in the Cultural Triangle north of Kandy, using milk purchased from local farmers. Her aim, she says, is to make available the finest, artisanal cheeses handmade in Sri Lanka for sale direct to customers online and delivered promptly by courier.
Her cheeses are unique in Sri Lanka as they are made with just full-fat milk and no culture. She uses only vegetable rennet allowing the cheeses to develop their own flavour. One of her most popular cheeses is the delicious Smoked Mozzarella. She says: [easy-tweet tweet=”“In Georgia where I come from we call this cheese Sulguni. It is dried for some time and then smoked on walnut shells. Here in Sri Lanka, I smoke the cheese over coconut husks.””]
All the Maia cheeses I tasted have a distinctive tang to them. My favourite is the nutty Maiajano, a Parmigiano-Reggiano style cheese that commands attention with every bite. The Bree is so named because it is dryer and harder than a French Brie, and not creamy, but its evocative taste is exceptional. The Queen Blue is raunchy and irresistible.
Maia was recently asked to create a special cheese wedding cake for a Sri Lankan couple. She opted for mild cheeses suitable for the Sri Lankan palate, creating a tower of Mozzarella, Smoked Mozzarella, Bree, Cheddar, Feta and Spicy Feta.
Another home-made local delight that cheese fanciers would appreciate is buffalo curd, made in the south and central plains.
Maia’s cheese continues to wow cheese fans. At the end of May 2019, I ordered her “Cheddar,” “Bree,” and “Queen Blue”. They were delivered by courier service, very well packed in a rigid foam cool box. I did as advised on the label and put them in the fridge for an hour before tasting after their long journey from Matale.
These cheeses have a distinctive taste, more pungent than their namesakes, with the Queen Blue being especially worthy of its royal accolade. Cut into bite-sized pieces or spread on crackers, Maia’s cheeses are super with sun-downers, especially red wine, or for a formidable cheese platter after a meal (yes, even after rice and curry).
Sri Lankan Cheeses can be purchased on-line or from the Good Market Shop, 14 Reid Avenue, Colombo 7.
