Buried Cheese (Joopta Doomirtah)

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Buried Cheese is an old Assyrian favorite! Cheese is mixed with caraway, anise, and cumin seeds, then buried until aged to perfection. It's enjoyed with pita bread and tea for breakfast.

About this recipe

"Buried cheese?" Yes, buried cheese! You see, that is a direct translation of what this recipe is named in Assyrian, "Joopta Doomirtah."

But don't worry, I won't ask you to bury anything, I promise! The name buried cheese simply describes how this cheese used to be prepared in Iraq in the old days.

My mom explained that a large clay jar would be filled with a mixture of cheese and spices. The jar would then be topped with sheep's wool.

After this, the clay jar would be covered with muslin and tied in place with rope. Finally, mud was smeared over the muslin to seal the jar.

My grandmother, with a clay jar over her shoulder, and a friend and her granddaughter. In this case, the jar was used to carry water. But similar jars were used to store the buried cheese.

So where does the "buried" part come in?

Be patient, I'm getting there...Burying the jar came next. The jar would be buried in the earth upside down.

Over time, the wool would absorb the excess oil that drained from the cheese.

During the summer months, the jar was watered regularly. Why you ask? Who knows! But come winter, the jar would finally be unearthed, revealing the "buried cheese" which was ready to enjoy.

At that point, the jar would be turned right side up and returned to the ground to keep cool. They didn't have refrigerators back then, you know.

The jar would be accessed every morning. Only enough cheese would be removed to have with their breakfast.

The cool ground not only kept the cheese from spoiling but also gave the cheese an earthy flavor.

My Easy Buried Cheese recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. anise seeds
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 8 oz. Asiago or kasseri cheese (or a combination of the two)
• 4 oz. gorgonzola (optional) or an additional 4 oz. of Asiago/Kasseri

Instructions

Grate the cheese using a medium grater, add gorgonzola, if using.

Soak the anise, caraway, and cumin seeds in water for 10 minutes, to soften.

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Drain the seeds and add them to the cheese.

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Grab handfuls of the cheese and seeds and rub between your hands, and drop back into the bowl. Or use a fork in a similar fashion to cutting butter into flour when making a pastry crust.

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Continue doing this until the cheese no longer resembles grated cheese and begins to clump together. This process helps the flavors of the seeds to infuse into the cheese.

Pour the cheese into a glass jar or a container. Press down with your hands to compact the cheese. Why? Because that's what mom did, don't question mom!

To serve, simply spoon a few tablespoons of cheese into toasted pita bread pockets. Serve with Kalamata olives and hot tea.

This cheese can be refrigerated for up to a month.

Authentic Buried Cheese

Obviously, this recipe isn't 100% authentic, since we're not burying, or aging the cheese. However, it is a good substitute for the original recipe, and way more convenient!

After all, who wants to be caught by their neighbors, burying things in their backyards? I know I don't!

If you don't want to make your own buried cheese, you can purchase it. Don't believe me? Just head to my friend, Atorina's, website to purchase some today: https://www.buriedcheese.com

For other breakfast, recipes check out the following recipes:

• Clotted Cream (Gemar)
• Breakfast Burrito
• Low Carb Spinach and eggs 

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This recipe was originally published on 1/1/2018. It was updated on 3/2/2020 by adding more information, new pictures, and reducing the portion sizes.

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