Old Softie

Teleme is a soft white cheese known throughout the Balkans. Some sources claim it originated in Romania. It is proverbial for softness; in Turkish, teleme peyniri gibi (as soft as teleme) means flabby.

It should not be confused with touloumi, also called touloumotyri or tyri touloumisio in Greek and tulum peyniri in Turkish. This cheese, which gets its name from the leather sack (tulum, in Turkish) in which it is traditionally made, is based on skim sheep’s milk yogurt (often mixed with a little goat’s milk), salted and pressed. In some Turkish villages, it’s considered ideal when it’s as hard as a rock.