🧀 Rumi cheese

Rumi cheese (gebna rumi, also called Ras or Romy) is an Egyptian hard, aged cheese made from cow's milk or a mixture of cow's and buffalo's milk. Ras, also known across Egypt and Arab countries as Roumy, resembles Greek Kefalotyri. It is eaten after about 3 months of ripening, once its pungent, sharp flavour has developed. ²³

A large share of it is made by artisans from raw milk without starter cultures. The wheels are dry-salted in salting rooms and ripened; Ras cheese is marketed after about 3 to 6 months. ²

In the traditional method, raw milk is warmed to 32 °C and set with rennet in about 45 minutes. The curd is cut and heated to 45 °C with stirring. Two thirds of the whey is drained and salt is added, then the cheese is pressed overnight and its surface is salted for a week before it is waxed or vacuum-sealed. ³

In a study of market Ras cheese, moisture fell from 35.2% at one month to 26.9% at six months while salt rose from 2.6% to 3.7%, so the cheese becomes harder and saltier with age. The authors also note that most Ras cheese is produced on a small scale without fixed specifications. It belongs to Hard cheeses. ¹

Raw-milk cheese has been found to taste better than pasteurised, but its flavour and composition vary widely. Egyptian standards specify pasteurised milk, at least 60% solids and 45% fat in solids. A white, felt-like fungal growth can form on the surface after a few weeks of storage. ²³

Why it matters to you. Check how the cheese was made. In a study across the Nile Delta, 44 of 280 samples of Rumi and pasteurised Kareish cheese (15.71%) yielded Salmonella, so favour cheese from pasteurised milk from a reliable producer. Its salt level also rises with age. ¹⁴