Ayib Cheese. Alleko / Getty Images via Canva Pro.
Ayib (aka Ayibe) is a soft Ethiopian fresh cheese similar to cottage cheese.
It is usually made at home or through farmhouse production, as a by-product of making butter (just as cottage cheese is in western cuisine.)
Cow’s milk for making butter is accumulated for several days. When there is enough milk for a batch of butter, it is put in a warm place where the temperature can rise to about 30 C (86 F) for 1 to 2 days. Then it is churned (by shaking or other means) to make the butter.
What’s left behind as a by-product is the buttermilk. This is heated to 40 – 50 C (105 to 120 F). The whey is then drained off overnight through a cloth. What’s left in the cloth is the Ayib cheese.
About 6 to 8 litres (1.5 to 2 U.S. gallons) of buttermilk will make 1 kg (≈ 2 ¼ pounds) of Ayib.
Cooking tips
At meals, ayib is often served as a side dish, acting as a simple, cooling foil to many of the complex and sometimes fiery tastes in Ethiopian cuisine.
Nutrition
About 2% fat.
Language Notes
Aka Ayb, Ayibe
Sources
National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on the Applications of Biotechnology to Traditional Fermented Foods. Applications of biotechnology to traditional fermented foods: report of an ad hoc panel of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development. National Academies. 1992. Pages 71 to 74.
Yilma, Zelalem, G Loiseau* and B Faye. Manufacturing efficiencies and microbial properties of butter and Ayib – Ethiopian cottage cheese. Dairy Technology, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Holetta Research Center, PO Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2007.