Churtsi is a yak cheese made in Bhutan.
It can be made from milk from a dri (female yak) or from a chauri (a cross between a cow and a yak.)
To make chursti, a yoghurt which called “dhai” is first churned for butter. The remaining buttermilk is heated until it curdles. The curds are strained out, and then hand formed into small balls which are then put into bags and hung over fires to smoke.
The cheese ends up hard and rubbery with a strong, smoky flavour.
It can be stored for several years with no noticeable change in taste, texture or appeal.
“In Bhutan, in the mid-hills and Terai areas, a similar type of cheese to dartsi is made by the same methods except that the wooden churn used for butter production is smaller and the conditions under which the butter and cheese are made are more hygienic near to the urban areas. The traditional buttermilk from which it is made may contain 1–2 per cent fat, 3–3.5 per cent protein and have an acidity of 0.5–1.1 per cent lactic acid. The ripened cheese is packed in a leather bag or calf skin bag and can be kept for a long time. It fetches a higher price than the similar cheese made under poor hygienic conditions. It is considered as a delicacy in Bhutan and is said to be a medicine for colds and stomach troubles — but this has never been examined scientifically. This type of cheese has an external appearance of a stone. The large flat slab of curd prepared from the soft cheese is smoked over the fire place in the farm gate huts. The product may last for several years. It is hard and rubbery in texture and smoky and strong in flavour. It can be called a cheese because it has a cheesy flavour. This variety of cheese is not available in Nepal.” — Food and Agriculture Organization. The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries. March 2011. ISBN 92-5-102899-0. p. 241.
Literature
“CHURTSI manufacture includes several stages. Raw material for churtsi manufacture is called Dhai which is popular like yogurt product obtained by acidification of milk. Then Dhai is churned to make butter. After removing butter, the butter milk called Mahi is drained off and is poured in a large cooking pot. It is gently heated over a fire until milk proteins precipitate to form a mass of curd. At this time the pot is removed from the fire and the curd is separated from the whey by means of a strainer and squeezed by hand into small balls. Subsequently, fresh cheese balls are put in bulk in a skin bag which is smoked over the fire place in the threshold of the huts. This product can be kept for several years. This is a delicacy for Bhutanese people and it is considered to be also a medicine for colds and stomach troubles.” — Food and Agriculture Organization. The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries. March 2011. ISBN 92-5-102899-0. p. 60.