Are you a cheese fan? Then this Turkish breakfast dish from the Black Sea region that comes with two names (kuymak around Trabzon, mıhlama or muhlama beyond Rize) is the dish for you!

It looks like cheese fondue, but it is simpler to make (and in contrast to fondue, in my personal experience, it can be reheated at least once if any is left, just add a little bit of water when reheating or break an egg into it). The recipe is very simple, and accompanied by freshly baked bread and some pickles and olives it is a great start of a day.

The proper cheese for kuymak is kolot or telli peynir, which melt into a stringy, elastic cheese heaven. Both are mild in taste. Having none of these available in Croatia, I found edamer or any other mild cheese of similar consistency works fine, and if I want it a bit more intense, I add some cheddar. Also, proper kuymak is served as it is, but I love to sprinkle it with some thyme and chili flakes.

Suitable for: Kuymak is halal, kosher (provided the cheese itself is kosher), vegetarian, but not vegan. It is glutene-free, egg-free, contains no nuts, soy nor shellfish, but it is not lactose-free.

⌚ 15 min

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PDF-recipe for collecting and printing

Ingredients (serves 1-2)

2 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp cornflour, 150 ml warm water, pinch of salt, about 100-150 g cheese (cut in small pieces)

How to

Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the cornflour, stir until it changes colour, then add the water, stir well to get a thickish ‘soup’, add cheese and salt and stir until the mixture is homogeneous. Serve hot.

Personally, I like to fry a finely chopped garlic clove in the butter before adding the other ingredients, but I must emphasise that garlic is NOT a part of traditional kuymak/mıhlama.