When Eastern Europeans and folks from Central Asian nations drink beer, they like to have some chechil with it. This plaited delicacy is made from long, thin strings of curd that are brined and smoked and then hand-plaited.
Talmira van der Westhuizen and her husband Gert, who farm Jersey cows outside Bloemfontein, have started making chechil for the South African market. Gert first encountered it on a trip to Kazakhstan in 2009, and was hooked – incidentally, it’s where he first met Talmira too. Fast forward a few years, and the couple had to learn the art of normal cheesemaking before giving it their twist (which required a return trip to Kazakhstan to visit factories there, and special lessons with a chechil expert).
‘It has a salty, smoky taste,’ Talmira…
