Turkey (Thrace, Kars) · Turkey
Kaşar.
Kaşar leads two lives. Taze (fresh) kaşar is pale, supple, and mild — Turkey's melting cheese, blanketing pide and toast. Eski (aged) kaşar is another creature: deep gold, firm, piquant, and savoury, with a sharpness that earns its place on the breakfast table beside olives and tea.
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The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Kaşar is Turkey's member of the kashkaval family — curd scalded, stretched, and shaped into wheels, a technique shared from Italian caciocavallo across the Balkans. Traditionally made from sheep's milk and now predominantly cow's, it splits into taze kaşar, sold young and supple for melting, and eski kaşar, aged for many months until hard and sharp.
The high-pasture version from Kars, in Turkey's far northeast, is especially renowned. Few cheeses are as woven into Turkish daily life: kaşar tops pide and kaşarlı tost, fills börek, and anchors the breakfast spread.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Cow · pasteurised
- Family
- Pasta filata
- Rind
- natural
- Age
- 0–12 mo
- Intensity
- 3 / 5
- Texture
- semi-hard, smooth, pasta-filata
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
These bars are a visual read of Kaşar's flavour and aroma notes, scaled by the cheese's overall intensity — a quick guide, not a lab measurement.
Aroma
Nutrition · per 100 g serving
What's in a wedge.
A 100 g serving — about a finger-thick wedge. Daily values use the FDA 2020 reference of 2,000 kcal. Expect ±5% variation between wheels.
Serve, cut & store
Out of the fridge,
into its prime.
Guidance for pasta filata cheeses — general practice, not a per-wheel measurement.
Rest
Take it out about 20–30 min before serving — cold stiffens the fat and locks up the aromas; cool room temperature is when the flavour shows up.
Cut
Tear, don't cut — torn mozzarella and burrata expose more surface and taste creamier.
Store
Fresh and brined cheeses keep best covered in their liquid — and are happiest eaten within days.
Rule of thumb: the softer and riper, the longer it needs. Thick pieces need longer than thin — and don't leave cheese out much past two hours.
Pairings · Caseo curated
What goes with Kaşar.
46 pairings across 10 categories.
Wine
Spirits
Tea
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
Counter listings for Kaşar are being verified. Check back soon.
Verified counter listings coming soon. Our team updates listings monthly.
Substitutes
No Kaşar at the counter?
These will play a similar role on the board and in the pan.
Take it with you
Want to remember this one?.
Log it, pair it, and keep your own tasting notes — Caseo is free.
