Safed, Upper Galilee · Israel
Tzfat.
Tzfat is clean, milky, and pleasantly salty, with a springy, squeaky bite and the unmistakable basket-weave pattern pressed into its sides. Young, it tastes of fresh sheep's milk and brine; aged, it firms and sharpens into a grating cheese — but most of it never survives long enough.
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Origin
33.0°N · 35.5°E
The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Tzfat cheese was first made in the 1840s in the Galilee hill town of Safed (Tzfat), where the HaMeiri dairy still produces it by methods passed down through the family.
Fresh sheep's milk is set, ladled into woven baskets that leave their lattice print on the wheel, salted, and sold young — though some wheels are aged until firm and sharp. It became the defining cheese of the region and a staple of the Shavuot holiday table, eaten with watermelon in summer or drizzled with olive oil and za'atar.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Sheep · pasteurised
- Family
- Semi-hard
- Rind
- rindless
- Age
- 0–2 mo
- Intensity
- 2 / 5
- Texture
- semi-soft, springy
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
These bars are a visual read of Tzfat'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.
Estimated values — based on similar cheese family data
Serve, cut & store
Out of the fridge,
into its prime.
Guidance for semi-hard cheeses — general practice, not a per-wheel measurement.
Rest
Take it out about ≈1 h before serving — cold stiffens the fat and locks up the aromas; cool room temperature is when the flavour shows up.
Cut
Cut thin half-moons or batons from the wedge; trim waxed or inedible rinds as you go.
Store
Wrap leftovers in cheese paper or wax paper — never cling film, which suffocates the rind — and keep them in the warmest part of the fridge.
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 Tzfat.
50 pairings across 6 categories.
Wine
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
Counter listings for Tzfat are being verified. Check back soon.
Verified counter listings coming soon. Our team updates listings monthly.
Substitutes
No Tzfat 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.
