String Cheese
String cheese is any cheese made so the milk proteins line up and the cheese peels into strings. In the United States that means snack sticks of low-moisture mozzarella, while versions from Mexico, Slovakia, Turkey and Armenia take other shapes.
Key Facts
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Cylindrical sticks about 6 in (15 cm) long and under 1 in (2.5 cm) across |
| Age | 60 days for Georgian tenili |
| Also Known As | quesillo, Oaxaca cheese, queso Oaxaca, dil peyniri, chechil, tenili, Queso de Hoja |
What is String Cheese?
String cheese is not one cheese but a group of them, tied together by a process that lines up the milk proteins so the finished cheese pulls apart in strings. Leobarda Castellanos García made the first Mexican version in 1885, at 14 years old. The American snack version was invented in 1976 by Frank Baker, and Cheestrings arrived in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1996.
Heat and stretching do the work. Mozzarella brought to 60 °C (140 °F) and then stretched lines up its proteins, after which strings can be peeled off. In Slovakia, korbáčiky are made by hand-pulling steamed sheep's cheese into strings and braiding them, with the town of Zázrivá as the center of production. Kerry Dairy Ireland heats, stretches and cuts matured grass-fed cow's milk cheese for Cheestrings.
Shape and seasoning change by country. The American stick is roughly cylindrical, about 6 inches (15 cm) long and less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, made from low-moisture mozzarella or a mozzarella and cheddar mix. Quesillo is sold in balls of various sizes. Armenian chechil has a white base, carries black cumin and mahleb, and is sold as a braided endless loop. Korbáčiky are salty and come smoked or unsmoked. Syrian jibneh mshalleheh uses mahleb, cumin, anise and caraway.
Most of it is eaten by hand, pulling strips along the length of the cheese. Cheestrings launched with cheddar, smoky bacon and pizza flavours, and a later two-color Twister combined cheddar and mozzarella. In the Dominican Republic, Queso de Hoja is served with toast or crackers. Turkish dil peyniri gets even stringier once melted.
How Does String Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare String Cheese against.
