Country of origin Latvia | Source of milk Cattle | |
 | ||
Other names Caraway cheese, John's cheese, Jāņu siers Similar Sklandrausis, Rupjmaize, Pīrādziņi, Rupjmaizes kārtojums, Riga Black Balsam | ||
Jāņi cheese (lit. John's cheese; Latvian: Jāņu siers) is a Latvian sour milk cheese, traditionally eaten on Jāņi, the Latvian celebration of the summer solstice.
Its basic ingredients are raw quark (Latvian: biezpiens) and fresh milk, but other products may be used, as well. Traditionally, caraway seeds are added during cooking as a spice.
The cheese is made by heating whole milk, adding quark, and then cooking the mixture until fluffy curds separate from a clear whey. The whey is discarded when the cheese mass reaches a temperature of 72–77 °C (162–171 °F). At this point, the curds are placed into a skillet or cooking pan, and stirred with a traditional mixture of egg, butter, salt, and caraway seeds. Once a solid, firm ball is formed, the cheese is placed in a muslin or cheese cloth to drain. Generally, the cheese is prepared a few days before eaten, and is allowed to ripen in a cool place before consumption.