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THE STRINGING OF THE CHEESE
Herald News (Passaic County, NJ)
October 16, 2014 Thursday
by Elyse Toribio, Staff Writer; Email: [email protected]
It took parishioners nearly nine hours to make 500 pounds of their
famous Armenian string cheese for the St. Leon Armenian Church's
annual food and arts festival, taking place this weekend in Fair Lawn.
To accomplish the feat, they enlisted the help of a multi-generational
dream team that values food, family and tradition above all: Arline
Dadekian of Mahwah, her daughter-in-law Diane of Upper Saddle River
and 12-year-old granddaughter Lauren.
The three are experts when it comes to making tel banir, the flavorful
Armenian string cheese that resembles only in name the rubbery dairy
snacks often found in kids' lunch boxes.
Arline grew up eating tel banir, made from mozzarella curd and seasoned
with salt and black caraway seeds, in her native Massachusetts. When
she moved to New Jersey in the 1960s, she was happy to join in on
the tradition - and camaraderie - of preparing the recipe for the
annual event.
"It's good to pass along the tradition," Arline said in her thick
New England accent. "Otherwise your history dies. Food is part of an
ethnic person's heritage."
When Diane joined the Dadekian clan 20 years ago, she learned to make
the cheese, too, and later taught her daughter the same when she was
just 6 years old.
Off from school on a recent weekday afternoon, Lauren sat at a table
in the St. Leon community kitchen, focusing intently on weighing
pounds of mozzarella curd before placing it on a large baking sheet
and passing it off to her mother, who was on oven duty.
"I used to come into the kitchen and watch when I was little," said
Lauren, who is the spitting image of her mother. "It was a lot of fun.
I enjoy making it and spending time with everyone."
Not far away, her grandmother, along with three other women, awaited
the next step of the process.
Once the curd is melted and the tray removed from the oven, the excess
whey is poured into a pitcher (it's later used to make choereg, a
braided Armenian bread) and black seeds and salt are sprinkled onto
the mounds of still piping-hot cheese, which are thoroughly mixed in
with spoons.
While it's still soft, the cheese is pulled, stretched and twisted
into thick ropes, while it firms and begins to take shape.
Occasionally, the women will have to dip their gloved fingers into a
bowl of cool water to briefly relieve their nevertheless lobster-red
hands.
After the stretching and twisting, the cheese is looped into a knotted
ball that is then tossed by Lauren into a bowl of ice water. Once
chilled and firm (about 15 to 20 minutes), the cheese can be sold,
stored in the freezer for later use, or cut into chunks to be freshly
pulled apart into strings, "like shoelaces," Lauren declared.
The string cheese is often enjoyed with watermelon and paired with
a slice of choereg, which Diane noted "makes a nice breakfast."
Lauren's favorite after-school snack is homemade tel banir with
pita bread or basterma, an Armenian cured meat. Does she enjoy the
store-brand sticks as much? Lauren wrinkled her nose in response.
The Armenian string cheese is a top seller at the festival. It costs
$8 per pound, and if any is left over, it'll be sold after Sunday mass.
Also on sale at the festival: shish kebab, the cheese phyllo turnover
boreg, hummus, yalanchi (stuffed grape leaves), paklava (Armenian
baklava) and more. For those who wish to simply take food home,
the church will set up a booth up front for express takeout.
"My grandkids, I call them cheese monsters," Arline said with a laugh.
"They love it."
Done preparing that day's batch of tel banir, the members of the
church gathered around a plate of the freshly finished product,
each with a fork in hand.
Email: [email protected]
From: Baghdasarian
Herald News (Passaic County, NJ)
October 16, 2014 Thursday
by Elyse Toribio, Staff Writer; Email: [email protected]
It took parishioners nearly nine hours to make 500 pounds of their
famous Armenian string cheese for the St. Leon Armenian Church's
annual food and arts festival, taking place this weekend in Fair Lawn.
To accomplish the feat, they enlisted the help of a multi-generational
dream team that values food, family and tradition above all: Arline
Dadekian of Mahwah, her daughter-in-law Diane of Upper Saddle River
and 12-year-old granddaughter Lauren.
The three are experts when it comes to making tel banir, the flavorful
Armenian string cheese that resembles only in name the rubbery dairy
snacks often found in kids' lunch boxes.
Arline grew up eating tel banir, made from mozzarella curd and seasoned
with salt and black caraway seeds, in her native Massachusetts. When
she moved to New Jersey in the 1960s, she was happy to join in on
the tradition - and camaraderie - of preparing the recipe for the
annual event.
"It's good to pass along the tradition," Arline said in her thick
New England accent. "Otherwise your history dies. Food is part of an
ethnic person's heritage."
When Diane joined the Dadekian clan 20 years ago, she learned to make
the cheese, too, and later taught her daughter the same when she was
just 6 years old.
Off from school on a recent weekday afternoon, Lauren sat at a table
in the St. Leon community kitchen, focusing intently on weighing
pounds of mozzarella curd before placing it on a large baking sheet
and passing it off to her mother, who was on oven duty.
"I used to come into the kitchen and watch when I was little," said
Lauren, who is the spitting image of her mother. "It was a lot of fun.
I enjoy making it and spending time with everyone."
Not far away, her grandmother, along with three other women, awaited
the next step of the process.
Once the curd is melted and the tray removed from the oven, the excess
whey is poured into a pitcher (it's later used to make choereg, a
braided Armenian bread) and black seeds and salt are sprinkled onto
the mounds of still piping-hot cheese, which are thoroughly mixed in
with spoons.
While it's still soft, the cheese is pulled, stretched and twisted
into thick ropes, while it firms and begins to take shape.
Occasionally, the women will have to dip their gloved fingers into a
bowl of cool water to briefly relieve their nevertheless lobster-red
hands.
After the stretching and twisting, the cheese is looped into a knotted
ball that is then tossed by Lauren into a bowl of ice water. Once
chilled and firm (about 15 to 20 minutes), the cheese can be sold,
stored in the freezer for later use, or cut into chunks to be freshly
pulled apart into strings, "like shoelaces," Lauren declared.
The string cheese is often enjoyed with watermelon and paired with
a slice of choereg, which Diane noted "makes a nice breakfast."
Lauren's favorite after-school snack is homemade tel banir with
pita bread or basterma, an Armenian cured meat. Does she enjoy the
store-brand sticks as much? Lauren wrinkled her nose in response.
The Armenian string cheese is a top seller at the festival. It costs
$8 per pound, and if any is left over, it'll be sold after Sunday mass.
Also on sale at the festival: shish kebab, the cheese phyllo turnover
boreg, hummus, yalanchi (stuffed grape leaves), paklava (Armenian
baklava) and more. For those who wish to simply take food home,
the church will set up a booth up front for express takeout.
"My grandkids, I call them cheese monsters," Arline said with a laugh.
"They love it."
Done preparing that day's batch of tel banir, the members of the
church gathered around a plate of the freshly finished product,
each with a fork in hand.
Email: [email protected]
From: Baghdasarian