Types of Turkish cheese: names, labels and buying (2026)
Most Turkish cheese is one of four families: beyaz peynir, kaşar, tulum and lor; “eski” kaşar is ripened at least 120 days. The EU protects two names, Ezine Peyniri and Erzincan Tulum Peyniri, and cheese cannot go into the EU or Great Britain in your luggage. Checked 17 October 2026.
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Video transcript
Know your Turkish cheese. Four families, two EU-protected names, one thing you cannot pack. Beyaz peynir: Fresh or ripened; the label says which. Kaşar: “Eski” means at least 120 days’ ripening. Tulum: Crumbled, salted curd, sold ripened. Lor: Wet curds, eaten fresh. The EU protects two names. Ezine Peyniri, matured in tins, and Erzincan Tulum, in skins. Read the label. “Köy peyniri” is banned on labels. Sample label: eski kaşar, ripened, made 03/09/2026, at least 120 days. At the şarküteri. The deli counter: taste first, then give the amount. Eski kaşar var mı?: Do you have eski kaşar?; Tadına bakabilir miyim?: Can I taste it? Bundan 250 gram alabilir miyim?: Can I have 250 grams of this? Kilosu ne kadar?: How much is a kilo?. Eat it here, don’t pack it. Not into the EU or Great Britain in luggage. Honey: up to 2 kg. All 20 cheeses, sample labels and counter phrases in the full guide: turkpidya.com.
