Mish Cheese | An Ancient Egyptian Salty Fermented Cheese
- theegyptiancook
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Mish cheese is one of Egypt’s oldest and most distinctive foods — a salty, fermented cheese that captures the bold, rustic flavors of traditional Egyptian cuisine. Made by aging cheese in a rich, spiced brine for years, Mish develops a deep, slaty taste that’s both intense and addictive. Often enjoyed with fresh pita bread and sweet fruits like watermelon, this ancient delicacy is a true taste of Egyptian heritage.
Ingredients
For the Base:
whole milk
homemade morta (salty milk solids)
sea salt (must be extremely salty)
optional but traditional: a small amount of old base (khamira)
For the Cheese:
arish cheese, block form
domiati cheese, block form
optional: feta cheese, block form
For Serving:
1 tomato, finely diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced
olive oil, for drizzling
fresh pita bread
Optional pairing: Watermelon or another sweet fruit to balance the saltiness
Instructions
Let’s Make Mish Cheese — The Old Egyptian Way
Mish is a traditional Egyptian cheese made by fermenting salty cheese for several years. Fair warning — this recipe takes one full year to complete! It’s a process rooted in Egyptian culture and passed down through generations.
Ferment the Milk
Start with whole milk. Pour it into a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for a few days — this will allow the milk to ferment naturally.
Over time, a yogurt-like substance will form, and a yellowish liquid will separate from it. Carefully save all of the thick, yogurt-like part and discard the yellow water. What’s left is the fermented milk base that will be used to make your mish.
Prepare the Base
Now it’s time to prepare the mish base. To the fermented yogurt, add homemade morta — an Egyptian delicacy made from salty milk solids. Mix the morta thoroughly with the fermented yogurt until it turns into a light brown paste. This mixture is the foundation of mish cheese. To taste, adjust the salt — it must be extremely salty, as this high salt content helps preserve the cheese during fermentation.
For the most authentic flavor, it’s recommended to add a small amount of old base to the new mixture. This old base is called “khamira” in Egyptian culture and it helps develop the deep, aged flavor that mish is known for.
Add the Cheese
Traditionally, arish cheese and domiati cheese are used, but you can also use feta cheese as an alternative — just make sure the cheese you use is in block form, not crumbled. Avoid using crumbled cheese, as it will dissolve too quickly in the base. Cut the cheese blocks into blocks no smaller than a golf ball, and place them into a large mason jar. It’s very important that the cheese remains in block form so it holds its structure during fermentation.
Pour the mish base into the jar over the cheese blocks, then gently shake the jar to help the base seep between the pieces and fill in all gaps. Be careful not to leave any splash marks or residue on the sides or top of the jar — these spots can turn black and spoil the batch. Cleanliness is key to successful fermentation. Once the jar is filled, seal it tightly.
Ferment and Store
Store the sealed jar in a cool, dark corner for one year. During this time, the flavors will develop, and the cheese will transform into the rich, salty mish Egyptians love.
Serve and Enjoy
Since we’ll have to wait a year for the new batch, let’s enjoy some mish cheese that’s already ready to eat! Mash the mish cheese with a fork until it forms crumbled pieces. Add finely diced tomatoes and jalapeños, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Serve the mish with fresh pita bread — it’s a perfect match. Because mish is quite salty, it’s often paired with something sweet, such as watermelon, to balance the flavors.
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