Cheese Database

Domiati vs Rumi

Domiati

Facts

Texture
Soft
Type
Brined
Rind
No rind
Country
Egypt

Domiati is a soft white cheese from Egypt, salty, moist, and usually kept in brine. It has no rind, and the paste ranges from creamy to a little crumbly as it sits in that salt. Egyptians eat it as an everyday cheese, at breakfast and in simple cooked dishes. Fresh pieces taste milder, while cheese held longer in brine grows sharper and firmer. The name is the one to seek in Egyptian and Arab grocery shops.

Rumi

Facts

Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Egypt

Rumi is a hard cheese from Egypt, and it is one of the main cheeses eaten there. The Arabic name means Roman, but the cheese is Egyptian, not an Italian import with a borrowed label. Wheels are large and pale to deep yellow, with a salty taste and a pungent smell that grows as they age. Some batches include peppercorns in the paste. People eat it in thin slices at breakfast and grate the older, drier pieces over food.