Aimitsy

Aimitsy is a cheese made in Baranxtu. It was entered in the 2006 International Democratic Union Cheese Festival in the Best IDU Cheese category.

Aimitsy is a both culturally and economocally important cheese of Baranxtu and is an adaption of the cheese with the longest tradition in Baranxtu, the barratsy, a type of hard goat cheese. Since its development in the 14th and 15th century CE, it has surpassed its predecessor in popularity, although the barratsy is still of high religious importance.

Production and Regulation

The whole process of aimitsebuna (production of aimitsy) is still relatively traditional, and only farms that adhere to a traditional way are allowed by the government to sell their cheese under the name "aimitsy". One condition is that the cows are allowed to roam freely in the pastures and that they may only be put into a stable during cold or unusually hot months. Both the milk and the grazing areas are frequently tested for harmful substances to ensure the high quality the name aimitsy promises.

After milking, the milk is already spiced with a variety of seasonings; the exact mix of spices that are used is often a tightly guarded secret of the producer.

Basic ingredients, however, are tnani, mažirahta, parsley, chives and horse radish.

Flavour and Use

The aimitsy is probably the most tangy of all Baranxtuan cheeses, and can best be described as a cheese with a hot, herbal taste.

A number of attempts to market less spicy variations have been made, but all have failed miserably - these attempts of the 1960s and 1970s actually led to an additional government regulation that simple cheese that undergoes the same process of maturing, etc. but has not spices added to it has to be marketed as simple ηþur aimbastutu ("cow milk's cheese") - previously, aimitsy could be legally used to describe any cheese made from cow milk.

Foreigners often need some time to adjust to the aimitsy, which is ubiquitous in traditional Baranxtuan cuisine. It can be found as a covering for bread and rolls as well as in ground form for various kinds of pasta dishes.

Importance

Economical

Of the overall yearly cheese production of Baranxtu, aimitsebuna takes about ten percent, making it the most important domestically produced cheese.

Religious

The durable aimitsy is also used extensively in the yearly sacrifices for the harvest and the Birth of the New Year. It is also used in some traditional wedding ceremonies and baptisms, although this position is still largely held by the barratsy.