Moksaitabunauha Ipantli

Moksaitabunauha Ipantli is a cheese made in Otea, in the International Democratic Union. It was entered in the 2006 International Democratic Union Cheese Festival in the Best IDU Cheese category.

The Moksaitabunauha Ipantli, commonly known as Saita Ipantli or (Otean) Fig Cheese is a traditional cheese from the hilly island of Otea, which is also known as Qiruan Isle or Hadu Qirala, which has recently acquired quite some renown among cheese connoisseurs.

Name

The tongue-twister name is typical for the Qi language. Its pronunciation in X-SAMPA is [mo."saIj.ta.bU.naU.ha i."pAn.l@].

The name just describes the qualities of the cheese: It is a cheese (saita), or more exactly, chèvre cheese (moka - goat), that has matured for a long time (bunauha) and has been flavored with figs (ipanta).

History

Cheese making has long been known to those Maran tribes that practise farming as a way to make milk more durable during the seasons not suitable for agriculture. This practice became especially well-developed in mountains and on islands, where the climate could sometimes prove especially hostile for the crops. At least three times during the know Maran history, stored cheese became the staple food of the people due to crop destruction.

The Qiri people on Otea, an island where domesticated cattle could only be bred on a small scale as opposed to goats and sheep, became a major exporter of cheese during the 5th century CE.

Figs were first used as a condiment in cheese around 950 CE, probably as a result of simple experimentation. The Saita Ipantli quickly became one of the major exports of Otea, and it remains so to this day.

Flavor

The Saita Ipantli combines the strong taste of hard chèvre cheese with the sweetness of ripe, dried figs, making for an interesting and favored flavor.

Variations such as Sweetened Saita Ipantli (Moksaitabunauha me akiba Ipantli) and Salty Saita Ipantli (Moksaitabunauha me ratsa Ipantli) also exist, but these usually have only small, but loyal following.