Պանրի մայայի պատրաստման ժողովրդական հմտությունները

<jats:p>According to informants, the production of high-quality and flavorful cheese largely depends on the method and skill of preparing the rennet, as well as its freshness. According to professional literature, in the past, cheese rennet was prepared either from curdling herbs (makardakhot) or from a section of fourth stomach (known locally as shirdan or shilaf, which contains characteristic folds) of young, milk-fed ruminants aged up to two or three weeks, considered “pure.” Field data, however, indicate that the exact age of the animal was not always critical; animals were not slaughtered specifically for rennet production, and in some regions, pig stomach was also utilized. An infusion prepared from curdling herbs imparted a distinctive taste, aroma, and color to the cheese. Our ancestors were also aware of the medicinal and beneficial properties of these herbs, as well as the ease with which they could be gathered. During slaughter, the kunjik (also called gkhtik or gharin), a part of the stomach, was separated, worked up and dried. Once dried, small pieces of the stomach were cut with scissors, ground or crushed into powder, and placed into a clean clay vessel (pulik, kila) or a glass jar (metal containers were avoided as they could affect flavor and did not maintain stable temperature). A little salt was added, followed by cheese whey, buttermilk, or boiled lukewarm water. Various other ingredients could be added, including berries, grains, spices, and so forth. To ward off the evil eye, a clover was sometimes placed in the rennet mixture. Depending on the quality and quantity of shirdan, and on ambient temperature, the rennet could sometimes be used from the very next day. The prepared rennet could remain usable for around six weeks. The Armenians also used undigested milk from an animal’s stomach as a cheese-making ferment.</jats:p>