TG Gourmet

Tulum is a Turkish aged cheese — sharp, salty, and crumbly — traditionally packed into a goatskin casing (the tulum) and ripened for months. Made from sheep's, goat's, or cow's milk, it is drier and more intense than feta, and it anchors Turkish breakfast and meze tables.

Ask ten people in Turkey to name the country's best cheese and you'll start an argument. Beyaz peynir has the numbers. Kaşar melts better. But tulum — pungent, crumbly, aged inside an animal skin the way shepherds have done it for centuries — is the one that cheese people defend like a hometown team.

It's also among the first things to land on a proper morning spread, which is why it earns a spot in our Turkish breakfast guide. Below: what tulum actually is, how the famous regional styles differ, what it tastes like, and how to buy and store it in the US.

Key Takeaways

• Tulum takes its name from the goatskin bag it traditionally ripens in; months inside the skin leave it dry, crumbly, and sharp.
• Three regional styles to know: Erzincan (şavak) tulum from sheep's milk, milder brine-matured İzmir tulum, and cave-aged Divle obruk tulum.
• Next to feta or beyaz peynir, tulum is drier, saltier, and noticeably more intense — use about half as much in recipes.
• Its low moisture makes it a good keeper: wrapped and refrigerated, it holds for weeks.
• TG Gourmet has stocked a dedicated tulum shelf since the Tulumba.com days, shipped cold-packed across the US.

What Exactly Is Tulum Cheese?

The name gives the method away. A tulum is a whole goatskin, cleaned, salted, and turned into a bag. Fresh curds get salted, crumbled, and packed into that skin so tightly that no air pockets survive. Then the whole thing rests in a cool cave or cellar, usually for three to six months.

The skin breathes. Moisture escapes slowly through the hide while the cheese inside concentrates, gaining depth the way a wheel of pecorino does in a Sardinian cellar. What goes in as a mild white curd comes out dense, crumbly, and loud.

Modern producers don't always use skins. Plenty of commercial tulum ripens in cloth, tins, or food-grade casings, and some of it is very good. But the goatskin version — deri tulum, literally "skin tulum" — remains the benchmark and the reason the cheese exists at all. You'll find both kinds in our tulum cheese collection.

What Milk Is Tulum Made From?

Traditionally, sheep's milk from spring and early summer grazing, when highland pastures are at their richest. Goat's milk versions run tangier and a little leaner. Cow's milk tulum — common in commercial production — is the mildest of the three. Many producers blend, and the milk choice shapes everything downstream: fat, crumble, and how hard the flavor hits.

Where Do the Famous Regional Tulum Styles Come From?

Tulum isn't a single cheese. It's a method, and every region that uses the method lands somewhere different. Three styles are worth knowing by name.

Erzincan tulum is what most Turks picture when they hear the word. İzmir tulum is the gateway version — if feta is your ceiling right now, start there. Divle obruk is the collector's cheese: small production, one cave, a flavor you don't forget.

What Does Tulum Cheese Taste Like?

Sharp first, then salty, then a peppery warmth that hangs at the back of your tongue after the bite is gone. Well-aged sheep's milk tulum can edge toward the intensity of an aged pecorino, though it stays creamier at the center.

The texture is its own signature. Tulum doesn't slice; it breaks. Press a knife in and it splits into craggy ivory chunks that crumble between your fingers — moist enough to hold together, dry enough to scatter over warm bread. That crumble is exactly what months of slow moisture loss through a goatskin buys you.

Smell it before you taste it. A proper tulum announces itself from across the table, and that isn't a flaw. It's the point.

How Is Tulum Different from Feta and Beyaz Peynir?

People reach for the feta comparison because both cheeses are white, salty, and crumbly. Fair start, wrong finish. Beyaz peynir — Turkey's everyday white cheese and the closest local cousin to feta — lives in brine and stays moist, mild, and fresh-tasting. Tulum ages dry inside a casing, so it loses water instead of absorbing it.

Rule of thumb: use half as much tulum as you would feta. It carries twice the voice. For the fuller map of where tulum sits among kaşar, beyaz peynir, and the rest, read our guide to Turkish cheeses explained, then compare styles side by side in the cheese collection.

How Do You Serve Tulum Cheese?

Start where Turks start: breakfast. Crumble tulum beside sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a scatter of olives from our pickles and olives collection, with warm bread or a sesame-crusted simit to carry it. A drizzle of honey over the top softens the salt. So does a spoonful of kaymak, if you want rich and sharp on the same bite.

On a meze table, tulum usually shows up in craggy chunks with chilled melon — a pairing so established on Turkish raki tables that many locals won't eat the cheese any other way in summer. The cold, floral sweetness of the melon against the salty crumble explains itself on the first bite.

It cooks well, too:

• Stuff it into gözleme (griddled flatbread) with spinach or herbs.
• Scatter it over pide the minute it leaves the oven.
• Toss it with hot pasta, black pepper, and a little pasta water, the way Romans treat pecorino.
• Crumble it over fried eggs and let the edges soften without fully melting.

Building a spread for guests? Our Turkish cheese board guide shows where tulum fits among the milder cheeses, fruit, and nuts.

How Should You Store Tulum Cheese?

Low moisture is on your side here. Wrap tulum in parchment or wax paper, tuck it into an airtight container, and refrigerate; it holds well for several weeks. Skip plastic wrap pressed directly on the cheese — it traps the little moisture that's left and dulls the flavor.

If the surface dries out, nothing is wrong. Shave off the hardened edge, or lean into it and grate the firm parts over pasta and eggs like a hard cheese. Freezing is possible but costs you the crumble, so buy what you'll finish in a month instead.

One more note: the aroma is assertive by design. Keep it sealed unless you want your butter tasting like Erzincan.

Where Can You Buy Tulum Cheese in the US?

Outside a handful of Turkish and Middle Eastern groceries in the biggest metro areas, tulum is a hard find on American shelves — an aged, skin-ripened cheese doesn't fit the average supermarket dairy case. Online is the practical route.

That's where we come in. TG Gourmet started in 2003 — longtime customers still remember us as Tulumba.com — and we keep a dedicated tulum shelf stocked year-round. Add the rest of the table in the same box: olives, tea, bread, and everything else in our Turkish grocery store ships together, cold items packed with ice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is tulum cheese the same as feta?

No. Both are white and crumbly, but feta matures in brine and stays moist, while tulum ages dry inside a casing. That makes tulum sharper, saltier, and considerably more intense bite for bite.

What does the word "tulum" mean?

It's the name of the container, not the cheese: a cleaned whole goatskin turned into a bag. The cheese packed and aged inside simply took its name.

How long is tulum cheese aged?

Most tulum ripens for three to six months. Some producers go longer, and the flavor sharpens and deepens with time.

Can I substitute tulum for feta in recipes?

Yes, and it's an upgrade in dishes that want backbone — salads, pasta, eggs. Use about half the amount the recipe calls for and taste before adding any salt.

Is tulum cheese made from pasteurized milk?

Tulum sold in the US is typically made with pasteurized milk to meet import requirements. Traditional village production in Turkey historically used raw milk. The label on each product tells you which you're getting.

Is tulum cheese vegetarian?

Usually not — traditional tulum uses animal rennet. Some commercial producers use microbial rennet instead, so check the label if that matters to you.