Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Gjizë (Albanian curd cheese)

Eggs & dairy · Fresh cheese

Gjizë (Albanian curd cheese)

Albanian salted curd cheese, like a drier, saltier ricotta; mixed into fërgesë, byrek and stuffed peppers.

Also called: gjize, gjizë, albanian ricotta, salted curd cheese

Around the world: gjizë (sq)

A kind of cheese

1 recipe with it

Photo: SKopp, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

A white whey or curd cheese made in Albania and Kosovo, drained and salted so it is firmer and more savoury than fresh ricotta. It is often made at home from the whey left over after other cheesemaking and is a standard filling and baking cheese.

How it’s used

  • Stirred with peppers and tomatoes into fërgesë
  • Filled into byrek and stuffed peppers
  • Crumbled over salads and eaten with bread

Characteristics

Taste
Milky and noticeably salty.
Texture
Fine, moist and crumbly.
Sold as
fresh
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking
Common in
Albanian, Balkan

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep covered in the fridge and use within a week.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
150 kcal
Protein
7.54 g
Carbohydrate
7.27 g
Fat
10.18 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0.27 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, ricotta, whole milk (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Ricotta — Drain well and add a pinch more salt.

Related ingredients

Recipes with gjizë (albanian curd cheese)

More fresh cheese