Cheese and Pasta Factory SIERA RAZOTNE

The Ceriņi family business has been the only producer of Zaļais siers (Green Cheese) in Latvia for more than 19 years. The historic recipe comes from notes kept by the owner’s mother, Marija. One of the cheese’s defining ingredients, fenugreek, is grown in the family garden each summer. It is this distinctive herb that gives the cheese its characteristic flavour, aroma and deep green colour. The dairy also produces around 20 varieties of pasta.

Cheeses
Alongside Zaļais siers, the dairy makes a range of other grated cheeses, including cheese with porcini mushrooms, Ķiplociņš with garlic, and cheese with herbs. There is also Knapsieriņš, a piquant snack made from low-fat curd cheese and herbs.

How the Cheese Is Made
All of the grated cheeses are made from skimmed cow’s milk, making them a good source of protein while keeping their fat content low.

The dairy’s signature product is Raunas Green Cheese, made with fenugreek grown in the family garden. Fenugreek is an annual plant with five-lobed leaves and small blue flowers. The young, tender shoots are harvested and dried in a wood-fired drying room. Once dried, the fenugreek is ground, sieved and blended into a protein-rich cheese mass. This is spread in a thin layer in specially made wooden boxes and left to dry. It is the addition of sweet clover that gives the cheese its distinctive green colour, aroma and flavour.

These cheeses have a rich, concentrated flavour and are wonderfully versatile in the kitchen. Making grated cheese is a lengthy and labour-intensive process: more than two months pass from milking the cows to the finished product reaching the shelves.

For Visitors
Visitors can discover the story of the dairy and taste four varieties of grated cheese: Raunas Green Cheese, porcini mushroom cheese, herb cheese and Ķiplociņš, as well as wholesome ghee. To bring traditional flavours to life, guests can also sample Knapsieriņš in different degrees of spiciness — a tasty, protein-rich curd cheese snack that pairs particularly well with beer and other drinks.

The approximately one-hour tour also reveals how the dairy produces around 20 varieties of pasta using free-range eggs, including pasta with porcini mushrooms, hemp, garlic, fenugreek, herbs, sun-dried tomatoes and jalapeño peppers, as well as colourful varieties and many more.

Where to Buy
The cheeses are available from the dairy’s self-service shop at Parka iela 4a, Rauna, Smiltenes Municipality.
They are also sold throughout Latvia at Rimi, Top, Stockmann and PKS Straupe.

Online at www.sierarazotne.lv.