Setomaa lies in the far southeast of Estonia, along the Russian border, and the Seto people who live there have their own language, their own Orthodox calendar, their own songs and their own cheese. Sõir is found on every Seto table: fresh curd cooked again with milk, enriched with butter and eggs, seasoned with caraway and pressed into a firm, pale gold round that slices like a mild farmhouse cheese. It was traditionally made for Midsummer and Pentecost, and because the Seto fasting calendar keeps meat off the table for long stretches, dairy dishes like this one carry a good deal of the weight.

Making it feels like a small piece of alchemy: a pan of milk, a few minutes of patience, and suddenly cheese. It travels beautifully, slices cleanly and keeps for days, which makes it a natural for a picnic at any summer race.

The cheese

Ingredients

• 14 oz (400 g) quark
• 3 1/3 cups (800 ml) whole milk
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs

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