Marwan Abujaber at one of their regular family barbecues.
When Marwan sent us pictures of his cheeses, we couldn’t believe how beautiful they are. We naturally assumed that he sells them, but we were wrong. He is a home cheesemaker, working at developing his own recipes.
I’m hoping to get my son Karam to be a curd nerd 🤓 just like his dad.
Marwan’s Story
I first got interested in cheese making when I realized I really enjoyed tasting the different types of cheese from all over the world. I come from a brewing background as a profession – yeast and fermentation was not new to me.
My father, Dr. Raouf Abujaber established our brewery in 1954, in partnership with Heineken/Amstel Holland. I have worked in beer production all my life and I actually got some proper beer education in Holland right after I graduated from Washington College, MD.
My father, Dr. Raouf, my brother Ziad and myself standing in front of our family house in the ancient city of AL-Salt or the Roman city of Saltus. This home was built by our grandfathers a good 170 years ago. It was and still is a symbol of prosperity, tradition, Christian faith and heritage east of the Jordan river. It has become a protected National Museum as a gift from our father to the city.
Cheesemaking is my hobby and is totally disconnected from all that boring business stuff. I aspire to make a unique cheese that is representative of the area and it’s rich history. It will have to be based on ewe’s milk because of it’s traditional availability. For now, I am working hard on my skills and the fine tuning of my cheese flavour and texture. Wish me luck.
An aged hard cheese using mesophilic/thermophilic starters and different pressing techniques. (I find deformed cheese more intriguing.)
My standard curd is carefully crafted using fresh cow’s milk that I pasteurize at home.
Curds ready to be pressed. I do salt some of the curds but, lately, I find brine soaking gives a smoother flavour.
A happy cheese maker. Not the prettiest cheeses but plenty of flavour …
The challenges of modifying an edible material into a more complex food was always interesting. It was all about the quest for knowledge, and ultimately “how is it actually made.” So, I started basic cheese making at home and as I got better at it I then attempted more complex cheeses.
I found perforated Laude cheese molds from Scherjon Dairy Equipment in Holland. No more cheese cloth. Yes.
Lately and when available, I am making rich ewe’s milk cheese, a completely different challenge than cow’s milk.
A Manchego type cheese without the pretty skirting.
My attempt at cheese waxing.
Where I am now, at my skill level, was not easy to reach. There have been many heroic failures in trying to make cheese that turned out to be unexpected and even unexplainable with a heavy dose of disappointment.
Having plentiful knowledge of the science in cheese making makes it much easier to produce a good product and to be able to reproduce it consistently. There is a good sense of satisfaction you get when you know you made a good cheese.
The first cheese press I started with, using old surplus ammo tins with weights inside.
Later, I made my own press since the tins kept falling over (as the cheese compressed during the night) making a loud noise and waking everybody up at home.
How did you learn?
I started by trying to make basic fresh cheese by buying some rennet tablets and some fresh milk. There was no instructions at all. It was a real shot in the dark.
It quickly become obvious that there is more to it than just that, so I got a couple of books and read them over again and again. The books were a complete knowledge multiplier. I can not stress enough how important it is to read deep into the fundamentals of cheese making.
When the current situation gets better, I will participate in a course, since I truly believe it is beneficial to interact with more senior cheese makers.
I made the cheeses in these pictures with a lot of TLC …
Greek Cypriot Halloumi infused with dried mint.
A mesophilic/thermophilic type using pasteurized cow milk with lipase, calcium chloride and rennet. It tastes close to a Manchego.
The Redfield label is me trying to establish a cheese brand rather than people just saying it is Marwan’s cheese. Redfield (translated from Arabic) is a red topsoil estate we own here in Jordan that was a significant agriculture enterprise in previous years.
It all falls under the history of grain producing Christian families of the Holy Land. I would like to think of myself as a descendant of the early Christians that spread the word of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Pan fried Greek Cypriot style Halloumi with a dash of organic olive oil.
A Greek Cypriot Halloumi type using only lipase and rennet.
The lovely Greek Cypriot Halloumi infused with dried mint. Can’t get enough of it …
Store cheese plays a good part in my life since I really enjoy eating it. However, making your own cheese and enjoying it is even better. But what is best is to make a cheese that others enjoy with you.
Before going completely commercial, I would like to advance my skills and start making much more complex cheeses. I understand the built-in efficiencies of making cheese on a larger scale but for now I will keep it homemade.
