The ethnographic collection of the Museum of the History of the Resort City of Sochi contains a wide variety of household items of the peoples who inhabited the territory of the city of Sochi in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. One of the indigenous peoples of the region is the Adyghe.
The Adyghe traditionally crafted their household items, residential buildings, and outbuildings from various flexible plant materials, including vine, cattail, hazel, and even straw. Hazel was particularly used to weave a wide variety of baskets for different purposes. One notable example is the basket for making Adyghe cheese, known as “kuayeikhal, ” which was widely used from ancient times until the mid-20th century. This basket was woven from hazel in the shape of a cone, measuring 35–40 centimeters in height and 14–20 centimeters in diameter. The museum houses such baskets.
The baskets feature a high rounded handle, and some have two high handles. A wicker basket was specifically used for molding and drying Adyghe cheese. The high handle helped to perform the necessary technological operations effectively. By holding the basket at the base of the handles, the cheese maker could shake and turn the cheese inside the basket, which helped to combine the cheese grains into a cohesive mass. These manipulations were essential for compacting the cheese and forming an ideal cheese head. Afterward, the basket was hung, allowing the cheese to rest for several hours. During this time, excess whey separated from the cheese grains, and the cheese was naturally pressed. The whey flowed freely through the gaps in the wicker, and under its own weight, the cheese expelled all excess whey and dried. Once the cheese was removed from the basket, it was coated with salt on both sides, smoked, or eaten fresh. Apart from the hazel basket, a sieve was also woven. It was used for draining the whey after the cheese head was removed and for collecting the remaining cheese flakes.
Adyghe cheese is a national Circassian dish made exclusively from cow’s milk. It is related to cheeses such as brynza, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, and mascarpone; however, unlike them, it undergoes high-temperature pasteurization. This type of cheese is widely used in cooking.
