Divle Obruk Peyniri - Koyun is an authentic, traditionally crafted cheese made from pure sheep’s milk sourced from flocks grazing on natural pastures around the village of Divle in the Karaman region. The cheese is shaped in traditional leather tulums and then transferred to a natural obruk cave, where it matures for at least 120 days under constant low temperature and high humidity.
During the aging process, it develops a reddish rind, an intense aroma, and a strong, piquant flavor with pronounced mineral notes. Its texture is firm and crumbly, while the salt content of about 2.5% provides a pronounced yet balanced salinity.
Production is seasonal and limited, and the available forms range from smaller to large tulums, placing this cheese among the rarest and most highly valued Turkish specialties with protected geographical designation.
Producer
Divle Obruk Peyniri represents a small group of local producers from the village of Divle and the surrounding areas in Karaman, all of whom preserve the traditional method of making the namesake cheese and pass it down through generations. The production is artisanal and decentralized, yet unified by a strict geographic identity, the specific qualities of local sheep and goat milk, and the unique maturation conditions inside the natural obruk cave.
The brand is defined by authenticity, limited seasonal output, and a strong sense of terroir, as only cheese aged in this particular cave can bear the name Divle Obruk Peyniri. Producers follow shared standards: the use of raw milk, traditional leather tulums, and several months of cave aging, during which the cheese develops its distinctive red rind and powerful aroma shaped by the cave’s unique microbiological environment.
Despite its small-scale production, the brand holds a cult status in Türkiye and is increasingly recognized by international gourmet enthusiasts for its rarity, intense flavor, and a crafting technique found almost nowhere else.
Best Divle Obruk Peyniri products
Visit, taste & buy locations
Recommendations
Best cheeses from other producers
- Best in Turkiye
- Best in the World