Roumy Cheese: Egypt’s Pungent, Ancient, & Addictive Icon

Let’s talk cheese. Every culture has its own melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece. The Italians have mozzarella, the Dutch swear by Gouda, and the French—well, they age their blue-veined beauties like fine wine. But in Egypt? It’s all about Roumy. Sharp, salty, unapologetically pungent, this golden-hued cheese has been the backbone of Egyptian breakfasts, feteer feasts, and late-night street sandwiches for centuries.

But where did this funky block of goodness actually come from?

For decades, food historians thought Roumy cheese was just Egypt’s take on Mediterranean staples like Greek Kefalotyri or Pecorino Romano. The name itself, Roumy, literally means Roman, and coastal Egyptians even called it Turkish cheese thanks to Ottoman-era cheesemakers. But in 2018, archaeologists made a discovery that blew every cheese lover’s mind.

Inside a Saqqara tomb dating back to 3,200 BC, researchers uncovered an ancient, crumbly substance. After eight years of analysis, they declared it “most likely” the world's oldest cheese—and not just any cheese. It was Roumy. That’s right: while the Greeks were still figuring out feta, Egyptians were already perfecting their sharp, funky masterpiece.

Good Roumy cheese takes time—at least four months, to be exact. A mix of cow’s or buffalo’s milk is left to age, developing its signature open texture and that kick-you-in-the-face intensity. The longer it sits, the sharper it gets.

And while mass production exists, real Roumy is still a family business. Generations of cheesemakers in Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta have spent decades perfecting the process, passing down the art of aging and salting like a culinary secret. Damietta’s version, in particular, is famous for its extra punch of salt—a flavor that’s now making waves far beyond Egypt’s borders.

Egyptians consume a staggering 48,000 tons of Roumy cheese every year. But it’s not just a local addiction. According to Ahmed Katilo, a major dairy mogul, Damietta-style Roumy has now landed in Canada and the USA, where its bold flavor is turning heads in specialty markets.

And the numbers prove it: Egypt exported $10.97 million worth of Roumy cheese in 2022, making it a rising star in the global cheese scene.

From feteer fillings to piping-hot street pizzas, Roumy has woven itself into the very fabric of Egyptian cuisine. It’s bold. It’s nostalgic. It’s the cheese that won’t be ignored.