Pag cheese or Pag Island cheese ( hr, Paški sir, ) is a
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
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, capit ...
n variety of hard, distinctively flavored
sheep milk
Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France).
Sheep breeds
S ...
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
originating from the Adriatic
island of Pag
Pag (pronounced ; la, Pagus, it, Pago, german: Baag) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast and the one with the longest coastline.
In the 2011 census, the population of the islan ...
. It is generally regarded as the most famous of all artisan cheeses made in the country and can be found in many markets outside Croatia.
History
In 1774, the travel writer
Alberto Fortis
Alberto Fortis (1741–1803) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian writer, naturalist and cartographer.
Life
His real name was Giovanni Battista Fortis (his religious name was ''Alberto'') and he was born in Padua on either 9 or 11 of November 1741 ...
, on his way to
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
, wrote about Pag island's products, including sea salt, sage honey, wool and Pag cheese. Until early in the 20th century, the inhabitants of Pag had their own dry stone huts in which they milked the sheep and made Pag cheese. These stone houses are adorned in sedge and reeds from the nearby fields, the huts were built out of town on the rocky hills above the pastures. The majority of the pastures are located on the hilly parts of the island and are recognizable by the dry stone walls that surround them. From far off, the intricate stone walls resemble the famous
Pag lace
Pag lace ( hr, Paška čipka) is a type of lacework from Pag on the island of Pag, it requires a needle, thread and backing which is a round or square hard stuffed pillow.
Lace-makers of Pag did their '' teg'' (work) without any drawings. Each ...
(paška čipka) as they traverse the rocky summits. Historically, there was no private ownership of the pastures and the sheep freely grazed on all the land.
Over time, the pastures slowly became privately owned, so the shepherds moved back into towns and their stone huts became pasture homes. As shepherds commuted to and from pastures to care for their sheep, the women assumed the role of cheese makers. Pag cheese slowly but surely gained importance not only as a food for the locals but also as a commodity to market across Croatia, thus Pag cheese became an important source of income for the villagers.
Production process
The island of Pag has a long tradition of cheese making and agriculture and is the most indented island in the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
, which provides perfect conditions for making cheese. The island of Pag's eastern landscape is dominated by the mountain range on the mainland,
Velebit
Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...
. It is on these snowy peaks that hot and cold air amasses, and particularly in winter, gives birth to the Pag
Bora. A strong, cool, dry wind that gathers strength as it tumbles down the southern slopes of Velebit onto the calm seas. The Bora then dries and turns into dry salt dust, which it then scatters all over Pag, turning it into a white, salty island. and in these conditions upon the rocky hills of Pag, only the extremely resilient and
aromatic
In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...
plant species survive. The best known and most precious is the fragrant Pag's Sage, there are numerous colonies of this purple flowered plant which adorn the pure white limestone in May, and fill the air with its scent.
![Paški sir](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Pa%C5%A1ki_sir.JPG)
It is upon such salty and aromatic vegetation that Pag's autochthonous breed of sheep graze freely, giving local sheep unique qualities and taste in their milk which then permeate the taste of Pag cheese.
Certification
The main producers of Pag cheese came together to form an association with the aim of obtaining
Protected Designation of Origin
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...
for Pag cheese. The
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
has granted the designation on 25 November 2019.
PDO imposes strict conditions of production techniques as well as a particular origin of base products which will ensure that Pag cheese remains a product of Pag.
References
External links
"Paški Sir Cheese" ''Foodista'', July 9, 2011
"Sirana Gligora""The joy of Paški sir" ''Hudin.com'', July 11, 2011
Paška sirana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pag cheese
Sheep's-milk cheeses
Croatian cheeses
Croatian cuisine
Pag (island)