Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Green mold cheese is the culinary treasure of Bulgaria’s Cherni Vit

БНР Новини
Photo: greencheese.eu

The technology for making green mold cheese that exists in the village of Cherni Vit in Stara Planina has not been forgotten, say followers of the Slow Food international movement in Bulgaria. They hunt "gastronomic treasures" and turn them into small business opportunities for the community that produces them. This way Bulgarian cheese covered with green mold has gained recognition worldwide thanks to connoisseurs who tried it at culinary exhibitions. Bulgarian consumers are not acquainted with the green cheese from Cherni Vit and even if people have heard about its qualities, they do not know where to buy it.

In Cherni Vit locals say that producing the green cheese does not require much human intervention and the fungus occurs naturally on the mature cheese. The story of the dairy delicacy of Cherni Vit is very old and tells about the lifestyle of the local people from the times where flocks of thousands of sheep grazed across the mountain. During the summer people used to make cheese and store it in wooden casks. Gradually the brine drains and the cheese dries. In late summer shepherds stockpiled the cheese in their basements and blue-green mold appeared after the casks are open because of the wet and cool air. People in the past used to scrape the mold off the cheese, which is surprising today because we know that the mold is actually what turns the cheese into a delicacy.

Green cheese already has a reserved place on the map of European culinary treasures. Bulgaria is actually the country of origin of one of the three types of blue cheese on the continent that are naturally cultured. Mayor of Cherni Vit told us more about the plans to protect the cheese. He supports the views of the Slow Food Movement and believes that everyone is responsible for preserving delicious and unique local products.

"When I was a child I gladly consumed this green cheese. I remember the taste and I associate the smell from my childhood. After that the green cheese disappeared for a long time. Then I began asking about it. One day the Slow Food international organization called me with an offer to participate in an expedition that was to discover interesting dairy products produced locally. I found only one small lump of cheese in the village, but when I presented it to specialists, they were delighted. Curiously, the green cheese has never been offered on Bulgarian market. Just one citizen of Cherni Vit still produces it. Penicillium roqueforti is the mold that grows on this white cheese with low water content. The cheese is made only from sheep's and goat's milk unlike other types of blue cheese produced in Europe.”

English: Alexander Markov




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The tallest Ferris wheel in the country to be erected in Pleven

The tallest Ferris wheel in Bulgaria will rise above Pleven , announced regional governor Nikolay Abrashev. It will be built in a multifunctional complex near the Kaylaka Park. "The project envisages the construction of a Ferris wheel with a..

published on 11/9/24 12:37 PM

The town of Elena is hosting the Feast of the Elena meat delicacy

The town of Elena, Veliko Tarnovo region, will welcome thousands of guests for the Feast of the Elena pork leg meat delicacy . Balkan masters will demonstrate their culinary art on Saturday and Sunday, BNR correspondent Zdravka Maslyankova reported...

published on 11/9/24 7:45 AM
Photo: Bolgrad City Council/Facebook

An international festival for wine connoisseurs is opening in Bolgrad

The international wine festival "Bolgrad Wine Fest" is opening today in the unofficial capital of ethnic Bulgarians in Ukraine - Bolgrad. The two-day event will be held at the Center for Culture and Recreation.  For the first time, within the..

published on 11/9/24 5:05 AM