Bjelovarski kvargl

Appearance & taste

Bjelovarski kvargl has the shape of a pointed cone 40 to 65 mm in diameter and 70 to 100 mm high, and weighs 60 to 110 g. On the outside its colour ranges from pale grey to dark red. The paste is firm and dense; in a horizontal cut it shows a slightly pinkish interior with clearly visible white grains. The taste is slightly sour and rather strong, with smoke and a pronounced paprika aroma. The cheese contains 14.5 g of milk fat per 100 g, and its pH is at most 4.9.

Production

The basis is drained fresh cow’s milk cheese. It is seasoned with salt, paprika and occasionally garlic and shaped into small pointed cones, which are dried in the air and then smoked for up to three hours. In the process the mass binds and becomes soft. Every step is done by hand and with traditional tools; the cheese is not made industrially. All steps from processing the fresh cheese to the finished product take place in the area. If the cheese is not sold straight away, it is wrapped in film and stored chilled for up to 15 days.

Origin & history

Bjelovar-Bilogora County lies in north-western Croatia and is characterised by low-lying grassland; farming and livestock keeping have a long tradition there. According to the oldest records, the inhabitants already kept livestock and made cheese 200 years ago. Milk and dairy products are important in many dishes of the area, above all fresh cow’s milk cheese. Because it keeps only briefly, small producers developed drying and smoking so that it could be stored for longer. The knowledge is passed down from generation to generation.

According to the specification, a 2015 dissertation showed clear differences from the related cheeses Turoš from Međimurje and Prgica from Varaždin: only Bjelovarski kvargl is additionally smoked after drying, and its cone shape is more pointed. Bjelovar is known for its milk and cheese tradition and bears the nickname “cheese town”; since 2006 a fair called “Cheese days in the cheese town” has been held there, at which small businesses show and sell traditional cheeses of the region.