Bovški sir

Appearance & taste

Bovški sir is a round wheel 17 to 26 cm in diameter and 8 to 12 cm high, weighing 1.8 to 4.5 kg. The side is slightly convex and the edges are slightly rounded. The rind is hard, smooth and even, grey-brown to matt beige. The grey-beige paste is firm, elastic and cohesive, breaks with a conchoidal fracture and is brittle but not crumbly. It has a few evenly distributed, lentil-sized eyes or occasional fine small holes and cracks. With age the paste becomes firmer and more brittle.

Smell and taste are aromatic, full, intense and slightly sharp; if the cheese contains cow’s or goat’s milk, they are milder. It has at least 60 % dry matter and 45 % fat in dry matter.

Each wheel bears the producer, the protected name and the EU symbol for the protected designation of origin. If cow’s or goat’s milk is used, its proportion must be stated. The label may also say whether the cheese has ripened for more than a year or, for example, was made in a mountain pasture dairy.

Production

At least 80 % of the milk is raw sheep’s milk from the native Bovška ovca breed and its crosses, such as the improved Bovška ovca; up to 20 % may be cow’s or goat’s milk. Cheese is only made during the animals’ lactation period, which coincides with the growing season of the pastures. During this time the flocks are on pasture; the main feed is green fodder, supplemented by hay or silage, and basic fodder provides at least 75 % of the dry matter of the daily ration. The cheese ripens for 45 days to two years. Milk production, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area runs along the border with Italy from Mangart to the Učja border crossing and takes in the mountains around Bovec as far as Krn and Triglav. It is entirely protected as a Natura 2000 site, and a large part belongs to Triglav National Park. High mountain pastures and steep slopes leave little room for intensive farming. The Alpine-continental climate is influenced by the Mediterranean along the Soča; Bovec has 2,735 mm of precipitation a year, and some valleys go without sun for up to two months. Because drought and wind on shallow soils reduce the green fodder harvest, the area is suited to small livestock. Alpine, continental and Mediterranean plants grow on the pastures.

The Bovška ovca sheep breed developed over centuries in the upper Soča valley and is named after Bovec. It is a dairy breed adapted to harsh conditions and high mountain pastures; according to the specification, its milk contains more fat and dry matter than that of other Slovenian dairy sheep breeds. For the improved form it was crossed with the East Friesian dairy sheep.

Written records of cheese in the area go back to the 14th century; at that time, farm dues and rents were measured in cheese. The cheese first appears under its name in 1756 in a price list for Udine, as “Formaggio di Plezzo vero”, considerably more expensive than other kinds. Grazing and cheesemaking were regulated by the grazing rules (“Pašni red”). According to the specification, a description of the working day on the Zapotok mountain pasture from before the First World War shows that, apart from technical progress, the cheese is still made as it was centuries ago.