Caşcaval de Săveni

Appearance & taste

Cașcaval de Săveni is sold as a wheel or as a rectangular block of 0.45 to 9 kg, coated with a wax mixture or in shrink film. A thin rind, darker yellow than the inside, covers the whole cheese. The paste is homogeneous, not crumbly, evenly cream-coloured to light yellow throughout the block, doughy, elastic and creamy; occasional fermentation holes are permitted. It can be cut into slices without breaking. The cheese contains at most 44 % water, at least 38 % fat in dry matter and 1.5 to 3 % salt.

The taste is both sweet and salty, with a slightly bitter note which, according to the specification, is reminiscent of walnuts and comes from the breakdown of proteins during ripening. With ripening the aroma becomes more intense and recalls damp earth; the specification attributes it to the local vegetation, whose aromas pass into the cheese via the milk.

Production

The raw cow’s milk comes from the area, from crosses of traditional local cattle breeds such as Sura de stepă and Bucșan with breeds of higher milk yield. It has at least 3.2 % fat. For coagulation with rennet it is warmed to 30 to 33 °C so that the local microflora can act.

Many steps are done by hand: the curd is cut with a harp and worked with a wooden paddle, the “barulă”. It is then scalded at about 80 °C in willow baskets from which the hot brine drains, kneaded hot and shaped; the mass, the “buric”, is pressed into moulds and freed of air. The cheese ripens for at least 60 days at 2 to 8 °C and becomes creamier and yellower in the process. Milk production, collection, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area is hilly. Soil and climate favour natural pastures with a rich flora of 50 to 60 % grasses, 35 to 40 % legumes and other forage plants. According to the specification, livestock markets have been held here since the 16th century. Botoșani has the second-largest number of cattle of all Romanian counties and the largest number of crosses with the Bucșan breed.

Because milk was plentiful, a dairy plant was built in Săveni in 1959. In 1963 a well-known master cheesemaker was brought in, who trained generations of apprentices from Săveni and the surrounding area and combined the making of Cașcaval with local methods. His pupils became masters themselves and still pass on the knowledge today. In 1986 a local newspaper reported that the cheese had been made by hand at the Săveni plant for decades; the plant was then extended to meet demand at home and abroad.