Jihočeská Niva

Appearance & taste

Jihočeská Niva has the shape of a wheel 18 to 20 cm in diameter and about 10 cm high and weighs about 2.8 kg. The surface is cream-coloured to light brown, partly waxy, and bears traces of washing or scraping; bluish-green mould runs through the whole cheese. The cheese paste is cream to creamy white, evenly marbled greenish to bluish-green and shows traces of the piercing. It is soft, crumbly when spread and evenly ripened; foreign mould is not permitted.

The taste and smell are salty, pungent and aromatic with a sharp finish, typical of the noble mould Penicillium roqueforti. The cheese contains 52 % dry matter, 50 to under 55 % fat in dry matter and 2.5 to 5.5 % salt. It is sold as a whole or half wheel or in portions.

Production

Only cow’s milk from the area is used; it is processed in the dairy and standardised to a fat content of 3.45 %. Dairy cultures, rennet, calcium chloride, cooking salt and cultures of Penicillium roqueforti are added. After coagulation the curd is filled into wheel-shaped moulds, the whey is drained, and the microflora develops at a set temperature. Salting is done either in two steps, in a brine bath and then by rubbing with coarse salt, or by applying salt to the surface.

In the past the cheese ripened exclusively in natural cellars cut into limestone rock; because of rising production, air-conditioned cellars were added in 2005. Ripening lasts at least four weeks; the surface is then washed or scraped off. Production, ripening and packaging take place in the area; packing is done directly at the producer, in aluminium or special foil or in portions in plastic trays.

Origin & history

According to the specification, South Bohemia is considered one of the least polluted areas of the Czech Republic and has always been mainly agricultural. The pastures lie in protected areas in the Novohradské hory, the Blanský les and the Bohemian Forest; the area around Český Krumlov and the foothills of the Bohemian Forest have been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1990. The species-rich meadows are home to, among others, the black rampion endemic there, the Eastern Alpine gentian, the cross gentian, the alpine baldmoney, arnica and the Bohemian gentian.

At the plant in Český Krumlov the cheese has been made by the same method since 1951. It is named after the meadows and pastures of the Bohemian Forest from which the milk comes. According to the specification, the local people’s experience with this blue cheese has been passed down from generation to generation.