Mohant

Appearance & taste

Mohant is whitish yellow, beige or light butter-coloured. The surface is smooth, even, dry and malleable; it has no rind. The inside is homogeneous, soft, semi-elastic and kneaded, from hard to spread to spreadable, and may be slightly lumpy.

The smell and taste are piquant, sharp, pungent and extraordinarily strong, sometimes also a little bitter. According to the specification, many people may find them off-putting, but they are the typical hallmark of this cheese. Because the milk is traditionally skimmed, ripe Mohant only has to contain at least 35 % fat in dry matter, plus at least 17 % protein and 0.5 to 2.5 % salt.

Mohant is sold in jars whose lid is joined to the jar by a band; it shows that the jar has not been opened. The label carries the logo “Samo eden je Mohant, Bohinj” (There is only one Mohant, Bohinj).

Production

The cows feed mainly on green and roughage feed from the region, that is pasture grass, hay and silage; it must make up at least 75 % of the dry matter of their daily ration. Raw cow’s milk from the area is used, without heat treatment.

Two steps characterise the traditional method: after drying, the curd settles at the bottom of the vat, and the cheese ripens without air in special large vats, the “deže”. During this, the proteins are broken down into amino acids; the gases released make the cheese spreadable and give it its smell and taste. Because without a rind it is not protected from drying out, it is kneaded, cut and carefully filled into jars immediately after it is taken out, pressing out any air pockets. Milk production, cheesemaking and packing take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area lies in the heart of the Julian Alps, in the Triglav National Park and in a Natura 2000 site. The valley is surrounded on three sides by high mountains and opens only to the east, where the Sava Bohinjka has cut a deep bed. The climate is alpine, with harsh, cold winters, short summers and heavy showers; the annual average is 7.7 °C in the valley and 3.6 °C in the mountains. According to the specification, the alpine limestone flora, with over a thousand plant species, is among the richest in species in Europe, and some species grow only here.

Dairy farming and cheesemaking have existed in the area since the 13th century. Little arable land and long winters led the people of Bohinj to keep mainly livestock and to develop alpine pasture farming: in spring the herds grazed on the lower mountain meadows, then on the middle and high alpine pastures, and in autumn they returned to the valley. Until the middle of the 19th century every mountain farmer (“majer”) processed his own milk on the alpine pasture, and even then Mohant had a special place among the alpine products. According to a Slovenian etymological dictionary, the name arose in the 18th century; a book on cheesemaking from 1925 describes production in Bohinj in detail. Mohant is still made by the traditional method today.