Sjenički sir

Sjenički sir is a soft, white, and brined cheese made with either sheep's or cow's milk produced in the Sjenica-Pester plateau in southwest Serbia. Even though there are two types of Sjenički sir, the production is the same whether speaking of sheep's milk cheese or cow's milk cheese.

First, the raw fresh milk is mixed with rennet and left to curdle. Once the curd has formed, it is placed in cloths and weighed to separate the whey. Once the weighing, which takes 4 to 6 hours, is done, the curd is cut into slices and placed in, traditionally, a wooden barrel.

The slices are arranged in layers, and a generous sprinkling of salt is applied to the bottom of the barrel and added between each layer of curd. Once stacked, the cheese is weighed with a hard object, either a stone or a wooden object, then left to ripen, while completely submerged in whey, anywhere from 20 to 60 days.

Sjenički sir has been given the designation of geographic origin in Serbia and there's plans of including in on the list of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is typically eaten as an appetizer, accompanied by cold cuts, but can be used in the preparation of various dishes as well.