Greek cheese: PGI Kaskavali Pindos on new roads

The final stretch of the procedures followed by the Region of Epirus for the recognition of the traditional cheese “Kaskavali Pindos” as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product.

Specifically, on May 17, the “approval” notice of the PGI was published in the European Union’s newspaper, for the “Kaskavali Pindos”, with a three-month margin for submitting any objections before the final approval.

The research program was carried out by the Agricultural Products Technology Institute – Dairy Department of Ioannina (Dairy School).

View the traditional product

The Region of Epirus, after this positive development, proceeds – in collaboration with restaurants – to promote the traditional product through the production of flavors.

On the occasion of the initial inclusion of the product in the PGE products, the regional governor Mr. Alexandros Kahrimanis pointed out that the Kaskavali is a local quality product produced in the area by nomadic breeders.

Continuing, he informed about the initiative underway by about 25 local restaurants to produce recipes based on Kaskavali.

He also explained that the “kaskavali” with the designation PGI will be produced throughout Epirus and in the neighboring prefectures of Thessaly and Western Macedonia bordering Pindos.

What is Kascavali or Kascaval?

“Kaskavali Pindou/Kaskaval Pindou” is a semi-hard cheese, whitish to pale yellow in color, cylindrical or block-shaped.

It is prepared using the technique of heated sheep’s cheese mass or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk (always goat’s in a ratio of less than 35%), using a special technique developed and spread by the Vlach-speaking nomads-breeders of the Balkans, driven from the regions of central northern end of the Pindos mountain range.

The cheese requires a total preparation-ripening period of about 90 days to be ready for consumption. The characteristics of the product are due to the high fat content and the rich aromas of the milk of the designated area, but also to its traditional cheese-making technique, which requires the processing of the cheese mass to be done in two distinct stages. Thus, it is possible to directly process the milk produced in the summer at the mountain altitudes, where there are no cheese-maturation facilities.