Cheeses of Rhodope Mountains
Bulgaria's southern mountains of sheep, pine forest and stone villages, where sirene and kashkaval are part of every meal.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: May to October.
The Rhodopes are a range of forested mountains in southern Bulgaria, long a land of shepherds and stone villages. Bulgarian cuisine rests on dairy, and here, around Smolyan and in villages such as Shiroka Laka, sirene, the white brined cheese, and kashkaval, the yellow pasta filata cheese, are made from sheep's and cow's milk and eaten at every meal.
Sirene and kashkaval
Sirene is a white cheese of sheep, goat or cow milk, salted and aged in brine, crumbly and tangy. It is grated over shopska salad, baked into banitsa pastry, and stuffed into peppers. Kashkaval is a yellow, firm cheese whose curd is stretched in hot water, then aged; it is often breaded and fried. Bulgarians also take great pride in their yoghurt.
The mountains
The Rhodopes hold old stone villages with overhanging upper floors, pine forest, caves and the Smolyan lakes. Shiroka Laka is known for its houses and its bagpipe festival. Shepherds still graze flocks on the high pastures in summer, and village guesthouses serve cheese, beans and potatoes, the staples of the mountains.
A trail idea for Rhodope Mountains
- Smolyan The regional town and its lakes.
- Shiroka Laka A village of traditional Rhodope houses.
- Trigrad gorge A limestone gorge and the Devil's Throat cave.
- A guesthouse table Eat banitsa and sirene with local yoghurt.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Rhodope Mountains" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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