Five homemade cheeses and what to go with them in the cup
Sjenica, Pirot and Homol on one board — and five hours that open each of them instead of killing them.
The five-cheese board is a test of character, not decoration. If you put it in the wrong order and pour it at the wrong time, the saltiest cheese will eat all the others and stay in your mouth until tomorrow. That's why it goes from the mildest to the most tired, from left to right, as you can read - and for each one, a drink is chosen that takes it out, not pushes it.
These five are not random. Three are geographically protected or recognizable names, two are the workhorses of any serious meze. They are bought at the market, from the shelf behind the counter, not from the supermarket refrigerator where everyone smells the same.
Order on the board and what goes in class
Sjenica cheeseopens. Full cow (often with a portion of sheep) cheese from the Pester plateau, with approx1,000–1,200 mabove sea level, salty, white-brittle, mild acidity and clean milky finish. Shall I tie it with white - grass or smederevka na9–11 °Cthey keep his acid level. More about those whites in our guidewhite wines of the Balkans for summer.
Homolj cheeseis next. From eastern Serbia, from the pastures of Homolja, fuller milk and more pronounced fat, with a note of hay and wild flowers when it comes from sheep that were raised at altitude. Look for a white with a little more body or a dry dew10–12 °C.
Pirot's kackavaljis the middle of the board and its thesis. Pasta filata made from sheep's milk from Stara Planina gets a nutty, slightly spicy depth after ripening for at least two to three months. This is a cheese that is looking for black - prokupac or laksi vranac na15–16 °C. We explained why steaming the dough creates that dense, fibrous bite at alleditorial about hacking.
Three are geographically protected or recognizable names, two are the workhorses of any serious meze.
Old, well-ripened cottage cheese or hard Cvara cheesegoes the penultimate one — sharp, salty, crystalline under the knife. Here, beer proves to be a worthy opponent: amber ale or dry stout cuts fat better than much wine, which we explained in the text.cheese with beer.
Belmuz or young Svrlji cheesecloses — if it's warm belmuz (meat cheese mixed with cornmeal until it stretches), it's a meal for itself and asks for travarica brandy as a digestif, not wine.
What goes on the board next to cheese
Dried fruit kills saltiness better than bread: a couple of halves of dried apricots with Pirot, walnuts with Homoljski, a little dark honey in the corner of the board for that moment when the salty is looking for a counter. Honey and cheese are an old marriage — but only a drop, not a puddle. Sour (turkey, pickled pepper) keeps the palate awake between bites.
| Cheese | Origin | Pizza | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sjenicki | Pester, ~1,100 m | Grasac / smederevka | 9–11 °C |
| Homoljski | Eastern Serbia | Dry dew | 10–12 °C |
| Pirot's kackavalj | Old mountain | Prokupac | 15–16 °C |
| Old rascal | ripe, hard | Amber ale / stout | 8–10 °C |
| Belmuz / Svrljiski | Svrljig | Herbalist | 16–18 °C |
He takes everything out of the fridge45 minutesbefore serving. Cold cheese is mute cheese — its fat is condensed and does not release its aroma. It is cut into thicker pieces, never into thin sheets; cheese is not salami.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- Which cheese goes with red wine and with which white wine?
- Mild and salty cheeses (Sjenica, Homoljska) require fresh white or dry dew at 9–12 °C. Ripe, nutty skákaval can tolerate black — prokupac or laxy vranac at 15–16 °C.
- At what temperature is the cheese served on the board?
- The cheese is taken out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before serving. Cold cheese has condensed fat and does not release its aroma; room temperature opens up the full flavor.
- What to put on the board next to the cheese?
- Dried apricots with salty cheeses, walnuts with fatty ones, a drop of dark honey with ripe ones, and turkey or pickled peppers to refresh the palate between bites.
