Each day, 40,000 sheep – five times the local human population – ruminate salt herbs there by spray to produce Paski Sir – “Pag cheese” in Croatian.
“”It contains the essence of the island“, Explains Martina Pernar Skunca, marketing head of the oldest cheese producer in Pag, Paska Sirana.
Free to graze wherever they want, sheep feast on herbs and aromatic plants, including the immortal, lavender, sage and fennel, all wrapped in sea salt brought by the wind, which gives PAG cheese all its flavor, she adds.
The wheels, which age at least 60 days on the island, are sometimes compared to the Sardo Pecorino or the Spanish handle – hard cheeses whose taste is asserted over time.
Founded in 1946, Paska Sirana manufactures approximately 80 tonnes of this cheese per year. The company produces part of its milk but also buy from local families, which collect it in the same way from generation to generation.
“”We produce it exactly as our ancestors did, it is in our blood“, Says Marin Valentic, at the head of one of the small cheese factories on the island, Skrivat.
It is this respect for the tradition that makes the success of Paski Sir, abounds Ruzica Gligora.
“”From the start, when my stepfather Ivan Gligora founded the factory, he had the idea of making the best cheese in the world“, Traces the one working for one of the biggest producers in PAG.
“”The bar is high, and we are careful “she said with a smile.
Like champagne
The requirement seems to have borne fruit – cheese is a “pure delight” which “Bring full and complex flavors to the palate and a pleasant background in the mouth“, According to several starred chiefs cited by the International Institute of Taste and Quality.
And the Paski Sir obtained a controlled designation of origin from the European Union – such as Champagne or Roquefort.
But young people who no longer want to spend their days milking the sheep, which it rains, whether it sells or that the sun burns, now prefer to rent their apartments to passing tourists.
“”It’s difficult work“, Recognizes Martina Pernar Skunca.”And on Pag, a magnificent island, tourism allows you to make money more easily“.
However, the lack of labor could end up costing … tourists, who may no longer have enough cheeses to taste.
Because the latter – 20 million people visit Croatia each year – want to discover local specialties. In Pag, the slightest cheese is devoured.
Marin Valentic and its small exploitation of 120 sheep somehow hold the cadence in the face of demand.
“”Everyone wants to taste it, and understand why this cheese is so special“He says.