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‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’

PGI-GR-02821

Date of application: 6.12.2021

PDO () PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Greece

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ is a semi-hard, scalded curd cheese. It is off-white to pale yellow in colour and cylindrical or parallelepiped in shape. It has a buttery, slightly sour and slightly salty taste, which distinguishes it from similar cheeses of this type. These taste characteristics are partly due to the periodic addition of salt, which is part of the production process, and to the milk used, which has a high fat content and a strong, ripe aroma.

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ has a firm, compact texture with very few openings and no rind. It has the following physico-chemical characteristics:

—	Fat Content in dry matter > 45 %

—	Fat content 27–30 %

—	Protein content 25–28 %

—	Maximum moisture content 40–45 %

Lastly, the salt content (sodium chloride) is between 1,4 % and 2 %, other inorganic components account for 2,5 % and the pH is between 5,0 and 5,3.

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ is made from local raw or pasteurised milk (sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, with the latter accounting for less than 35 % of the mix) using a specific method developed by the area’s Aromanian-speaking nomadic herders.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ is made only from raw or pasteurised milk from breeds of sheep and goats that traditionally have been raised extensively in the defined area. The milk has a high fat content (at least 6 %) due to the fact that the animals graze extensively or, during periods of bad weather, are fed local plants that have been dried and stored. The only substance that may be added to the milk that is used to make the cheese is commercially available ‘traditional Greek rennet’.

Regarding the milk that is produced in the defined area and used to make ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’, the following requirements apply:

(i)	The milk must be sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, the latter accounting for less than 35 % of the mix.

(ii)	It must have a fat content of at least 6 % w/w

(iii)

The animals must not be milked for at least 10 days after giving birth (for raw milk). Until it is curdled, the milk must be stored at a controlled temperature, in accordance with the legislation in force.

(iv)	The milk must not be condensed or contain added milk powder, milk protein, casein salts, colouring or preservatives.

(v)	There must be no residues of veterinary medicinal products (e.g. antibiotics), pesticides or other harmful substances present in the milk.

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The production of the milk and all the stages in the production of ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ cheese, including the initial packaging, must take place in the defined geographical area.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

—

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area where the milk is produced and ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ cheese is made comprises the entire Region of Epirus, the Regional Units of Kastoria, Grevena and Kozani in the Region of Western Macedonia and the Regional Units of Trikala and Karditsa in the Region of Thessaly.

5.   Link with the geographical area

Τhe basic factor that inseparably links ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ cheese with the geographical area is its reputation, which links the product with the area’s traditions, customs and economic life. This is confirmed by numerous important written records going back over 150 years and up until today. Another important factor that links the product with the geographical area is the human factor that led to the development of the specific production method, which is perfectly suited to the rugged mountainous terrain.

The countless written references to the unquestioned reputation that has linked ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ with the defined area over the years include the famous short story by Alexandros Papadiamantis Sto Christo sto Castro [Christ at the castle] (1892), Peri kefalotiriou kai kashkavaliou [Kefalotiri and kashkaval] (1900) by R. Dimitriadis, Kashkavali (1912) by E.D. Polichronidis, ‘The Nomads of the Balkans: an account of life and customs among the Vlachs of Northern Pindus’ (1914), and Nea Oikiaki Mageiriki [New home cooking] (1925) by A. Vitsikounakis. There are also historical references to the product in Elliniki Tyrokomia [Greek cheesemaking] (1956) and I istoria tou ellinikou galaktos kai ton proiondon tou [The history of Greek milk and dairy products] (2004). Lastly, the gold medal won by the Grigoriadis company at the Paris international fair in 1909 is further evidence of the product’s high quality and commercial importance over time. ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ has continued to win awards to this day – it won a quality award at Prodexpo (Russia) in February 2011 and received an award from the International Taste Institute in January 2021.

The product’s strong reputation and high quality has meant that production units in the defined area have continued to make and distribute it to this day, as evidenced by numerous recent publications. By way of example, in Tris aiones mia zoi: yiayia Filio i mikrasiatissa (2005), a memoir by Filio Haidemenou, the product is mentioned in connection with memories of daily life, rural life, folklore, etc. in the defined area, confirming that it was one of the cheeses that was made by the shepherds who raised their sheep up in the mountains. In Flavours of Greece (London 2011) by Rosemary Barron there is a detailed description of Greek dairy products and cheeses, and the author notes that this cheese is a special meze cheese because of its flavour. In Gastronomos, a magazine devoted to culinary topics and raw materials, there is an article by Vivi Konstantinidou, where the author describes her experience of giving her son cheese for the first time and recommends that people try Kashkavali Pindou, saying that it makes excellent toasted cheese sandwiches (11 October 2021).

Browsing the web gives over 6 000 hits for the product and many recipes for dishes that use ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ in combination with other ingredients, such as chicken and lountza, pizza, meat loaf with croutons and paprika, and prasotigania [leeks fried with pork] and wine.

Regarding the human factor and how it helps to determine the specificity of the product, this ties in closely with the geomorphology of the defined geographical area, which is dominated by the presence of Greece’s largest mountain range, the Pindos, which impacts the quality of the milk and the way the cheese is made.

Specifically, the area is rich in pastureland but unsuitable for other types of farming, so the inhabitants’ main activity is extensive livestock farming and the production of dairy products. It has a continental climate, with cold winters with frequent snowfall and cool summers, giving an average annual temperature of 10 °C. There is also frequent rain; average rainfall is 600-800 mm/year and there are no long periods of dry weather in summer. The influence of the climate can be clearly seen in the vegetation, which is not purely Mediterranean, as in the mountainous and semi-mountainous areas it resembles that of central Europe, with numerous fir, beech, chestnut, oak and plane tree forests and extensive areas of grassland. The area is also home to a rich and unique variety of plants – a total of 2 012 wild plant taxa have been recorded, 21,9 % of which are endemic to the Balkans and 5,6 % of which are endemic to Greece. The sheep and goats whose milk is used to make the cheese come from breeds that have been reared in the area for many years and are adapted to the harsh climatic conditions. The holdings are of medium capacity and keep only grazing animals that produce milk in small quantities but with a high fat content.

The area is the place of origin of the Aromanian-speaking nomadic herders (Vlachs), who developed a particular way of making ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ that is perfectly in harmony with the rugged mountainous terrain, and this is the main reason why it became established as one of the area’s main products and acquired an excellent reputation. The cheesemaking process consisted of a first stage, which was the curdling in situ of the milk produced up in the mountains in summer, to produce a cheese mass that was sliced up and transported down to the neighbouring lowland areas. This was followed by the second stage of the process, which consisted of mixing the curds with hot water and then maturing the cheese. This way of making ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ has a major advantage in that it allows the use of raw milk or milk that has soured, as when the cheese mass is mixed with hot water it is partially sterilised. Frequent dry salting gives the cheese its slightly salty taste.

This method is ideally suited to the area’s terrain and climatic conditions, which were such that in summer the nomadic herders had to keep their animals at high altitudes, where there were no dairies, processing facilities, ripening chambers, storage facilities, etc. Milk produced up in the mountains in summer was immediately transformed into cheese mass, which was then transported down to lower altitudes on horseback to be made into ‘Kashkavali Pindou / Kashkaval Pindou’. This solved the problem of how to preserve the milk produced in the mountains so that it could be turned into cheese. It also gave the product its name ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’, as the term ‘kashkaval’ roughly translated from Aromanian means ‘cheese transported by horses’.

‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ is a firm, compact cheese, with very few openings and no rind. These characteristics are due to the way it is made, which notably involves cutting the cheese mass into slices and then mixing these with hot water when the acidity is right. More specifically, during the cheesemaking process the cheese mass is left to mature and it is then cut into strips (slices) that are submerged in very hot water. The cheese mass becomes very pliable, like dough, so it can be easily shaped first in the water and then on the cheesemaking table. Thus, when it is transferred into moulds to form the cheese wheels that will subsequently harden, it is uniform, homogeneous, with a firm, springy texture and no cracks.

This specificity has successfully been carried over into the modern production process, where the elements of the traditional method remain unaltered. The adaptations are to do with safety and traceability but do not affect the character or the flavour of the cheese, as the main difference is the use of pasteurised milk and that the product is now branded and packaged. A basic specific characteristic of ‘Κασκαβάλι Πίνδου / Kashkavali Pindou / Κασκαβάλ Πίνδου / Kashkaval Pindou’ cheese is that it is still made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, unlike similar cheeses with the same name that are made in Balkan countries using cow’s milk. Finally, the milk used is an important factor linking the product with the defined area, as its high fat content gives the product a buttery flavour, while letting the sheep and goats graze extensively on the rich variety of aromatic plants and herbs in the Pindos mountains results in high levels of volatile terpenes and aldehydes in the milk, which give the cheese its strong, ripe aroma.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.minagric.gr/images/stories/docs/agrotis/POP-PGE/2021/kashkavali_pindou_prod100124.pdf