Romania, cheese

Brinza de Burduf, Brînza de burduf transilvaneana

Romanian sheep breeds used in the area are mainly Tsurcana, Tigae and their crosses. Both are descended from the wild species Ovis vignei acar. The Tsurcana has heavier, coarser wool that is better adapted to cold and wet conditions and its meat is fattier. The Tsurcana is similar to the Italian Sarda. The Tigae has semi-fine wool that is very resistant to dry conditions. Its meat is prized both locally and for export. The milk of both breeds is similar in quality: Tigae milk is 7% fat and 6.5% protein, while Tsurcana milk is 7-8% fat and 6% protein. Both breeds produce excellent milk for Telemea, Cascaval and yogurt.The cheese from the Rupea area, including those of the producers listed, is prized for its taste – not because of these breeds, but because of the particularly rich pastures. Prices are higher for these cheeses as a result. The shepherds take care to graze the sheep every night.

The production of sheep cheese in Transylvania is a tradition that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years and is intimately linked with village society, customs and with the maintenance of the spectacular flowered grasslands of the area – perhaps the most extensive flower-rich lowland grasslands surviving in Europe. Milking and cheesemaking are all done by hand up in the hills where the sheep graze in summer. The unique richness of flowers and herbs in the grassland gives the cheese a special character. These traditional production methods are threatened by stricter EU and national health regulations. Their loss would damage social and cultural traditions in villages that have survived for centuries. A typical village in the area is made up of 200 families, most of which are actively involved in farming. Most households own two or three cows and 10-20 sheep. Cows are milked at home morning and evening, and milk is often the only source of income. Sheep are kept for meat (especially spring lambs) and cheese.

Each spring there is a village meeting at which one or two shepherds are chosen according to their reputation and to the amount of cheese they offer to the owners for “rent” of their sheep. The sheep are kept at one or two temporary summer pens (stana) often several miles from the village during summer months. There are wolves and bears in the area which prey on a few sheep and perhaps a donkey every summer. The sheep are guarded by ciobanesc, fierce sheep dogs.

Once lambs have been weaned (traditionally on May 10), sheep are milked two to three times a day. Each stana usually holds about 300 sheep, and milking is done by hand. Milk is made into cheese at the stana, using lambs’ stomachs as a natural source of rennet. Each stana has a special cheese room with immaculately clean wooden trays and troughs for coagulating the milk and draining off the whey.

The Brînza de Burduf is a strong, salty cheese. After several days the caş (cheese) is cut into small pieces, salt is added and the mixture is kneaded by hand in a wooden trough before being placed in a sheep’s stomach, carefully shaved sheep skin or a tube of pine bark. The cheese has a strong taste, and keeps very well in the sewn-up stomach/skin of the sheep. Brînza de Burduf has a specific resinous flavor if kept in pine bark. The cheese is transported down to the village by donkey or horse and cart once or twice a week. The cheese is sold, used for the stana shepherds’ or owner’s own consumption or given to local dignitaries. In addition, a certain amount of cheese is given back to the animal owners as “rent”. Each summer sheep owners usually receive 6-8 kg of Brînza de Burduf (or Telemea, in the plains) and 1-1.5 kg of Urda per sheep. Most households receive a few kilos of fresh cheese each week directly from the shepherd. Its exceptional flavour and freshness are much appreciated by visitors of the villages.Brînza de Burduf is used in traditional dishes, oftentimes mixed with mamaliga (polenta). For example, Gîsca (“goose”) is a Transylvanian speciality made of alternating layers of Brînza de Burduf and polenta, baked and served hot – a perfect winter food. 

Linking the sheep’s cheese to the medieval hay meadows of Transylvania and its flower-rich biodiversity should attract a premium price if properly marketed.

Production area

Southeastern Transylvania

For links to the other product descriptions Preserves, Cheeses: Brinza de Burduf, Brînza de burduf transilvaneana; Transylvanian sheep Telemea, Telemea transilvaneana de oaie; Buffalo milk Cascaval, cascaval din lapte de bivol; Transylvanian whey cheese, Urda transilvaneana; and Cured Meats.