Europe’s Hidden Cheese Treasures: A Culinary Journey Through Time and Tradition

Cheese is more than just a food—it’s a cultural cornerstone that tells stories of people, places, and centuries-old traditions. While Camembert and Mozzarella have earned global fame, Europe harbors secret cheese varieties that remain deeply rooted in local identities and resistance to changing times. These hidden treasures, made using ancient techniques passed down through generations, offer flavors and experiences that can’t be replicated in commercial production. From cheeses aged in animal stomachs to varieties fermented with live mites, these artisanal creations represent living history. For true cheese enthusiasts, discovering these under-the-radar varieties means embarking on a journey across dramatic mountains, remote villages, and pastoral landscapes where traditions remain alive despite modernization.

Our cheese pilgrimage begins in Serbia with the world’s rarest and most expensive cheese—Pule. From Belgrade, travelers can make their way to the Zasavica wetlands and its Donkey Reserve, where cheesemaker Slobodan Simić produces this extraordinary delicacy from the milk of endangered Balkan jennies. What makes Pule so special is both its scarcity and labor-intensive production; it takes approximately 25 liters of donkey milk to create just one kilogram of cheese, explaining its staggering price tag of €1,000 per kilogram. The milk, sometimes blended with goat milk, creates a cheese with a rich, nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor profile unlike any other cheese in the world. Beyond sampling this rare delicacy, visitors can meet the adorable donkeys whose milk makes it possible, along with other native animals like beavers and hairy Mangalica pigs. The pristine natural setting offers opportunities for peaceful river cruises and picnics, while nearby accommodations like Hotel Sirmium provide a comfortable base for exploring local cuisine, including čvarci (pork crackling) and fruit brandies called rakija.

Traveling onward to Albania’s “Accursed Mountains,” our next cheese discovery awaits in remote villages like Theth and Valbona. Here, in small stone farmhouses, locals produce gjizë, a soft, strained curd cheese that represents centuries of Albanian highland traditions. Made by acidifying milk with citric acid or yogurt, gjizë offers a dry, sour flavor reminiscent of ricotta and is often preserved in clay pots with olive oil, then served with peppers and herbs. For an authentic experience, travelers should arrange homestays with local families rather than seeking this cheese in restaurants. The region offers spectacular hiking opportunities, including the renowned Valbona-Theth Trail connecting both valleys through the Albanian Alps. Nature lovers can explore the mesmerizing turquoise waters of the Theth Blue Eye, visit the Grunas Waterfall, or take the picturesque Lake Koman Ferry ride. Family-run accommodations like Guesthouse Rrashkadoli in Theth or Guesthouse Lazer Cardaku in Valbona offer not just beds but homemade meals featuring wild mountain herbs, gjizë on fresh bread, and traditional byrek (savory pies).

Our cheese journey continues into southern Italy’s rugged landscapes, where the rare Caciocavallo Podolico awaits in Basilicata. This pear-shaped cheese is made from the milk of semi-wild Podolica cows, which roam freely across southern Italy’s mountainous terrain. The traditional production involves a pasta filata (stretched curd) process, after which the cheeses are tied with rope and hung from rafters to age for anywhere from three months to over two years. The result is a cheese with an intensely complex and spicy flavor profile that captures the essence of the wild pastures where the cows graze, featuring notes of herbs, smoke, and toast, balanced with fruitiness and tang. Younger cheeses present a more delicate, sweet character, while aged versions develop a uniquely tangy and spicy flavor with a semi-hard texture. To truly experience this elusive cheese, travelers should seek out mountain dairies or agriturismos around Pollino National Park, where they can participate in traditional rural Italian life—helping with agricultural activities, olive oil production, wine tastings, truffle hunts, and cooking classes. These remote farms offer not only a taste of this remarkable cheese but also opportunities for horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, canyoning, rafting, and rock climbing in the stunning national park.

Switzerland’s alpine villages in the Bernese Oberland region, such as Grindelwald and Wengen, harbor another ancient cheese secret: ziger. This whey cheese dates back to the 8th century when it first emerged in monasteries as a way to use leftover whey from other Swiss cheeses like Emmental. Once considered “peasant survival food,” ziger—particularly the variety known as Glarner Schabziger—has a distinctive lime-green color due to ground blue fenugreek, which also gives it a spicy, pungent flavor and hard, gritty texture. Unlike most cheeses, ziger is primarily used as a condiment, sprinkled over potatoes and pasta or mixed with butter as a spread rather than eaten on its own. Despite being Switzerland’s oldest protected food brand, Glarner Schabziger remains little-known outside specific Alpine regions, with production declining significantly as dietary preferences have changed. Travelers can find ziger at small farmers’ markets and mountain dairies in the region while enjoying Grindelwald’s spectacular outdoor activities. These include the First Cliff Walk by Tissot (a metal walkway along the cliffside with panoramic views), hiking to the picturesque Bachalpsee Lake, ziplining, mountain carting, or exploring the Glacier Canyon. Accommodations like Hotel Belvedere offer breathtaking views, while traditional Swiss delicacies such as rösti, ziger cheesecake, and alpine cured meats provide culinary comfort after days of adventure.

The final leg of our cheese pilgrimage takes us to two extraordinary destinations. First, the tiny German village of Würchwitz in Saxony-Anhalt, home to milbenkäse—perhaps Europe’s most unusual cheese. Dating back to the Middle Ages, this cheese is made by aging quark cheese balls (flavored with salt and caraway) in wooden boxes with live cheese mites and rye flour for at least three months and up to a year. The microscopic mites burrow through the cheese and excrete digestive enzymes that help it ferment and ripen, gradually changing the rind from yellow to reddish-brown and finally black. The result is a cheese with a sharp, tangy taste and zesty, bitter aftertaste, similar to Harzer cheese but with its own distinctive aroma. The Würchwitz Milbenkäse Manufaktur is now the only commercial producer, with the entire village celebrating this medieval tradition through attractions like the Mite Cheese Museum and a cheese mite memorial statue. Our journey concludes in Spain’s Catalan Pyrenees at La Seu d’Urgell, where urgelia cheese awaits. This soft washed-rind cheese, the only Protected Designation of Origin cheese from Catalonia, is produced exclusively by the Cadí Cooperative using milk from over 200 small farms in the Alt Urgell region and Andorran borderlands. The production involves curdling pasteurized cow milk with rennet, pressing the curds into molds, and aging the wheels for at least 45 days while repeatedly washing the rind with a yeast brine. The result is a slightly salty, robustly buttery cheese with hints of acidity or bitterness and underlying nutty and fruity notes. Its orange-brown rind contributes a mild mushroomy or earthy aroma that completes this unique flavor profile. Beyond cheese tasting, visitors can hike ancient Pyrenean cheese routes, enjoy adventure sports like kayaking and mountain biking, explore La Seu d’Urgell’s historic cathedral, or take a day trip to nearby Andorra—concluding an epic journey through Europe’s most fascinating and little-known cheese traditions.