Paški sir

Pag cheese or Pag Island cheese is a Croatian variety of hard, distinctively flavored sheep milk cheese originating from the Adriatic island of Pag. It is generally regarded as the most famous of all artisan cheeses made in the country and can be found in many markets outside Croatia. In 1774, the travel writer Alberto Fortis, on his way to Dalmatia, wrote about Pag island's products, including sea salt, sage honey, wool and Pag cheese. Until early in the 20th century, the inhabitants of Pag had their own dry stone huts in which they milked the sheep and made Pag cheese. These stone houses are adorned in sedge and reeds from the nearby fields, the huts were built out of town on the rocky hills above the pastures. The majority of the pastures are located on the hilly parts of the island and are recognizable by the dry stone walls that surround them. From far off, the intricate stone walls resemble the famous Pag lace (paška čipka) as they traverse the rocky summits. Historically, there was no private ownership of the pastures and the sheep freely grazed on all the land. Over time, the pastures slowly became privately owned, so the shepherds moved back into towns and their stone huts became pasture homes. As shepherds commuted to and from pastures to care for their sheep, the women assumed the role of cheese makers. Pag cheese slowly but surely gained importance not only as a food for the locals but also as a commodity to market across Croatia, thus Pag cheese became an important source of income for the villagers.

Source: Wikipedia