Kaškaval
Encyclopedia
Kashkaval deriving from the Italian Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, especially mostly on the Apennine Mountains...

 (Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...

: кашкавал, kɐʃkɐˈvɑɫ, Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...

: кашкавал, kaʃkaˈval; Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...

: cașcaval, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

: kaşkaval, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....

: качкаваљ or kačkavalj) is a specific type of yellow sheep milk
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...

 cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

. However, in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...

, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, the term is often used to refer to all yellow cheeses (or even any cheese other than sirene
Sirene
Sirene/ Sirenje or known as "white brine sirene" .Salads: Shopska salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and sirene. Ovcharska salad with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.Eggs:...

). In English-language menus in Bulgaria, "кашкавал" is always translated as "yellow cheese" (whereas sirene is usually translated as "white cheese" or simply "cheese"). The taste of the kashkaval is sometimes compared to that of the United Kingdom's cheddar cheese, although variations exist.

In Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

 and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

, this type of cheese is also called kashkawan . It is very popular and is generally imported from countries such as Bulgaria, and is sometimes used as a topping for manakish
Manakish
Manakish, also manaqish, manaeesh or manakeesh or in singular form man'ousheh is a popular Levantine food consisting of dough topped with thyme, cheese, or ground meat. Similar to a pizza, it can be sliced or folded, and it can either be served for breakfast or lunch...

.

Romania

In Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, cașcaval (kaʃkaˈval) is used to refer to a number of types of yellow semi-hard cheeses made out of sheep's or cow's-milk. The term is often used by extension as a generic name for all semi-hard yellow cheeses such as the Swiss Emmental
Emmental (cheese)
Emmental or Emmentaler is a cheese from Switzerland. It is sometimes known as Swiss cheese in North America, Australia and New Zealand, although Swiss cheese does not always imply Emmentaler....

cheese, the Dutch gouda
Gouda (cheese)
Gouda is an orange cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, but its name is not protected. However, the European Commission has confirmed that "Gouda Holland" is to be protected...

 and the British Cheddar
Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....

, or anything that looks similar to the cașcaval.

Cașcaval is quite similar to the Balkan, Greek and Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, especially mostly on the Apennine Mountains...

 cheese, taking its name from the latter.

Several sorts of the Romanian cașcaval have PDO
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

 status in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

. As of 2005, the following types of cașcaval are PDO products of Romania:
  • Cașcaval de Argeș
    Arges County
    Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...

  • Cașcaval de Bobâlna
  • Cașcaval de Brădet
    Bradulet
    Brăduleţ, formerly Brătieni, is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Alunişu, Brădetu, Brăduleţ, Cosaci, Galeşu, Piatra, Slămneşti, Uleni and Ungureni....

  • Cașcaval de Carei
  • Cașcaval de Ciuc
  • Cașcaval de Covasna
    Covasna
    Covasna is a town in Covasna county, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of 550–600 m.Known as the "town of 1,000 mineral springs," Covasna is famous for its mineral waters. Each spring has a different mixture of minerals, chiefly carbon dioxide, sulfur, and ammonia...

  • Cașcaval de Dej
    Dej
    Dej is a city in northwestern Romania, 60 km north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the Someşul Mic River meets the river Someşul Mare River...

  • Cașcaval de Dobrogea
  • Cașcaval de Dorna
    Dorna Candrenilor
    Dorna Candrenilor is a commune located in Suceava County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Dealu Floreni, Dorna Candrenilor and Poiana Negrii. It included five other villages until 2003, when these were split off to form Coşna Commune....

  • Cașcaval de Fetești
    Fetesti
    Feteşti is a city and municipality in Ialomiţa County, Romania, with a population of 34,076. It is located in the Bărăgan plain, on the Borcea branch of the Danube. Feteşti has the second largest population in Ialomiţa, after Slobozia....

  • Cașcaval de Harghita
  • Cașcaval de Hârlău
    Hârlau
    Hârlău is a town in Iaşi County, Moldavia, Romania. the estimated population is 11,271. It was the capital city of Moldova in the 15th century. One village, Pârcovaci, is administered by the town.-Population:...

  • Cașcaval de Mateiaş
  • Cașcaval de Moeciu
  • Cașcaval de Napoca
    Cluj-Napoca
    Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...

  • Cașcaval de Penteleu
  • Cașcaval de Rarău
  • Cașcaval de Râuşor
  • Cașcaval de Rucăr
    Rucar
    Rucăr is a commune in the north-eastern part of Argeş County, Romania. At the 2002 census, the population of the commune was 6,207. It is composed of two villages, Rucăr and Sătic....

  • Cașcaval de Satu Mare
  • Cașcaval de Sibiu
    Sibiu
    Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...

  • Cașcaval de Târnița
    Tarnita
    Tarniţa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tarniţa, a village in Onceşti Commune, Bacău County* Tarniţa, a village in Pârjol Commune, Bacău County* Tarniţa, a village in Buceş Commune, Hunedoara County...

  • Cașcaval de Vidraru
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