Cherni Vit Green Cheese

Cherni Vit green cheese is made in one village in the Balkan foothills near Teteven: a sheep milk cheese salted and packed into wooden barrels, then left to develop a blue-green mould through the paste over several months in cool cellars, which produces a strong, sharp cheese unlike anything else made in Bulgaria and closer in character to a blue than to the country's usual white brined cheeses. It was almost lost, made by only a handful of households by the early 2000s, and a Slow Food project documented it and helped revive production, which has grown since. It is sold from the producers in the village and at markets, and the making is winter and spring work with the ripening running through the year.

What you actually see

• Blue-green mould through the paste - the ripening that defines the cheese.
• Wooden barrel maturing - the vessels used in the cellars.
• A cheese made in one village - production limited to Cherni Vit.
• The revival from near-loss - a handful of households in the 2000s.

When to go

Year round; the cheese matures through the year and is sold when ready. Half a day including the drive. Visiting producers needs arranging locally rather than turning up.

Honest expectations

Production is small and it is not always available. There is no visitor centre; buying means finding a producer in the village. It is a strong cheese and not to everyone's taste. The village is remote with few facilities.

Nearby

Teteven is east; Glozhene Monastery lies north.