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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Montenegro, Pljevlja municipality

Pljevaljski sir

Raw whole cow milk is set with animal rennet at 28–33 °C, cut into 2–4 cm cubes and gathered in cheesecloth to drain under its own weight, then pressed for 4–6 hours. The pressed cake is sliced, layered with salt in a tub and weighted, so its own whey rises and covers the slices. They ripen under that whey at 15–25 °C for at least 15 days. Made in 7 steps over 15 days. The longest step, ripen under whey, takes at least 15 days (Udruženje proizvođača NVO 'Pljevaljski sir' 2017) and runs at 15–25 °C (Udruženje proizvođača NVO 'Pljevaljski sir' 2017). Leuconostoc mesenteroides does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 15 daysSet[me-spec]Ripen under whey
Temperature15–25 °CSet[me-spec]Ripen under whey
Fully documentedCheese15 daysDesignation of origin (Montenegro, specification 2017)Family: White brined cheese family (Feta PDO as template)More white brined cheesesMore from Europe

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification gives no amounts except the top-up brine strength. Slices are 1.5–3 cm thick.
Raw whole cow milk · From healthy local cows; at least 80 % of the yearly feed from the area[me-spec]
Animal rennet · Dosed by the rennet maker's instructions[me-spec]
Salt · Layered between the slices; no other additives allowed[me-spec]
15–20 % salt in boiled waterBrine · Only to top up when there is not enough fresh whey[me-spec]
Starternone added; only animal rennet and salt are allowed

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
up to 8 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw whole cow milk, strained through cloth

Step 1 of 7
Filter the raw milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
up to 8 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. mesenteroides

The milk is strained through a cheesecloth into plastic or enamel vessels right after milking. Output: raw whole cow milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

The slices ripen in their own salted whey, pressed out of the cheese in the tub, rather than in a made-up brine; a brine is added only when the whey runs short. It is made from raw cow milk with nothing but rennet and salt.

Composition
Salt at most 4 %; fat at least 45 % of dry matter
Storage
Kept cold, below 10 °C, and dark, for at most 60 days
Rind
None; sold as slices

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk with no starter. The specification limits salt to 4 %, keeps ripening anaerobic under whey and requires storage below 10 °C for no more than 60 days.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The specification says the cheese was once made in special huts (mljekari) and is now made mostly in rooms set aside within the farm household. Pljevaljski sir has long been the name for white brined cheese in Montenegro.

  1. [me-spec] Udruženje proizvođača NVO 'Pljevaljski sir', Martinović A. 2017, Specifikacija proizvoda – Pljevaljski sir (oznaka porijekla), published by the Ministry of Agriculture of Montenegrospec
  2. [ruppitsch2021] Ruppitsch W., Nisic A., Hyden P., Cabal A., Sucher J., Stöger A., Allerberger F., Martinović A. 2021, Genetic diversity of Leuconostoc mesenteroides isolates from traditional Montenegrin brine cheese, Microorganisms 9(8):1612paper
  3. [dazaprieto2024] Daza Prieto B., Raicevic N., Martinovic A., Ladstätter J., Zuber Bogdanovic I., Schorpp A., Stoeger A., Mach R.L., Ruppitsch W., Cabal A. 2024, Genetic diversity and distinction of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis in traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses and salamis, Frontiers in Microbiology 15:1473938 (abstract)paper