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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Croatia, Dalmatia and the islands

Sir u ulju (Dalmatian cheese in olive oil)sir u ulju

Sir u ulju is a semi-hard sheep, goat or cow cheese that is ripened in air for a while and then kept under oil. On Brač and Krk the cheese goes into olive oil after about two months; around Dubrovnik and on Mljet it goes into an olive and sunflower oil blend after only seven days. Under oil it keeps its moisture, breaks down its protein faster and turns softer. Made in 7 steps over 47 days – 3.7 months. The longest step, ripen in air first, takes 7 days – 2 months (Levak S 2025). Lactic starter of the base cheese does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step7 days – 2 monthsReported[levak2025]Ripen in air first
Temperature31 °CReported[levak2025]Set the milk for the base cheese
AciditypH 5.4–5.5Reported[levak2025]Dry-salt the wheels

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe tradition has no fixed amounts. The containers are filled to the brim with oil. In the lab study each goat cheese weighed about 800 g and was 12 cm across.
Semi-hard sheep, goat or cow cheese · Whole small wheels, or cut into cubes[levak2025][tcn]
Olive oil, or a blend of olive and sunflower oil · Enough to fill the container to the brim[levak2025][tcn]
Starter: as for the base cheese (the lab version used a mixed freeze-dried culture)

Total time across the recorded steps: 47 days – 3.7 months

Start
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Milk proteinGel (curd)31 °Cshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: Starter and rennet set the warm milk into a curd for a semi-hard cheese

Step 1 of 7
Set the milk for the base cheese
Time
50 min – 1 h
Reported
Temperature
31 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: rennet curd.

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

It is a way of keeping and ripening cheese, not a separate make. Any semi-hard cheese can be used; what matters is when it goes under oil and which oil is used, which change its texture.

Milk
Any semi-hard cheese of sheep, goat or cow milk
Purpose
Keeps cheese into the seasons when there is no goat or sheep milk

Related ferments

Variants

  • Brač and KrkPut into olive oil after about two months of ripening in air.
  • Dubrovnik and MljetPut into an olive and sunflower oil blend after only seven days in air.

Safety

The cheese is covered completely with oil so that air is shut out. No safety limits for cheese under oil were found in the sources used here.

History and sources

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

Keeping cheese of small ruminants in oil is an old Mediterranean way to use a seasonal milk supply and avoid waste. The habit is tied to Dalmatia and its islands.

  1. [levak2025] Levak S., Kalit S., Dolenčić Špehar I., Rako A., Ljubenkov I., Marić J., Tudor Kalit M. 2025, Proteolytic and textural parameters of oil-ripened semi-hard goat cheese, Journal of Food Science 90(11) e70669paper
  2. [tcn] Total Croatia News, 'Croatian Cheeses: An Introductory Guide'web
  3. [hapih2020] HAPIH (Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food), Katalog sireva, 21st exhibition of Croatian sheep and goat cheeses, 2020 (lists entries such as 'Ovčji sir u ulju')gov