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Cheese continues to be one of the world’s most cherished foods, prized for its versatility, rich flavors, and unique histories. Varieties such as Camembert and Mozzarella have been renowned for decades and are used in countless dishes worldwide. However, Europe still holds many secret, ancient cheeses, deeply rooted in cultural identity, tradition, and resistance.
Made with centuries-old practices, these cheeses are aged in animal stomachs, fermented with live cheese mites, brine-washed, or produced in remote shepherd huts.
If you’re a cheese enthusiast, this epic journey will take you through dramatic mountains, remote villages, flatlands, and more to some of Europe’s lesser-known cheeses.
Pule Cheese, Serbia
Begin this memorable cheese pilgrimage in Belgrade, Serbia, in pursuit of Pule cheese, widely regarded as the world’s rarest and most affordable cheese.
Upon arriving in Belgrade, travelers can take a train to Sremska Mitrovica (Vojvodina), followed by a taxi or rental car to the Zasavica wetlands and Zasavica Donkey Reserve.
The esteemed cheese, made from the milk of Balkan donkeys, is exclusively produced in this small reserve by a single cheesemaker named Slobodan Simić.
Approximately 25 liters of milk are required to produce just one kilogram of cheese, making Pule a staggering €1,000 per kg. Conservation efforts and donkey care costs also contribute to the expense.
The reserve provides other products made from donkey milk, like cosmetics and liqueurs.
Bonus? Admire the charming donkeys and other native animals like beavers and Mangalica pigs, while immersed in pristine nature.
Stay at Hotel Sirmium in Sremska Mitrovica to indulge in the town’s rustic charm. Savor local delicacies like čvarci (pork crackling) and fruit brandies.
Gjizë, Albania
From Serbia, travelers can journey by train or drive to Podgorica, Montenegro, before reaching Shkodër and onward to villages in the Accursed Mountains such as Theth and Valbona.
Here, locals produce gjizë, soft and strained curd cheese, in small stone farmhouses. This cheese is often preserved in clay pots with olive oil and consumed with peppers and herbs, reflecting Albanian highland traditions.
Gjizë is created by acidifying milk using citric acid or yogurt, giving it a dry, sour ricotta-like taste.
To truly experience gjizë, stay with a local family and trek to smaller, more remote villages from Theth or Valbona.
Explore the renowned Valbona-Theth Trail, which connects these valleys through the Albanian Alps. Discover Theth Blue Eye, a natural spring with a mesmerizing turquoise hue, and Grunas Waterfall, as well as Theth Church.
In Valbona, wander the Old Mill of Valbona and lakes like Xhema Lake, or take a picturesque boat ride on Lake Koman Ferry.
Stay at family-run Guesthouse Rrashkadoli in Theth or Guesthouse Lazer Cardaku in Valbona for homemade meals.
Caciocavallo Podolico, Italy
From Theth, travel by car or take a bus to Durrës, then take a ferry or train to Bari, Italy. Proceed to Basilicata for the next stage of this cheese adventure.
Sampling this scarce Italian gem, Caciocavallo Podolico cheese, is a highlight of the journey. This pear-shaped variety is made from the milk of rare, semi-wild Podolica cows.
Cheeses are aged, tied with rope and suspended from rafters. The aging process lasts from three months to over two years.
Fewer than 100 cows roam freely for most of the year, making Caciocavallo Podolico highly prized and rare. Travelers must venture to mountain shepherd dairies or farms in and around Basilicata or Calabria to taste fresh cheese during the summer milking season.
Caciocavallo Podolico features an intense, complex flavor with notes of herbs and spice, balanced by fruitiness and tang.
Stay at mountain dairies or Italian farms near Pollino National Park to savor this elusive cheese. Experience traditional rural Italian life by participating in agricultural activities and enjoying olive oil production, wine tastings, truffle hunts, and cooking classes.
Pollino National Park offers a variety of outdoor activities like horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, canyoning, rafting, and rock climbing.
Ziger, Switzerland
From Basilicata, travel by car or take a bus or train to Naples, then Milan. Next, take another train to Zurich and drive to alpine villages in the Bernese Oberland region such as Grindelwald and Wengen.
Discover ziger, a historic Swiss whey cheese flavored with alpine herbs. It is created from leftover whey from other Swiss cheeses, such as Emmental, and dates back to the 8th century.
Particularly Glarner Schabziger, a specific type of ziger cheese, is rich in ground blue fenugreek, yielding a distinctive lime-green color, spicy taste, and hard texture.
Ziger is used primarily as a condiment in dishes like potatoes and pasta or as a spread mixed with butter.
Today, despite Glarner Schabziger being Switzerland’s oldest protected food brand, it remains little-known outside specific Alpine regions, with production having significantly declined. This is due to a shift from whey-based diets, increased purchasing power, and the rise of other Swiss cheeses.
Ziger can be found at little farmers’ markets and mountain dairies in the Bernese Oberland region and Uri.
Grindelwald offers numerous outdoor activities, including the First Cliff Walk by Tissot, a panoramic cliffside metal walkway, Alpine surroundings for hiking, ziplining, mountain cart or trotti bike races, and the Glacier Canyon for breathtaking views.
For a comfortable stay in Grindelwald, choose Hotel Belvedere for stunning views or Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof for luxury, and relish traditional Swiss delicacies like rösti, ziger cheesecake, and alpine cured meats.
Milbenkäse, Germany
From Zurich, take an overnight train to Leipzig, Germany, before driving to Würchwitz in Saxony-Anhalt. This small village is the sole place adventurous travelers can taste Milbenkäse, an obscure German cheese.
This ancient cheese, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is made by aging quark cheese balls with salt and caraway, flavored with rye flour and cheese mites for at least three months up to a year.
These live microscopic cheese mites help ferment and ripen the cheese by burrowing through the quark. The rind turns yellow, reddish-brown, or black depending on the aging time.
Milbenkäse features a sharp and tangy taste, a zesty and bitter aftertaste, and a distinctive aroma and semi-soft texture, depending on its age.
The Würchwitz Milbenkäse Manufaktur is the only commercial producer of Milbenkäse today, with the village solely dedicated to the cheese and its history.
Explore the Mite Cheese Museum, cheese mite memorial, and historic village hall (Rathaus) or visit the St. Michaeliskirche church for a deeper understanding of local architecture.
Another nearby attraction is the Unterirdisches Zeitz, an extensive wartime and medieval underground tunnel system that also served as beer cellars and air-raid shelters during World War 2.
Stay at hotels, such as Lumiere Boutique Hotel in Leipzig, approximately 45 minutes from Wörchwitz. Enjoy dining at local inns near Wörchwitz, where you can enjoy Milbenkäse with beer and sausages.
Urgelia, Spain
From Leipzig, travel by high-speed train to Paris, then take another train to Barcelona, before driving into the Alt Urgell valleys to La Seu d’Urgell, in the heart of Spain’s Catalon Pyrenees.
Discover the final cheese on this epic journey—a Pyrenean rarity called Urgelia cheese. This soft washed-rind cheese is only found in a few Pyrenean valleys.
Urgelia cheese is produced by the Cadí Cooperative, a cheese and dairy cooperative in La Seu d’Urgell that sources milk from over 200 small farms in and around La Seu d’Urgell, the Alt Urgell region, and the Andorran borderlands.
Made by curdling pasteurized cow milk with rennet, Hebrew pressing the curds, and brining the wheels for at least 45 days, Urgelia features a slightly salty, tangy, buttery taste, with hints of acidity or bitterness, and underlying nutty and fruity notes.
Travelers can hike ancient Pyrenean cheese routes to smaller, more remote farms for a more immersive cheese experience.
Alt Urgell offers extreme sports like kayaking, white water rafting, and mountain biking, along with hike and ski adventures in winter.
Explore La Seu d’Urgell’s historic cathedral, Diocesan Museum, charming old town, and cafes, or take a day trip to nearby Andorra.
For a comfortable stay, choose Parador De La Seu d’Urgell for luxury or Hotel Restaurante La Glorieta for a riverside experience with a pool.
Don’t miss local delicacies such as fregit, a pork and beans dish, and mantequilla de l’Alt Urgell, a slow-ripened butter with a unique aroma and flavor.
