Kashkaval vs Metsovone
Kashkaval
Facts
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Bulgaria
Kashkaval is a semi-hard cheese from Bulgaria, and it belongs to a wider Balkan family of stretched-curd wheels. The paste is pale yellow, dense, and smooth, with a natural rind on many wheels. Makers heat and stretch the curd, then press it into rounds, blocks, or tall cylinders. A young piece slices cleanly and melts well. An older piece turns drier and sharper, and it grates over hot food.
Metsovone
Facts
- Milk
- Mixed milk
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Greece
- Place
- Metsovo, Epirus
- Status
- PDO
Metsovone is a semi-hard smoked cheese from Metsovo, in Epirus, Greece. Cow's milk is the base, and some batches also include sheep milk or goat milk. The curd is stretched, shaped into cylinders, salted, aged, and then smoked. The name is protected, so the cheese tied to that name comes from this area. A pale interior and a browned, smoky outside are what you should see.