Salted matured cream layers from the Piva highlands, sharp and rich, matured in skins or wooden tubs for months. It is the northern Montenegrin cousin of skorup and kajmak, and the mountain pasture is credited for the difference.
It is a raw-milk product ripened for months at cellar temperature in a skin or wooden tub, which regulates moisture in a way no ordinary container does.
What goes into it
- whole raw milk from highland pasture
- salt
How it is made
Milk is boiled and left to stand while a thick skin forms as it cools. The skin is lifted, salted and layered in a wooden tub or a cured skin, day after day, and the stack is then left to ripen for months in a cold cellar until it turns sharp, oily and firm.
How long it takes: three to six months of ripening
How it is eaten
Spread on hot bread, melted into potatoes and meat, or eaten with pršut.
History
Made in the Piva region of northern Montenegro and matured in skins or wooden tubs for months.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pivski kajmak?
Pivski kajmak is a cheese & dairy from Montenegro: salted matured cream layers from the Piva highlands, sharp and rich. Made in the Piva region of northern Montenegro and matured in skins or wooden tubs for months.
How is Pivski kajmak made?
Milk is boiled and left to stand while a thick skin forms as it cools. The skin is lifted, salted and layered in a wooden tub or a cured skin, day after day, and the stack is then left to ripen for months in a cold cellar until it turns sharp, oily and firm. It takes three to six months of ripening.
Can I make Pivski kajmak at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a raw-milk product ripened for months at cellar temperature in a skin or wooden tub, which regulates moisture in a way no ordinary container does.
What goes into Pivski kajmak?
Whole raw milk from highland pasture, salt.
How is Pivski kajmak eaten?
Spread on hot bread, melted into potatoes and meat, or eaten with pršut.
