Walter Dragu, an Albanian shepherd, and his wife Melinda, have been selected as one of the winners of the cheese world’s most prestigious honors, the Slow Cheese Award 2021.
Dragu and his cheese, called Mishavin, scooped one of the top spots in the award, which marks the opening of the Cheese 2021 festival.
Mishavin cheese is made in the remote region of Kelmend, in northern Albania. The road from the city of Shkodra is unpaved and impassable. A drive to Lepushe, near the border with Montenegro, takes several hours.
Much of the population of the region have left, immigrating either abroad or to bigger cities. Extreme isolation, harsh winters, a lack of amenities, and job opportunities have exacerbated this exodus. The result is that many mountain communities are at risk of dying out along with their traditions.
Mishavin cheese is famed for its complexity. It is a part of the “cheese in a sack” category and is only made in summer. It’s then cured and stored for consumption in the winter.
The curd is created by mixing specific measures of cow, sheep, and goat milk. It’s then cut into thick strips, wrapped in cloth, and pressed gently to release the whey. The cheese is then cut into large pieces and dried outside but away from the sun for ten days. Once that is completed, it’s crumbled by hand, salted, and left in a wooden container with holes in the bottom, which drains away excess whey.
After two months, the cheese is ready. Mishavin is white with a slight straw-colored tinge and a grainy structure. Cheese enthusiasts describe it as having a buttery texture with “notes of forest and hay and a finish that becomes more piquant over time.”
Dragu is a young sheepherder who has decided to continue living in the mountains and preserving the gastronomic traditions of his forefathers. He works with his wife Melinda, and unlike the rest of their family who emigrated to the US, they decided to make a future for the region.
‘Cheese’ is the world’s largest and most important festival dedicated to raw milk cheese and dairy products.
