Bovški sir (Bovec) 
Bovški sir is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Bovec area of Slovenia with a protected designation of origin. Ripened 60 to 90 days, it tastes aromatic, full and slightly piquant, and it slices and grates well.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Slovenia |
| Specific Origin | Bovec |
| Protection | PDO (2004) |
| Milk Type | Raw sheep's milk, or sheep's milk mixed with up to 20% goat's or cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Flavor | Full, slightly sweet |
| Aroma | Characteristic of sheep's milk |
| Colors | Gray-brown to dull beige rind, even beige paste |
| Forms | Wheels |
| Age | At least 60 days |
| Rennet Type | Animal rennet |
| Also Known As | Formaggio di Plezzo vero |
What is Bovški sir (Bovec) Cheese?
Bovški sir comes from the municipality of Bovec in Slovenia and holds a protected designation of origin. It took its name from the town, where it was long made by a traditional method on high mountain pastures. The oldest known written record is a cheese price list in Videm (Udine) dated 12 April 1756, where it appears as Formaggio di Plezzo vero. That original list is kept in the state archive in Udine. Production today takes place on farms and at two highland alpine dairies.
The cheese is made from raw sheep's milk, or from a mixture of sheep, goat and cow milk in which the goat or cow share stays at or below 20 percent of the total. Most of the milk comes from ewes of the autochthonous Bovec breed. Ripening runs 60 to 90 days, and some wheels are held as long as two years.
A wheel stands 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in) tall and measures 20 to 28 cm (8 to 11 in) across. Depending on size it weighs 2.5 to 5 kg (5.5 to 11 lb). The rind is gray-brown to dull beige, firm, smooth and flat, with a slightly convex side and rounded edges. Inside, the paste is an even beige, compact, elastic and cohesive, breaking in shell-like flakes rather than crumbling. Eyes are few and evenly spread, about the size of a wheat grain, and some wheels show small holes or fine cracks instead. Longer ripening leaves the paste denser and easier to break.
The taste is aromatic, full, intense and slightly piquant, the profile of a classically ripened sheep's cheese. It works well sliced and it grates cleanly, which is why the oldest wheels are kept for grating. Alongside the European protected origin mark it also carries Slovenia's national quality symbol.
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