10 Great Romanian Cheeses You Should Know

Romanian cheese is one of the country’s best-kept culinary secrets, in part because even the most traditional varieties are best enjoyed in Romania. These are cheeses rooted in centuries-old pastoral traditions and shaped by the diverse geography of the Carpathians, Transylvania, and the plains. Romania’s cheese culture is as rich as its folklore.

From creamy fresh cow’s milk varieties to smoked sheep’s milk specialties aged in pine bark, these cheeses tell a story of the land and the people who craft them. Whether you’re planning a trip or trying your luck at a local market in Europe, here’s a guide to some of the most beloved Romanian cheeses and how to enjoy them.

CAȘ

Caș is a white, soft cheese made by curdling sheep’s or cow’s milk (or a combination of the two) with rennet. Sometimes kneaded with salt like dough, it becomes more complex and mature as it ages, although it’s also commonly enjoyed fresh.

“This is the basic cheese that everybody has in their fridge,” said Andreea Popa, a Fellow and Training Partner at the Academy of Cheese with a focus on Romanian cheese. Her grandmother matured it in jars for both preservation and to change the texture.

When manipulated, caș becomes a different cheese altogether. Stored in brine, it turns into telemea, another popular Romanian cheese next on this list. It’s also the base for Brânză de burduf, cașcaval, and smoked cașcavea. Left fresh, sliced caș is a popular breakfast cheese with radishes, tomatoes, and spring onions, or, most simplistically, salted with bread or grated atop mămăligă, or polenta, with a side of smoked pork.

Telemea

Telemea is a traditional Romanian brined cheese traditionally made from sheep’s cheese, although modern varieties may use cow’s milk or a combination. This cheese starts with caș, which is then cut, drained, and pressed into blocks. The blocks are salted and aged in brine. Similar to other white brined cheeses like feta, telemea’s flavor depends on how much time it’s been given to mature. Aged telemea is more crumbly and tangier.

Famous varietals include Telemea de Ibanesti, the first Romanian cheese to achieve Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, and Telemea de Sibiu, which enjoys Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. No matter how complex the finished product, telemea is a staple in Romanian cuisine and one of the most widely consumed Romanian cheeses. It’s used in pastries, sprinkled over polenta, or served as a side with tomatoes and radishes. You can also treat it like feta as a salad topper.

Brânză de Burduf

For this one, wheels of caș, traditionally made out of sheep’s milk, are stacked on top of each other and left to ripen before they’re shredded, salted, and kneaded into a paste. From there, the curds are stuffed in pine bark or sheep stomachs for aging. Both options for maturation add an earthy, strong-smelling aroma to the finished product.

When it’s matured, the texture is soft and buttery. Popa describes it as a bit spicy, even, with some reporting a “tongue prickling” at that first bite, but not all varietals match in flavor profile. Modern versions sold in shops can be found packed in plastic membranes, which mutes much of that earthiness. The original is the product of a laborious process, and it’s quite complex as a result. Traditionally made in mountain regions like Transylvania and Bukovina, Brânză de burduf is a favorite with polenta or on bread.

Cașcaval

This sheep’s or cow’s milk cheese is the result of caș that has been stretched in hot water, molded, salted, and aged. From there, it may be smoked, braided, or kept as a wheel, much like Bulgarian kashkaval. Its texture is firm with a mild, buttery flavor similar to Italian provolone, and it’s used in a similar way: sliced for sandwiches, pan-fried until golden, or as a snack on its own.

Popa describes it like an English Cheddar, a cheese every Romanian knows and has grown up on because of its availability across the country during Communist times. It was so prevalent then that some locals call all yellow cheese cașcaval today, even though it may be a unique variety. Famous brands include Penteleu, or Cașcaval de Penteleu, and Dalia.

Cașcavea

Cașcavea falls between a caș and cașcaval in terms of how it’s made. It starts as caș, and is then allowed to ripen for a day before it’s cut into smaller pieces and placed in boiling water. Like any curd, it stretches, after which it’s pressed into the walls of the form, cooled, salted, and smoked. The smoking process gives it a more savory, distinctive flavor than the other caș-based cheeses.

Cașcavea can be eaten on its own, melted over polenta, or incorporated into baked dishes for added flavor. Every September, it’s celebrated at the Festivalul Cașcavelei in the Valea Doftanei area of Romania’s Prahova County. While the three-day festival features other traditional Romanian foods, cașcavea is the star.

Năsal

This tough-to-get cheese comes with a legend. Once upon a time, a group of peasants stole cheese from a local royal known for his cruelty. They hid it in a cave near Năsal for safekeeping, only to find something strange when they returned. When they went to get their cheese back, they discovered it had a pink, almost orange rind around its exterior. It was also softer than when it was put in. The count found out, punished the peasants, and passed off the cheese as his own creation when he discovered how tasty it was.

While there’s no proof of that story, we do know that there is something to the cave. This particular cheese gets its funky odor from the Brevibacterium linens bacteria all over the rocks inside. Combined with the cave’s temperature and humidity, the conditions are perfect for maturing a funky cheese.

Năsal was popularized around the mid-19th century, when the Schilling family purchased land in the area that included the cave. The cheese produced there became less of a local curiosity and more of a commercial venture. Their cheese gained significant acclaim, eventually winning a series of international awards. By 1948, the farm was nationalized, and the legacy of the mysterious cave-borne cheese was temporarily lost.

Versions of năsal have come and gone since, with factories producing modern takes under new brand names. Popa said historians are convinced it doesn’t taste as it did when it won so much acclaim years ago. “People are saying it’s not as stinky as it used to be. The texture isn’t the same either as what they know from the 1920s-1930s,” she said.

Urda

Urda is a cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk cheese made from leftover whey. The whey is gently reheated to make fine, white curds, and those are then drained in cloth molds. Popa said it’s similar to ricotta in texture, but a little sweeter. It’s light and fluffy, and frequently used in desserts as a crêpe filling topped will dill and sugar. It’s also commonly found in savory pies or spread on bread. Versions of it appear across Balkan and Central European countries.

Branza de vaci

Brânza de vaci is a fresh, soft Romanian cheese made from cow’s milk. To make it, producers heat the milk, curdle it, put it in a cheese cloth, and then strain it. Mild in flavor and creamy in texture, it’s similar to farmer’s cheeses like tvorog in Russia or twaróg in Poland. This is a popular breakfast cheese eaten with radishes, spring onions, and tomatoes or as a filling for cheese pies or other traditional pastries. It’s also featured in pasca, a traditional Easter bread with a soft and fluffy texture. “This is the most versatile cheese we have,” Popa said.

Brânza lui Vodă

Brânza lui Vodă photo courtesy of Cãşãria Petruvio

This is another cheese with a royal pedigree. The legend goes that it was a favorite of medieval rulers, particularly Prince Radu Mihnea, who wanted a local, readily available version of cheese they’d enjoyed on trips to Italy. The result was this “prince’s cheese,” a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese still produced in mountainous regions around Romania. The primary producer, Petruvio, sells this one in three varieties (Red Collar, Blue Collar, and White Collar) to reflect its maturation times. While all three have a hay-like aroma, the Blue is sweeter while the White is more fruity and floral.

Brânza lui Vodă is a true artisinal cheese — it’s gotten several medals at international cheese and dairy competitions around the world — but it still very much reflects Romania’s pastoral heritage. Its dense texture and complex, slightly tangy flavor is often served on bread or alongside cured meats.

Horezu

While Horezu’s origins don’t go back hundreds of years as some of the other Romanian cheeses on this list, this cheese has become a beloved option for Romanians. This sheep’s milk cheese comes from the town of Horezo, UNESCO-protected for its hand-painted ceramics.

The process starts by curdling fresh milk with natural rennet, forming a soft curd that is then drained and lightly pressed. The cheese is salted and left to mature. The result is a golden-yellow wheel with a smooth, elastic texture and a slightly tangy, nutty flavor.

“Every time this cheese goes to an international contest, it wins something,” Popa said. Horezu is similar to a mature Manchego in flavor profile. Popa describes it as a complex, peppery, and powerful cheese. This one is easy to find at Romanian supermarkets. It’s used on pasta, on charcuterie boards with dried meats and olives, and in tarts.

Where to Find Romanian Cheeses

Romanian cheese is growing in popularity on the international stage, and modern varieties of classic flavors continue to impress. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge to find Romanian cheeses outside of Romania. Popa shares that even if you find a specialty shop with Romanian cheeses, they may not be as tasty as what you’d purchase locally. As Romania continues to work on getting its cheese story out and showing up at international contests, accessibility to these products outside of the country will hopefully improve.