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Pungent Pastures: Making Kosovo's Traditional Sharr Cheese

In Kosovo's Sharr Mountains, shepherds still produce traditional sheep cheese using centuries-old techniques. The Balje family makes more than 1,000 kilograms of Sharr cheese each season.

Usually produced from unpasteurized sheep's milk, the salty cheese gets its distinctive flavor from the unique plants and herbs that grow in the Sharr mountain range.
Borjan Bajle, 13, a shepherd from the Balje family, watches a flock of sheep graze in a pasture on Kosovo's Sharr Mountains.
1 Borjan Bajle, 13, a shepherd from the Balje family, watches a flock of sheep graze in a pasture on Kosovo's Sharr Mountains.
Shepherd Bajram Balje tends to one of his flock.
2 Shepherd Bajram Balje tends to one of his flock.
Balje produces traditional sheep cheese at a hut in the Sharr Mountains. The cheese, which has a distinctive taste, can be eaten alone but is often added to salads.
3 Balje produces traditional sheep cheese at a hut in the Sharr Mountains. The cheese, which has a distinctive taste, can be eaten alone but is often added to salads.
Borjan Balje watches sheep graze in a mountain pasture. The Sharr range stretches 1,600 kilometers from Kosovo and Albania through to North Macedonia.
4 Borjan Balje watches sheep graze in a mountain pasture. The Sharr range stretches 1,600 kilometers from Kosovo and Albania through to North Macedonia.
Bajram Balje (left) marks sheep at his hut in the Sharr Mountains.
5 Bajram Balje (left) marks sheep at his hut in the Sharr Mountains.
Bajram Balje milks one of his sheep. The traditional cheese-making techniques have been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries.
6 Bajram Balje milks one of his sheep. The traditional cheese-making techniques have been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries.
Bajram carries sheep's milk from his mountain hut.
7 Bajram carries sheep's milk from his mountain hut.
A ram in the Sharr Mountains. There used to be hundreds of thousands of sheep here centuries ago, but now there are just a few thousand left.
8 A ram in the Sharr Mountains. There used to be hundreds of thousands of sheep here centuries ago, but now there are just a few thousand left.
Bajram Balje and his wife make sheep cheese by hand in a traditional wooden shepherd's hut. In recent years, however, some companies have begun producing Sharr cheese on an industrial scale.
9 Bajram Balje and his wife make sheep cheese by hand in a traditional wooden shepherd's hut. In recent years, however, some companies have begun producing Sharr cheese on an industrial scale.
Borjan Bajle (left) watches the flock graze on a pasture near the hut.
10 Borjan Bajle (left) watches the flock graze on a pasture near the hut.
A flock of sheep grazes in a mountain pasture. Sharr cheese is sometimes made from cow's milk. But at an altitude of 1,800 meters, these mountains are too high for dairy cows to graze.
11 A flock of sheep grazes in a mountain pasture. Sharr cheese is sometimes made from cow's milk. But at an altitude of 1,800 meters, these mountains are too high for dairy cows to graze.
The sheep's milk goes through a fermentation process and is then compressed to release the liquid.
12 The sheep's milk goes through a fermentation process and is then compressed to release the liquid.
Bajram Balje holds traditional sheep cheese produced by his family. The distinctive taste comes from the plants and herbs that sheep consume in the highlands. Dill, which is a common plant in the area, affects the taste the most.
13 Bajram Balje holds traditional sheep cheese produced by his family. The distinctive taste comes from the plants and herbs that sheep consume in the highlands. Dill, which is a common plant in the area, affects the taste the most.
Bajram Bajle feeds his sheepdogs in the Sharr Mountains.
14 Bajram Bajle feeds his sheepdogs in the Sharr Mountains.
Bajram Balje with his flock after grazing.
15 Bajram Balje with his flock after grazing.
Borjan Balje watches the family's flock graze.
16 Borjan Balje watches the family's flock graze.
Borjan carries a lamb through a mountain pasture.
17 Borjan carries a lamb through a mountain pasture.
Traditional Sharr cheese is part of a shepherd's lunch.
18 Traditional Sharr cheese is part of a shepherd's lunch.
The type of sheep cheese produced by the Balje family is popular across Kosovo and often used in restaurants. 
19 The type of sheep cheese produced by the Balje family is popular across Kosovo and often used in restaurants. 
Shepherds from the Balje family keep a watchful eye on their flock.
20 Shepherds from the Balje family keep a watchful eye on their flock.

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