"Pag Island sheep graze on sage and bora-dried herbs: the milk they produce makes Croatia's most distinctive cheese, salty, crystalline and impossible to make anywhere else."
About Paški Sir (Pag Cheese)
Croatia's most famous artisan product: a hard, sharp sheep's milk cheese made from the milk of Pag Island sheep that graze on sage and bora-wind-dried herbs; the result is a dense, crystalline cheese with a pronounced salinity and herbal depth; aged in olive oil, it is the mandatory accompaniment to pršut (Dalmatian cured ham) on every Croatian charcuterie board.
Paški Sir (Pag Cheese), a staple of Croatia's cuisine
The Island Cheese
Paski sir is Croatia's most famous cheese, a hard sheep's-milk cheese from the island of Pag in the northern Adriatic. The sheep graze on sage and other aromatic herbs growing on the island's stony, wind-scoured pastures, and that diet shows in the milk. The result is dense and crystalline, with a pronounced salinity and a herbal depth.
A Question of Terroir
The cheese is a textbook case of terroir. The bora wind carries sea salt across the island and dries the low-growing herbs the sheep eat, so the milk, and the cheese, taste of the place in a way that cannot be copied elsewhere. Sheep grazing the same breed on different land simply do not produce the same flavour.
Aged in Oil
Paski sir is aged for months, and some is matured rubbed with olive oil and ash, which softens the rind and deepens the flavour. Younger cheese is milder and firmer; well-aged versions turn sharp, granular and complex. The longer the age, the more concentrated the salt and herb notes become.
On the Board
The cheese is a fixture of the Croatian charcuterie board, served alongside prsut, olives and capers as the start of a meal. Cut into slivers, it is eaten with bread and a glass of mineral Dalmatian white wine such as Posip. It is both an everyday table cheese and one of the country's proudest food exports.
What to Expect
The cheese arrives already sliced, the pale interior dense and crystalline. The first bite is salty and slightly sharp, with an herbal undertone that lingers. The pršut alongside is the natural pairing.
Why Try It
Paški sir is a case study in terroir applied to cheese, the island's specific flora and climate are inseparable from the product.
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Insider Tips
Buy it directly on Pag Island, where the freshest version is sold at local farms.
The olive oil-aged version has a softer, more complex flavour than the unaged version.
Pair with Pošip or Grk, white wines from the Dalmatian islands that share the same mineral salinity.
