An application for the registration of the name “Kashkavali Pindou / Kashkaval Pindou” as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the PDO-PGI-TSG register has been submitted by the Organization of Producers of Kaskaval of Pindos.
Kaskaval Pindou is a semi-hard cheese, whitish to pale yellow in color, cylindrical or rectangular in shape. It is produced using the heated cheese mass-making technique from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s milk and goat’s milk (of less than 35%), using a special technique developed and disseminated by the Aromanian-speaking nomadic farmers of the Balkans, who came from the central northern end of the Pindus mountain range.
The cheese requires a total preparation and ripening period of about 90 days before it is ready for consumption. Kashkaval’s characteristics are attributed to the high fat content and the rich flavors of the milk from the established area and to the traditional cheese-making technique, which requires the cheese to be processed in two distinct stages. This makes it possible to process the milk produced during the summer in mountainous areas where there are no dairies. According to the dossier submitted to the Ministry of Rural Development & Food, in order for a producer to be able to use the PGI designation for the cheese he produces, he must use exclusively sheep’s milk and/or goat’s milk (fresh or pasteurised) in the production process and the cheese must be made by legally licensed undertakings (or individual farmers-producers) operating within the defined area and complying with the product specifications. In addition, the milk must not be concentrated or contain additives such as milk powder or concentrate and calcium caseinate.
