Istrian Sheep Cheese - 52nd Croatian PDO

“Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” has been granted European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, as announced by the European Commission in the Official Journal of the European Union on 10 December 2025. With this decision, the product name has been entered into the register of geographical indications for agricultural products and is protected across the entire European Union. The EU Protected Designation of Origin logo displayed on the packaging guarantees consumers that they are purchasing an authentic product.

The procedure for protecting the name “Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” was jointly initiated by the Croatian Association of Istrian Goat and Sheep Breeders and the Slovenian Association of Small Livestock Breeders. In accordance with the legal procedure, each association launched national protection processes in its respective Member State. After the completion of these national procedures, a joint application for the registration of the Protected Designation of Origin “Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” was submitted to the European Commission.

“Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” is a hard, full-fat cheese produced by coagulating raw or pasteurised sheep’s milk with rennet, with the separation of whey. It is cylindrical in shape. The rind is smooth, uniformly yellow-brown to brown in colour, while the interior ranges from ivory to straw-yellow. The cheese is characterised by a slightly elastic texture that is sliceable to mildly crumbly. It has a full, nourishing flavour that is salty and piquant, with a pronounced aromatic note of sheep’s milk and the plant species on which the sheep graze. With longer ageing, the cheese develops a typically piquant, rich, and nourishing taste, while the aromatic impression of sheep’s milk intensifies during maturation. Long-aged cheeses melt in the mouth during consumption, with flavours becoming increasingly intense.

The distinctive characteristics and quality of “Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” are the result of a semi-extensive sheep-rearing system, the milk composition of the indigenous Istrian sheep breed (Istrian Pramenka), and the long-standing tradition and expertise of sheep’s cheese production.

The product specification for “Istrian Sheep’s Cheese” can be viewed here. ovdje.

The Republic of Croatia now has 52 products whose names are registered in the European Union as Protected Designations of Origin, Protected Geographical Indications, or Traditional Specialities Guaranteed, all of which are entered in the EU registers of geographical indications for agricultural products and traditional specialities guaranteed.