Transcarpathian cheese and cheese tourism
Cheese tourism in the form in which it took shape in the second half of the 20th century in places where cheesemaking is popular, has a number of very important features: these are special trips for organised groups, individual enthusiasts and professionals.
The principles of cheese tourism are very simple: it is a specialised type of tourism aimed at:
• tasting
• consumption
• buying cheese directly from the producer (at a farm, a specialised shop, a cheese dairy, a tasting hall, a fair or a festival).
Why is Transcarpathia - “the cheese capital of Ukraine”?
In Transcarpathia, cheese tourism is developing for a number of reasons. Firstly, Transcarpathia is a leading region in terms of the number of visiting tourists: it is precisely here that a huge number of cultural and historical landmarks are concentrated, and the service industry is developing dynamically. Secondly, historically it has come about that Transcarpathia, owing to geographical, climatic, ecological, cultural and socio-political conditions, is one of the largest producers and exporters of quality craft cheeses in Ukraine. Participants in the tourism business have long been running excursions into the cellars of Transcarpathia where cheese matures. Such visits help visitors get an idea of how it is possible to produce high-quality cheese without breaking with age-old traditions. Tourists are advised to dress warmly, since it is cold in the cellars and the excursions last no less than an hour.
Cheese tourism in Transcarpathia includes:
• visiting high mountain pastures and grazing lands
• visiting cheese dairies
• visiting restaurants that offer tastings of traditional Transcarpathian cheese
• visiting themed festivals
• the opportunity to take photographs on the mountain pastures, grazing lands and local traditional production sites
• the opportunity to consume the products directly at the place of production
• the opportunity to take part in the cheesemaking process, to join a master class, so to speak
Age-old traditions and modern technologies
The cheese dairies of Transcarpathia originated more than 2,000 years ago, when in the Carpathian Mountains local tribes of Dacians, Celts and Slavs grazed regional breeds of dairy animals (goats, sheep, cows). The heyday of industrial craft cheesemaking can be considered the 20th century, when professional enterprises appeared. Before that, every Transcarpathian family made the famous Easter yellow cheese (a curd loaf), while the residents of Verkhovyna produced budz or vurda at home.
Today Transcarpathia has at its disposal great tourism opportunities and resources for organising themed tours around the micro-regions connected with cheesemaking culture. The programme of the Transcarpathian cheese tourism route includes:
- an excursion and fascinating stories that contain numerous legends about sheep’s cheese and the peculiarities of the farming culture
- accommodation in country estates
- participation in the process of making various types of cheese
- direct attendance at all the regional festivals where locals sell various kinds of cheese
- as well as various tastings; Transcarpathia has a dozen tasting halls, followed by the purchase of the cheese the tourists liked.
However, the best way to visit the unique cheese dairies of Transcarpathia - is to join our Wednesday excursion “Gems of the Khust area”.
Travel together with “Pro Karpaty”! It will be delicious!)
