Brânză de Burduf

Brânză de Burduf (Brânză frământată) is a soft sheep's milk cheese produced in Transylvania, on the slopes of the high Bucegi Mountains in the Carpathians, Romania.

To make this cheese, fresh caș produced from the raw milk of heritage sheep breeds such as Turcana and Tigae is cut into small pieces, salted and mixed in a  wooden bowl. It is then left to age from 20 days to 2-3 months inside coaj de brad (fir tree bark) or sheep's skin. As it ripens, its flavour becomes increasingly spicy and salty. 

Brânză de Burduf is produced from May to July when the pine bark is rich in flavour.  They are processed and sewn together to produce cylindrical containers that are sealed with bark discs at the edges. 

The cheese is specific to different areas from the historical regions of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia (also called Brânză în coajă de brad (Cheese in fir shell), Brânză de putină, Cremă Focșani, Brânză Moldova, Brânză Dorna, Brânză Luduș, Brânză Bistrița, Brânză Săveni or Brânză Botoșana).