Liliputas

Liliputas is a handmade Lithuanian semi-hard PGI cheese made from cow's milk in the village of Belvederis. It is a cylinder with rounded ends, 7.5–13 cm tall and 7–8.5 cm across, weighing only 0.4–0.7 kg. Fat in dry matter is 50 %.

Pasteurised, standardised milk is coagulated, the curd grains are heated, placed in cylindrical moulds, wrapped in cotton napkins and pressed. The cheese is then salted in brine for 36–48 hours. It matures for 20–30 days in a cellar at 10–14 °C: the cheeses are turned at least every five days and a microscopic mould, Penicillium pallidum, grows on them; it is then washed off and the cheese is coated with wax.

Belvederis is in Jurbarkas District, in Panemunė Regional Park on the Nemunas. The village has the oldest cheese dairy in Lithuania, built in 1928. The cheese got its name from its small size, like a Lilliputian.

The taste is fresh and lactic, with a hint of sharpness and saltiness; the texture is homogeneous, quite firm and elastic; the colour is cream to yellow, and small holes may appear in the cross-section.

Why it matters to you: it is sold only whole and uncut, in its protective wax, so look for the name Liliputas, the producer and the EU symbol on the label.