2014 Volume 5 Issue 2 Pages 74-79
Traditional and typical products have gained during the few last decades an important role in strategies for the development of remote rural regions. Herzegovina region is widely recognized and well-known for a unique gastronomic product; cheese in a suck. Uniqueness of this product derives from one phase of the production process - the ripening phase. The cheese ripens in sheep skin bags. Justification for choosing skin bag as a container for ripening and keeping cheese lies in history. The present research was carried out as the legal protection of a product with a Geographical Indication requires proofs of the historical existence of that product on a certain territory as well as the description of production technology and the mapping of the geographical area where product is made. The paper is based on an extended secondary data analysis and a field survey. Field research was carried out in 2011 using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 35 producer households - with a particular focus on women and the elderly - in the territory of Herzegovina. A checklist dealing mainly with the product history, the production area and the production technology and process of this typical Herzegovinian product was prepared for semi-structured interviews. Obtained results have proved that cheese in a suck has a long history and dates back to the 14th century in Herzegovina region. Usage of sheep skin bag as a packing material during the ripening process is a unique method itself. Cheese in a suck is a typical product connected with Dinara mountains in Herzegovina. Protection of cheese in suck will foster its contribution to the development of Herzegovinian rural areas.
