Katuns and sir iz mijeha: summer grazing and the food rules

Katuns on Zelengora and Morine are still used in summer. A host who takes guests to a katun or serves them sir iz mijeha (cheese matured in a skin) needs to know how far a visit can be relied on and which food rules apply. The facts come from Sutjeska National Park, tourist organisations, UNESCO and the Food Safety Agency of BiH, and from the Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska.

In short

• Katuns are temporary summer herders' settlements where traditional dairy products are made alongside the livestock. Herds are on Zelengora from May to September (NP Sutjeska).
• Sir iz mijeha is not registered as a protected designation of origin in BiH. "Gatački kajmak iz mješine" is, since 30 August 2024 (Food Safety Agency of BiH).

Katuns and transhumance today

Transhumance is the seasonal movement of herds between lowlands and mountain pastures. Sutjeska National Park describes katuns as temporary summer herders' settlements and says that from May to September thousands of sheep, goats and cattle graze Zelengora with herders and dogs (NP Sutjeska). The Tourist Organisation of Nevesinje says katuns still in use can be seen on Morine (TO Nevesinje, Morine).

The Tourist Organisation of Republika Srpska records an old droving route: across the Ovčiji brod bridge on the Zalomka, from Lower Herzegovina towards Treskavica, Zelengora and Morine, and back in autumn (TO RS, Zalomka).

Agree every katun visit in advance with the family that keeps the herd, season by season.

In 2023 transhumance was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list as a joint element of ten European countries; Bosnia and Herzegovina is not one of them (UNESCO, decision 18.COM 8.B.14). Telling guests that Herzegovinian katuns are "UNESCO-protected" is therefore wrong.

Sir iz mijeha

The Tourist Organisation of Republika Srpska describes sir iz mijeha as cheese kept in a goat or sheep skin (mijeh). It says this way of making cheese is typical of the whole Dinaric area but most common around Nevesinje, and that herders on katuns use it to preserve dairy products through the hot summer days. The same organisation says that, according to the Dubrovnik archives, the cheese dates back to the 14th century (visitsrpska.org, Nevesinje); pass this on as that organisation's statement.

Food safety: what a host must know

Ask the producer what milk the cheese is made from, raw or heat-treated, and how long it has aged. If the cheese is made from raw milk, hygiene in production is decisive, so check the conditions for making and selling it with the veterinary inspectorate.

What applies to a host depends on whether you buy the cheese, make it yourself or only serve it.

• If you buy cheese for guests, buy from a producer registered for production and sale who can provide a label. See our article "Labelling home-made food in BiH: what must be on the jar or bottle".
• If you make and sell cheese yourself, the Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska (Zakon o veterinarstvu u Republici Srpskoj, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 75/17 and 63/24) allows small quantities of animal-origin products from a farm to be placed on the market, but "in accordance with a special regulation" (Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska, Art. 90). We could not find that special regulation in an official source, so check the conditions with the veterinary inspectorate before your first sale.
• If you serve food to guests, the rules on health checks, hygiene training and allergens apply. See "Health checks and hygiene training for food workers in Republika Srpska" and "Allergens in food you serve guests in BiH".
• On a katun, guests can watch cheese being made and buy it from the herder. It is your responsibility not to sell under your own name anything that has not met the rules.
• For taking food across the border, see "Food from East Herzegovina to Montenegro and Croatia".

Building an offer

• A day at a katun, May to September. Drive to Zelengora or Morine, an arranged visit to a herd, a packed lunch, back to the farm. Sutjeska National Park's entry rules and fees are covered in our article on Zelengora.
• A tasting on the farm. Sir iz mijeha from a registered producer, with home-made bread and potatoes.
• The story of the droving route. A short walk to the Ovčiji brod bridge near Nevesinje, where flocks once crossed the Zalomka.
• Kajmak matured in a skin in Gacko. From 1 May to 1 November, when it is made under the protected designation of origin specification (specification).

Sources

• JU NP Sutjeska: Mount Zelengora
• TO Nevesinje: Morine plateau
• Tourist Organisation of Republika Srpska: Zalomka River
• Tourist Organisation of Republika Srpska: Nevesinje
• UNESCO: decision 18.COM 8.B.14, Transhumance
• Food Safety Agency of BiH: ZOP register extract, Gatački kajmak iz mješine
• Food Safety Agency of BiH: specification, Gatački kajmak iz mješine
• Food Safety Agency of BiH: geographical origin
• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of RS: Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 75/17