🧀 Džiugas
Also known as: Dziugas
Džiugas is a Lithuanian PGI hard cheese made from cow's milk in Telšiai, ripened for at least 12 months.
Džiugas is a Lithuanian medium-fat hard cheese made from cow's milk in the town of Telšiai on the Samogitian Upland in north-western Lithuania. The name is protected in the EU as a PGI (eAmbrosia file PGI-LT-02372). It is named after Džiugas, a legendary giant linked in local tales with the founding of Telšiai.
The milk is standardised for fat, pasteurised and set with enzymes. The curd is cut finely and heated, pressed into large wheels, brined and coated with a protective layer. Ripening lasts at least 12 months; the specification describes cheeses aged 12, 18, 24 and 36 months and longer.
With age the paste darkens from pale yellow to amber and becomes dry, brittle and grainy, with small crystals. The taste grows from mild and buttery to rich, with nutty and fruity notes. In style Džiugas recalls long-aged Italian cheeses such as Parmesan, but it is a separate cheese with its own specification.
Džiugas belongs to the hard cheeses.
How to eat it: in chunks on a cheese board with nuts and honey, or grated over pasta, salads and risotto. Long-aged cheese suits full-bodied red wines; see Wine and cheese.
Why it matters to you: only cheese from Telšiai, made and ripened to the PGI specification, may be sold as Džiugas.
Facts
| Raw material | Pasteurised cow's milk |
|---|---|
| Country | Lithuania |
| Region | Telšiai, Samogitia |
| Duration | Ripened at least 12 months |
| Legal basis | EU PGI, PGI-LT-02372 1 |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Džiugas → kind of → 🪨 Hard cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Part of
- 🪨 Hard cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names
Frequently asked questions
How long is Džiugas ripened?
At least 12 months; cheeses aged 18, 24 and 36 months are common.
Where is Džiugas made?
In the town of Telšiai in Samogitia, north-western Lithuania.
Is it true that Džiugas is a Lithuanian Parmesan?
No. It is similar in style to long-aged hard cheeses, but it is a separate cheese with its own protected name and specification; the name Parmesan is protected too.
Similar
🧀 Piave (cheese) · 🧀 Silter · 🧀 Queso Casín · 🧀 Nostrano Valtrompia · 🧀 Montasio · 🧀 Single Gloucester
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.