🧀 Ġbejna tan-nagħaġ

Ġbejna tan-nagħaġ is a small round cheese made from whole raw sheep's milk on the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. The name means "sheep's cheeselet". It is the first Maltese food with an EU-protected name: a PDO (eAmbrosia file PDO-MT-02973).

The milk comes from sheep of the Maltese breed and its crosses registered on the islands. It is set with rennet (traditionally makers also prepare their own lamb rennet), and the curd is placed in small baskets where the whey drains off. All stages of production take place in the Maltese islands.

The cheeselet is sold in three forms. Fresh (friska) is white, soft and moist, with a delicate milky taste and the marks of the basket. Air-dried (niexfa) is firmer, saltier and sharper. Peppered (tal-bżar) is a dried cheeselet that is marinated and rolled in crushed black pepper.

Fresh ġbejna belongs to the fresh cheeses and recalls ricotta or queso fresco, but it is made from whole milk, not whey.

How to eat it: fresh with bread, tomatoes and olive oil, or in Maltese ravioli and pies; dried and peppered as a snack with wine or beer. More ideas are on Wine and cheese.

Why it matters to you: everyday ġbejniet can be made from any milk, but only Maltese cheeselets from raw sheep's milk made to the PDO specification may be sold as Ġbejna tan-nagħaġ.