Bosnian cheese

Camembert can be produced anywhere, it is not a geographical appellation.

Yes. Hercegovacki Sir (Sir = Cheese), is one of the best indeed.

When we had foreign diplomats come to the hotel in Trebinje, each would always ask for the cheese and honey to be delivered to take back home- from local farmers. Unfortunately, it is becoming more rare to be able to provide this as many authentic villages, and old-traditional ways of wholesome food growth/ nurturing is going the way of the dodo bird.

An organized model with a steady export demand would be huge for their continued existence and growth.

The difference between Switzerland and Bosnia is not in (non)registration, the difference is in the maturity and wealth of the elite and the state. The Swiss know very well what they are about, none of the Balkan countries seem to know. That is why there is no serious and prolonged support for anything of value in these countries. Everything is done adhoc, at the whim of some powerful figure.

Initially, there were some ideas that Western approaches will be easily transplanted into these countries and ignorant, but well-paid westerners were sent to do this. Naturally, there was no success because this is not even the way the West has developed. Younger westerners, born into an affluent society have no clue whatsoever about what it takes to institute such changes, because they born into it and the methods they know and use are based on certain accepted values and habits. In the Balkans these things just do not function ... witness what has happened to Greece.

It is rumored that the Prime Minister of the Serbian part of Bosnia owns practically all the land on which the main motorways are to be built. They tell me this is common knowledge and the land is openly registered in his own name. How can a society concentrate on developing concepts such as a quality cheese production, which takes decades of hard work, when you can earn billions in a few years through shady real estate deals? The concentration of the elite is elsewhere and in their minds, there is no place for the future.

The main reason why economies in the former Yugoslav countries (excluding Slovenia) are collapsing or better say are already collapsed are political elites who do not do anything at all to support their agricultural sectors and industries since they find it more profitable to sell out factories and other valuable national assets for pennants to their Western mentors who helped the same elites to stay in power during the Yugoslav wars in 1990's by selling them weapons, working hard in diplomatic circles for their causes or simply assiting them in order to gain preferential treatment once the time of privatisation comes. These local Balkan political elites have to pay off debts to their Western or in some cases Russian partners and the good example is Croatia where Croatian governments led by HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) have managed to sell out all of important segments of the national infrastructure to those countries (better say to individuals from those countries) who supported HDZ during the war of independence. HDZ has sold telecommunication system to the Germans, banks to the Austrians... There are many many other examples of this kind of "privatisation". Just take the former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader who sold out the Croatian national petroleum industry (INA) to the Hungarian one (MOL), after he had received very generous financial present from the Hungarians in order to grab the Croatian petroleum industry for small money (something similar happened in Serbia where Russian Gazporm has managed to acquire Serbia's petroleum industry for ridiculous amount of money). Today in Croatia you can barely see any products in shops which are actually produces in Croatia. Prior to the war I would say 80% of products have been made in Croatia (Yugoslavia) the rest imported. When you drive across Croatian fertile flat lands of Slavonia you see abandoned fields and villages, while even grain or corn are imported to this unfortunate statlet. The current situation is very positive for the Western banks, industrial lobbies, farmers from Germany, Italy or even Hungary and if course quite negative for ordinary Croats who desperately need jobs. Situation is even worst in Bosnia, again due to war and destruction, brain drain and again due to political elites who sold national assets to foreigners or have themselves became the proud owners of strategic national assets. The same scenario took place in Serbia, Macedonia or Montenegro.Some would say the former Yugoslavia has been re-colonised...If course citizens of countries we talk about here are to blame to: for electing such elites and for being passive not to punish, if necessary overthrow people who have been ruining down lives of millions of citizens. Knowing all of this one must aks herself/himself what chances on Earth in such game stands some ethnic Albanian farmer from the province of Kosovo when we know who is having power in that area and how underdeveloped is that area in comparison to the countries of the EU?

I saw the title and I knew straight away: TJ will now explain us how the fact that Bosnians will not be able to sell their cheese to Croatia will force them to bang their heads together and sort things out. So far, so boring and predictale.
But no! More is to come: The comparison with Switzerland really tops it all: The Swiss "Bergbauer" (mountain farmer) gets special subsidies per "Grossvieheinheit" (unit of large cattle) per month which are equivalent to an annual salary for a qualified worker in any of these states. On top of that, Switzerland has a stringent import regime (not only for dairy products) and is not subject to the EU Agricultural policy. So, TJ is not only using an essential banality to explain a way out of the locally prevalent atavism, he's also referencing it to the Agricultural policy of Europe's 2nd richest country, which - by coincidence - neither is in the EU nor aspires to be part of it.
Poor.

Everyone clamors that the Balkans must be stable and continue to be so. Good, but unless folks like Mr. Morina, his Bosnian neighbors to the north, et. al. have the ability to provide a livelihood, then their stake in their state goes down. Thus, the destabilization of the Balkans from yet more internal conflicts. I desperately hope Bosnia can get their act together or face an even deeper systemic economic crisis in that already struggling country.

All this talk about cheese and food from the Balkans. Ugh, I am already hungry. Now, where is that Turkish restaurant in my hood?

I was back in Kosovo in November, and was stunned (again) by the vibrancy of the colours of food in the market, compared to the dreary greyish dust of Pristina. When I lived in Bosnia I used to look forward to my visits down there for the food (make of that what you will).

If you're interested in what the country's food traditions say about the country, read Elizabeth Gowing's book 'Travels in blood and honey' - I interviewed her for this New Books Network podcast, which is also (obviously) worth a listen: http://newbooksineuropeanstudies.com/2011/10/25/elizabeth-gowing-travels...

"Simply put, the Bosnians have not done what they need to do on EU sanitary rules. This means that when Croatia joins the EU next year (assuming a referendum on accession is successful this weekend) it will no longer be able to accept its neighbour's dairy produce."

A perversion of food safety regulations, used as a weapon to undermine small entrepreneurs - now that's a familiar story. Unreasonably enforced "EU sanitary rules" have been abused in Hungary to destroy smaller producers delivering perfectly savoury (and perfectly safe) foodstuffs, while leaving in place large-scale outfits making chemically enhanced, sub-par rubbish. It usually went like this: an inspection team visited the facility, and inevitably found a minor infraction that allowed them to levy excessive fines/shut down production for a time period; repeat until the subjects go out of business and the market is captures. And this goes for companies who _had_ been able to make the EU-compatible investments. They just didn't have the reserves to put up with administrative harrassment encouraged by their more resilient rivals...

Best of luck to the likes of Mr. Morina - and "illegitimi non carborundum"!

That cheese on the picture looks good.

populari tends to be at the same time over-dramatic and simplistic in many of their reports.
yes, it is true what they say about the kosova and bosnia's adherence to eu sanitary rules.
but it is equally important to note that, in an effort to sell abroad, most of local cheese producers (and eko-vlasic is fine example) neglecticc domestic market. bosnia and kosova are over-flooded by cheep processed cheese imports at the same time when local companies are failing to cater to the needs (and purchasing powers) of local population.
it sounds so nice when you write about the london cheese shops and extra price they can get there. but to get there, you need to have the consistency in quality and quantity in order to satisfy the demanding buyers. it is difficult to obtain these without the sound base of local consumers.
instead of seeking the eluding london cheese markets, kosovar and bosnian cheese makers (and to that matter, any other food producers) would be much better off if they focus on catering of their own local consumers, build the consistency, increase the variety and quality...
london can wait...

Wow, an article on Balkan cheese which recommends protected designation of origin mentioning Welshmen not being able to sell camembert...in fact, it is the Greek who managed to achieve such status for "feta" which now prevents the rest of the Balkans from marketing their cheese in a way that western consumers are familiar with. Good luck to Bosnians/Kosovars trying to market "Bosnian white cheese" or "Yellow cheese from Kosovo".