A guide to the white brined cheeses of the Balkans — sirene, beli sir, and their cousins. How they relate to feta and how they're used.
Across the Balkans, from Bulgaria and Serbia to North Macedonia and beyond, white brined cheese is a daily staple — tangy, salty, and crumbly, the heart of countless breakfasts, salads, and pastries. Though often compared to feta, these cheeses are a distinct and beloved family of their own.
What Balkan White Cheeses Are
The Balkans are home to a family of white brined cheeses known by various local names: sirene in Bulgaria, beli sir (white cheese) in Serbia and the wider region, and similar names elsewhere. They're made from cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk, or blends, curdled, drained, and cured in brine. Like feta, they're stored and sold in brine, which preserves them and gives them their characteristic salty tang.
A Family, Not One Cheese
These white brined cheeses vary by country, milk, and maker, but they share a clear identity. Bulgarian sirene is among the most famous, often made from cow's or sheep's milk, ranging from soft and crumbly to firmer. Serbian and Macedonian versions are similar. They're cousins of Greek feta and the brined cheeses of the wider Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and Middle East, all part of one broad brined-cheese tradition.
Flavor and Texture
Balkan white cheeses are typically firm but crumbly, moist, and creamy, with a tangy, salty, savory flavor. Sheep's-milk versions are richer and more pronounced; cow's-milk versions are milder and softer. They range from soft and spreadable to firmer and more sliceable. Their bright, salty tang makes them refreshing and versatile, much like feta but with regional character.
How to Use Balkan White Cheeses
These cheeses are central to Balkan cooking. They're crumbled over the region's chopped salads (like the famous shopska salad), eaten at breakfast with bread and vegetables, and baked into pastries — most famously banitsa and the wider family of burek/börek, where the cheese fills flaky layers of dough. They're also grilled, fried, and melted into baked dishes. Anywhere you'd use feta, a Balkan white cheese works, often with a slightly different tang.
Pairings
Balkan white cheeses pair with the wines and spirits of the region, including rakia, as well as with fresh bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and olives. They're a natural fit for the salads, breakfasts, and pastries of Balkan cuisine.
Buying and Storing
These cheeses are sold in blocks in brine at Eastern European and Balkan markets, under names like sirene or beli sir. Keep them submerged in brine in the fridge, where they last for weeks. Soak in water briefly to reduce saltiness if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Balkan white cheeses the same as feta?
They're close cousins — white brined cheeses in the same broad tradition — but each region has its own versions, like Bulgarian sirene and Serbian beli sir, with distinct character.
What dishes use Balkan white cheese?
Chopped salads like shopska, breakfast spreads, and flaky pastries such as banitsa and burek.
What milk are they made from?
Cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk, or blends, depending on the country and maker; sheep's-milk versions are richer and tangier.