Paški sir — Pag cheese — is arguably the most distinctive food product in Croatia. Made from the milk of Pag sheep (paška ovca), a hardy local breed adapted to the island's sparse karst pasture, it is a hard sheep's cheese with a sharp, intense flavour that comes directly from the island's specific environment. The sheep graze on salt-tolerant herbs and grasses seasoned by sea spray blown inland by the bora wind; the milk they produce is markedly different from that of mainland sheep. The cheese is aged in olive oil and salt and can be eaten at any stage from fresh to aged-hard.
Paški sir has PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status in the EU, meaning only cheese produced on Pag to the traditional specification can carry the name. You can buy it at small producers across the island — particularly around Pag Town and Kolan — and it is invariably better and cheaper than what reaches the mainland. The local markets in Pag Town and at producer stalls along the main road are the best places to buy. A good paški sir bought on the island, paired with local prošek (dessert wine) or prstaci (date mussels, if you can find them), makes one of the better food experiences in the Dalmatian islands.