Năsal cheese

Năsal is a traditional Romanian cheese bearing the same name as the village where it is produced in the Țaga commune, Cluj County. It is a smear-ripened cheese made from cow's milk. Năsal is produced by Napolact, in a natural cave, traditionally used in the cheese-making process from the Middle Ages. Its characteristics and flavour are imparted by the unique microbiological conditions in which it is manufactured. The rock of the cave and the Brevibacterium linens bacteria which developed in it, the constant temperature and humidity, act on the cheeses produced here.

Brevibacterium linens is ubiquitously present on the human skin, where it causes foot odour. The same bacterium is also employed to ferment several cheeses such as Limburger, Port-Salut and Năsal. Its smell also attracts mosquitoes.