Pirot cheese is a traditional product from the Stara Planina region primarily made of sheep milk, although modern changes have introduced the production of cheese from cow's milk or from mixed cow's and sheep milk. The tradition of making cheese is transmitted along the male line, and the bearers of the key roles in the process of making cheese are men: baskijar (curd maker), parač (the one who steams cheese), sekač (cutter), majstor kačkavaljdžija (master cheese maker). Milk processing begins with the preparation of curd (baskija), followed by the transformation of curd into cheese, steaming cheddar in a woven basket and ripening.
The production of Pirot cheese is a unique heritage in the sphere of skills related to the traditional crafts of the population of the Pirot region in southeastern Serbia.
