Bryndza

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Bryndza is a sheep milk cheese made across Central and Eastern Europe, above all in Slovakia and Poland. It is white, tangy and crumbly, with a strong smell and a flavor that starts mild and ends salty.

Key Facts

Country of Origin	Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
Specific Origin	Central and Eastern Europe, most notably Slovakia and Poland
Milk Type	Sheep's milk
Milk Treatment	Unpasteurized
Rind	Rindless
Texture	Soft, artisan
Flavor	Mild, salty
Aroma	Strong, characteristic
Colors	White
Alternative Spellings	ovčia bryndza, Slovenska bryndza, Bryndza Podhalanska
Also Known As	Slovenská bryndza, Bryndza Podhalańska, Liptauer, Brinza, brynza

What is Bryndza Cheese?

Bryndza, also spelled brynza, comes from the sheep farming regions of Central and Eastern Europe, with Slovakia and Poland as its main homes. The name was borrowed from the Romanian word brânză, simply meaning cheese, and spread with migrating Vlachs. It appears as brençe, a "Vlach cheese", in Dubrovnik in 1370, in the Slovak counties of Hungary in 1470, and in the Polish region of Podhale in 1527.

The soft spreadable version most people know today is credited to entrepreneurs from Stará Turá in Western Slovakia at the end of the 18th century. They set up manufactures in the mountains of Central and Northern Slovakia and sold the cheese across the Habsburg monarchy, where Austrians called it Liptauer after the Liptov region.

It is made from sheep milk, and recipes shift from country to country. Slovak bryndza must contain at least 50 percent sheep milk, while ovčia bryndza is 100 percent sheep cheese. Making it also yields Žinčica as a byproduct.

The cheese is creamy white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist. The smell and taste are strong, with a clear note of butyric acid. The flavor starts out slightly mild, builds, then settles into a salty finish.

In Slovakia it counts as a national product and carries the main dishes built around it, including bryndzové halušky and podplamenníky s bryndzou.