Lietuviškas varškės sūris 
Lietuviškas varškės sūris is a soft cow's milk curd cheese made in Lithuania and shaped into a triangular prism with rounded corners. It has been produced since the Middle Ages and joined the European Union list of protected products in 2013.
Dubysa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Lithuania |
| Specific Origin | Lithuania |
| Protection | PGI (2011) |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurised |
| Fat Content | 7-25% or low-fat (up to 0.5%) |
| Moisture Content | At least 31% in fresh, baked, and smoked cheeses; at least 67% in dried cheese |
| Texture | Soft, homogeneous, rather dense, may crumble when cut (fresh); homogeneous, dense, a little elastic (baked); homogeneous, dense, crumbly (smoked); homogeneous, hard, difficult to cut, crumbles when broken (dried) |
| Flavor | Characteristic lactic acid with hints of seasonings |
| Aroma | Characteristic lactic acid, smoky (for smoked cheese) |
| Colors | White to yellowish (fresh and dried); yellowish to brownish (baked); dark yellow to brown (smoked) |
| Forms | Fresh, Smoked, Baked, Dried |
| Rennet Type | None used |
What is Lietuviškas varškės sūris Cheese?
This soft curd cheese comes from Lithuania, where it was already made on manor estates in the Middle Ages. The equipment and the basic method have barely changed since then. In 2013 the European Commission added it to the list of protected products, the third Lithuanian product to hold that status in the European Union.
Cow's milk is soured naturally, then heated until it curdles. The pressed mass is stuffed by hand into traditional loose-woven triangular cheese bags, and the wider end is tied shut with a knot. Salt, caraway, other spices or sour cream can be worked into the curd.
The knotted bag is what gives the cheese its triangular prism shape with rounded corners. The paste is white and fairly lean, around 14 percent fat, and the pressed cheese tastes sour.
For longer keeping, the surface is sprinkled with salt or the cheese is dried. Lithuania also has a fresh milk cheese that looks similar but carries no deep tradition. It can be made straight after milking and comes out yellower, at about 20 percent fat.
The cheese is made to an authentic recipe and is part of Lithuanian culinary and national heritage.
How Does Lietuviškas varškės sūris Cheese Compare?
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