Olomoucké Tvarůžky

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Olomoucké tvarůžky is a ripened soft cheese made in Loštice, in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is known for its strong scent, pungent taste, yellowish colour and a fat content of only about 0.5%.

Key Facts

Country of Origin	Czech Republic
Specific Origin	Olomouc
Protection	PGI (2004)
Milk Type	Cow's milk
Milk Treatment	Skimmed
Fat Content	0.60%
Texture	Soft, soft-ripened
Flavor	Pungent, spicy
Aroma	Strong
Colors	Yellow
Alternative Spellings	Olomoucke tvaruzky, olomoucke syrecky
Also Known As	olomoucké syrečky

What is Olomoucké Tvarůžky Cheese?

The first written mention of Olomoucké tvarůžky dates to 1452, and the name tvarůžky itself appeared in 1583. Until the 19th century the cheese was made in the villages around Olomouc and treated as peasant food. It takes its name from the city of Olomouc, where it was originally sold. The A. W. Company has been making it since 1876, and the European Union registered the name as a Protected Geographical Indication in 2010.

It is not made from milk directly. The base is low-fat quark, or tvaroh, which the producer buys from other dairies instead of making it in house. That is where the name comes from: it means "little quarks". Proprietary dairy cultures finish the job, and their exact composition has never been published. Fat content sits at about 0.5%, far below most other cheeses.

The cheese is easy to recognize. It has a strong scent, a distinctive pungent taste and a yellowish colour.

It has long been a beer snack and a staple of Czech beer culture. Since the late 2010s it has also found an audience among fitness enthusiasts, drawn by the high protein and very low fat. In 2016 a shop in Loštice started making ice cream based on it. The A. W. Company production plant in Loštice also houses a museum devoted to the cheese.