Oscypek

What is Oscypek Cheese?

Oscypek comes from the Tatra Mountains of Poland and nowhere else. The first mention of cheese production in the region appears in a 1416 document from the village of Ochotnica, and the earliest recorded recipe dates to 1748 in the Żywiec area. The cheese has been registered under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin scheme since 14 February 2008. It is made by a specialist called a baca, the same word used for a mountain shepherd.

Production runs only from late April to early October, while the sheep graze on fresh mountain grass. Unpasteurized salted sheep's milk is turned into cottage cheese, then rinsed repeatedly with boiling water and squeezed. The mass is pressed into decorative spindle-shaped wooden forms, left in a barrel of brine for a night or two, then hung near the roof of a wooden hut and cured in hot smoke for up to 14 days.

Rules tie the recipe down closely. At least 60 percent of the milk must be sheep's milk, with any cow's or goat's milk strictly regulated, and each cheese has to weigh 600 to 800 grams and measure 17 to 23 centimeters. A smaller version called redykołka is known as the younger sister of oscypek. Slovakia makes a related cheese, oštiepok, which differs in its ingredient ratios, method and finished character.

In several European countries oscypek is a holiday cheese. It is commonly pan-fried and served with cranberry jam, or żurawina, on the side.