Bryndza Podhalańska: the sheep cheese of the Tatra foothills

Po polsku: Bryndza podhalańska

Did you know that in the past, cheese could be used as money? Bryndza podhalańska is a soft, tangy sheep cheese from Podhale, the highland region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, south of Kraków. It is also known across the Carpathians.

What is bryndza?

Bryndza is a popular cheese from Podhale, made from sheep’s milk. You could call it a sheep’s curd cheese. It is made from mature bundz, a sheep cheese that is the base for bryndza.

The cheese is known all over the Carpathians: in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria too. The name comes from Romania. The word bryndza comes from the Wallachian language (compare Romanian brânză, which simply means „cheese”).

A short history

Bryndza podhalańska has a long tradition. The first mentions of it date from 1527. The knowledge of how to make it was passed down from generation to generation. Today it is a craft whose secrets are known only to producers in this region.

In the past, the cheese was even used as a means of payment.

How it is made

The milk comes from the Polish Mountain Sheep (Polska Owca Górska). Sometimes a little cow’s milk is added, from the Polish Red cow (Polska Krowa Czerwona), a breed developed in Poland.

The sheep graze on the special plants of the Tatras and Podhale. This has a big influence on the quality of the milk and so on the taste of the cheese. The unique character of bryndza comes from the meeting of natural conditions (the local plants and animals) and human skill. The production method goes back to the 15th century.

Traditionally, bryndza was made by farmers or by the bacowie (head shepherds, singular baca), from bundz matured in the shepherd’s hut (szałas). The steps went like this:

• The cheese is first crumbled by hand and worked like dough, so carefully that there is not a single lump left.
• While it is being worked, the mass is salted and tasted again and again to check if it is salty enough.
• The finished cheese is pounded with a fist in wooden tubs (dzieże), so that no air bubbles remain.
• It is covered with a wooden lid and pressed down with a heavy stone.

Under the pressure, fat rises to the top and protects the bryndza from spoiling. After some time the stone is taken off, so the fat can sink back into the cheese.

For longer storage, the cheese was covered with melted butter. As it cooled, the butter sealed out the air. After two to three months of ageing, bryndza gets its typical, slightly sharp taste. In a cool, airy place it can be kept for up to a year.

What it looks and tastes like

Bryndza podhalańska has no rind. It is lightly seasoned, cut into cubes and kept in brine. It has no strictly defined shape, because that depends on the packaging. The surface is even or slightly convex.

The texture is uniform, like a paste, although you can also find bryndza that is slightly grainy or lumpy. The colour is white, creamy white, or with a slight pale green tint.

The taste is quite sharp and slightly sour.

How to eat it

Because bryndza is sharp, people often mix it with fresh curd cheese (twaróg). Many highlanders (górale), however, believe that the sharper it is, the better.

You can use bryndza in many ways:

• on bread
• as a filling for dumplings, including pierogi
• in salads
• as a spread or paste
• in baking
• as a topping for boiled potatoes

Thinned with water, bryndza can even replace milk.

My tip: if you see it on a menu in Podhale, give it a try, whether on bread or inside pierogi.

More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.

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