Oscypek

Oscypek

Oscypek sold on the street

Oscypek (Polish; plural: oscypki) is a smoked cheese made of salted sheep milk exclusively in the Tatra Mountains region of Poland. Oscypek is a protected trade name under the EU's Protected Designation of Origin geographical indication.

A similar cheese is made in Slovakia under the name Oštiepok. The cheeses differ in ingredients' ratios, cheesemaking process, and the characteristics of the final products differ.

Oscypek

Oscypek is made using exclusively salted sheep's milk. Addition of cow's milk is strictly regulated by protected trade name recipe. Unpasteurized salted sheep's milk is first turned into cottage cheese. This is then repeatedly rinsed with boiling water and squeezed. After this, the mass is pressed into wooden, spindle-shaped forms in decorative shapes. The forms are then placed in a brine-filled barrel for a night or two, after which they are placed close to the roof in a special wooden hut and cured in hot smoke for up to 14 days.

The first mention of cheese production in the Tatra Mountains dates back to the 15th century, in a document from the village of Ochotnica in 1416. The first recorded recipe for oscypek was issued in 1748 in the Żywiec area.

Before Poland voted to join the European Union, some Polish Eurosceptics warned that oscypek could be banned in the EU due to its use of unpasteurized milk and its production by unlicensed farmers. This fear proved unfounded.

There is also a small form called redykolka.

See also

• Redykolka
• Golka – Polish cheese similar to oscypek, but made with milk from cattle
• Bundz – Polish sheep's milk cheese
• Polish cuisine