Bryndza is a protected sheep’s milk cheese produced in Slovakia and Poland, with three main types that vary in milk content and texture. The name comes from a Romanian word for cheese and has been used since 1370. Bryndza is quite salty and can be crumbly or spreadable. In the United States, the protected designation is not typically observed.
Bryndza is a type of sheep’s milk cheese produced in several regions of Slovakia and in one particular region of Poland. There are three main types of this cheese, each with different requirements for its preparation. The cheese can be quite crumbly or quite soft and spreadable, depending on how it is made or prepared, and is white or gray and quite salty. Bryndza is protected as a cheese name by the European Union and can only be applied to specific types of cheese, although in the United States this protection is not typically observed.
The name “bryndza” comes from a Wallachian, or Romanian, word for “cheese” in general, and its oldest recorded use is on a document from a port in the Mediterranean from 1370. Over time, the use of this name it has been perfected in some areas, such as Slovakia and Poland, become a name for a specific type of cheese. This cheese spreads in popularity to different parts of Europe and is commonly enjoyed not only in the countries where it is made, but also in the Czech Republic and parts of Germany.
There are three basic types of this cheese which are produced and protected by the designation of the European Union. These are the Polish type, bryndza Podhalanska, the Slovakian variety, Slovenská bryndza and the type that contains only sheep’s milk, called liptovská or ovcia bryndza. The Polish and Slovak varieties are typically made with a combination of sheep’s milk and cow’s milk; the Polish type must be at least 60% sheep’s milk, while the Slovakian variety must be more than 50% sheep’s milk to use the protected designation. Ovcia, on the other hand, is 100 percent sheep’s milk and is the least commonly produced variety.
Bryndza is quite salty and, when made with standard salt, is quite crumbly, somewhat similar to feta cheese. Some producers prefer to use saline rather than salt, and this makes for a softer, more spreadable cheese. Many people who eat the crumbly variety mix it with a little milk or cream to reduce the strong flavor of the cheese and make it into a toast spread. However, there is no designation of origin protection for this cheese in the United States, so cheese makers can label the cheese as bryndza even if it doesn’t contain sheep’s milk. Such cheeses are often combinations of other cheeses, such as feta, that are seasoned to taste more like Slovak cheese.
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