Bryndza | |
---|---|
Region | Central and Eastern Europe [1] |
Source of milk | Sheep, goat, cow |
Pasteurised | No |
Texture | Depends on variety |
Fat content | Depends on variety |
Certification | Bryndza Podhalańska : PDO [2] Slovenská bryndza : PGI [3] |
Related media on Commons |
Bryndza or brynza is a sheep milk cheese made across the countries in Central and Eastern Europe, most notably in Slovakia. [1] Bryndza cheese is creamy white in appearance, known for its characteristic strong smell and taste. The cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid. The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then goes strong and finally fades to a salty finish. Recipes differ slightly across countries.
Bryndza is an essential ingredient in preparing traditional Slovak dishes such as podplamenníky s bryndzou or bryndzové halušky .
Bryndza or Brynza, a word borrowed from Romanian brânză ("cheese"), is used in various European countries, [4] due to its introduction by migrating Vlachs. The word brânză (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbrɨnzə] ) is simply the generic word for "cheese" in Romanian. [5]
According to the Romanian Explanatory Dictionary the etymology of ”brânză” is unknown. [6] It is a word presumably inherited by the Romanian language from Dacian, [7] [8] the language of the pre-Roman population in modern-day Romania. Other theories suggest, on the basis of what is used to make cheese, a derivation from Latin brandeum (originally meaning a linen covering, later a thin cloth for relic storage). Alternatively, it is possibly related to Albanian brëndës (“intestines”). Originally it referred to cheeses prepared in a sheep's stomach by reacting with the rennet inside. [9] Outside Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and the flanking regions of southern Poland, it is still popular nowadays in the Czech Republic under the Czech spelling "brynza".
Other regional names for the product include juhtúró in Hungarian, брынза in Russian, brenca in Serbian, Brimsen in German, бринза and бринзя in Ukrainian and ברינזע in Yiddish. [10]
The word was first recorded as brençe, described as "Vlach cheese", in the Croatian port of Dubrovnik in 1370. Bryndza was first recorded in the Slovak counties of Hungary in 1470 and in the adjacent Polish region of Podhale in 1527. [11] In Slovakia, bryndza is regarded as a typically Slovak product and it is one of the main ingredients in the national dish bryndzové halušky. The modern version of the soft spreadable bryndza is believed to have been developed by entrepreneurs from Stará Turá (Western Slovakia) toward the end of the 18th century. [12] They founded bryndza manufactures in mountainous regions of Central and Northern Slovakia, where local sheep cheese manufacturing had deep roots. They traded bryndza and popularized it all around the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. In Austria, it was called Liptauer, after the northern Slovak Liptov region. The Viennese speciality Liptauer, a savoury cheese-based spread, has replaced bryndza with common cows' milk cottage cheese because the original Slovak bryndza disappeared from Austrian market after the Dissolution of Austria-Hungary.
Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years.
Feta is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, a compact touch, few cuts, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brine. Its flavor is tangy and salty, ranging from mild to sharp. Feta is used as a table cheese, in salads such as Greek salad, and in pastries, notably the phyllo-based Greek dishes spanakopita "spinach pie" and tyropita "cheese pie". It is often served with olive oil or olives, and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano. It can also be served cooked, as part of a sandwich, in omelettes, salads, and many other dishes.
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect names of agricultural products and foodstuffs, wines and spirits. Products registered under one of the three schemes may be marked with the logo for that scheme to help identify those products. The schemes are based on the legal framework provided by the EU Regulation No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. This regulation applies within the EU as well as in Northern Ireland. Protection of the registered products is gradually expanded internationally via bilateral agreements between the EU and non-EU countries. It ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed to be identified as such in commerce. The legislation first came into force in 1992. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods, promote rural and agricultural activity, help producers obtain a premium price for their authentic products, and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of a different flavour. Critics argue that many of the names, sought for protection by the EU, have become commonplace in trade and should not be protected.
Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been influenced mainly by Turkish but also a series of European cuisines in particular from the Balkan Peninsula and Hungarian cuisine as well as culinary elements stemming from the cuisines of Central Europe.
Liptauer is a spicy cheese spread from Slovak, Austrian and Hungarian cuisine. Liptauer is made with sheep milk cheese, goat cheese, quark, or cottage cheese.
Slovak cuisine varies slightly from region to region across Slovakia. It was influenced by the traditional cuisine of its neighbours and it influenced them as well. The origins of traditional Slovak cuisine can be traced to times when the majority of the population lived self-sufficiently in villages, with very limited food imports and exports and with no modern means of food preservation or processing.
Sirene, also known as "white brine sirene", is a type of brined cheese originating from Bulgaria. It is made of the milk of goats, sheep, cows, buffalo or a mixture thereof. It is slightly crumbly, with at least 46–48% of dry matter containing 44–48% of fat. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, in salads, and in baking.
Žinčica, Žinčice, Żętyca, Жентиця, or Zyntyca is a drink made of sheep milk whey similar to kefir consumed mostly in Slovakia and Poland. It is a by-product in the process of making bryndza cheese.
Halušky are a traditional variety of thick, soft noodles or dumplings found in many Central and Eastern European cuisines under various local names.
Bundz or budz, also known as bunc in the Podhale dialect, is a cheese traditionally produced in the Carpathian region of Poland and Ukraine.
Telemea is the name of a Romanian cheese traditionally made of sheep's milk. Nowadays the term encompasses cheese made out of cow's milk, and in some cases of goat's, or buffalo's milk.
Bergkäse refers to a number of varieties of cheese produced in the Alps. This includes products of mountain farming, the cultivation of alpine pastures as well as the milk processing of local producers in dairies. The term does not say much about the type or production method of the product called mountain cheese, which is usually a hard or semi-hard cheese with no or little holes, usually with a natural rind, but there are also semi-hard cheeses and soft cheeses under this designation. The term is used also generically for Swiss-type or Alpine cheeses, which resemble these in taste and texture but do not come from one of the traditional cheese making regions. The texture is rather hard, sometimes with small holes or cracks, the flavour strong and often a bit nutty.
Bryndza Podhalańska is a Polish variety of the soft cheese Bryndza, from the Podhale region, it is made from sheep's milk.
Lighvan is a sour, hole filled brined curd cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk in Liqvan, a village in East Azerbaijan, Iran.
Redykołka is a type of cheese produced in the Podhale region of Poland. It is sometimes known as the "younger sister" of the Oscypek cheese and the two are occasionally confused. The similarity comes from the fact that redykołka is traditionally made using leftover Bundz from Oscypek production.
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designate products that have been produced, processed and developed in a specific geographical area, using the recognized know-how of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned.
brânză