Oscypek – Polish and Slovakian speciality.
There’s one thing that is common for Poland and Slovakia: Oscypki. It’s very tasty sheep cheese which is made by Polish and Slovakian mountaineers.
Oscypek (in Polish) or oštiepok (in Slovak) is a smoked cheese from Poland and Slovakia. It is an important symbol of the cultural and culinary heritage of Poland's Podhale region in the Tatra mountains as well as northern Slovakia.
Oscypek is created from sheep's milk, although cow's milk is sometimes added. The original oscypek is always made with unpasteurized sheep's milk, which 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.
Before Poland voted to join the European Union, some Polish Eurosceptics warned that oscypek could be banned in the EU because of the use of unpasteurized milk and its production by unlicensed farmers. This fear proved unfounded.