Oscypek
A spindle-shaped smoked sheep cheese of the Polish Tatra, pressed in carved wooden moulds.
Also: oszczypek, scypek, Polish smoked sheep cheese
Oscypek is made by highland shepherds in the Tatra mountains of southern Poland from raw sheep milk, with a little cow milk allowed. The fresh curd, bundz, is scalded in hot water, kneaded by hand and pressed into hand-carved wooden moulds that give it a spindle shape with decorative patterns. It is then soaked in brine and smoked for days in the rafters of the shepherd's hut, turning golden or brown. Oscypek has been protected in the European Union since 2008, with production limited to the sheep season from late April to October. It is sold at stalls in Zakopane, and is eaten sliced, or grilled with cranberry jam.