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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]
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Bryndza or brynza is a sheep milk cheese made across much of East-Central Europe, including in Ukraine^[4] and 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.

In Slovakia, bryndza serves as the main ingredient to bryndzové halušky, which is regarded a national dish.

Brynza is an essential ingredient in preparing Ukrainian cornmeal dish called banosh.

Etymology

Bryndza or Brynza, a word borrowed from Romanian brânză ("cheese"), is used in various European countries,^[5] due to its introduction by migrating Vlachs. Though the word brânză (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbrɨnzə]) is simply the generic word for "cheese" in Romanian,^[6] there is no special type of cheese associated with it (the name of the animal is added to differentiate Brânză de vaci).

According to the Romanian Explanatory Dictionary the etymology of ”brânză” is unknown.^[7] It is a word presumably inherited by the Romanian language from Dacian,^[8][9] the language of the pre-Roman population in modern-day Romania. 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.^[10] Outside Slovakia, Romania 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.^[11]

History

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.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.

Geographical indications

• Slovak bryndza from Slovakia was registered in the EU's Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications on 16 July 2008^[3] as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). The geographical indication was requested on 4 October 2007.^[14] Slovak bryndza must contain at least 50% of sheep milk. Sheep (ovčia) bryndza contains 100% sheep cheese.
• Bryndza Podhalańska from Poland has been registered in the EU's Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications on 11 June 2007^[2] as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The geographical indication was requested on 23 September 2006.^[15]

See also

• Brânză de burduf from Romania, made from caș
• Austrian Liptauer
• Bulgarian Sirene
• Greek Feta
• Italian Ricotta
• Mexican Queso fresco
• List of cheeses

References

Further reading

• Ehlers, S.; Hurt, J. (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World. Complete Idiot's Guide to. Alpha Books. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-59257-714-9. Retrieved 19 May 2016.