Brindza, bryndza, brânză, liptai, or the cottage cheese of Lipti. It's easy to guess what we're talking about here: the subject is sheep's curd, or „strong curd” as it is known in the Frog.
If you're familiar with the south-eastern corner of the country, a well-known home dish in the Storm Islands is bryndza fish souska (not dumplings, fish souska!). The Slovakian ethnicity that settled in Békés County centuries ago has left its mark on the culinary culture. A good example is the Bryndzové halušky, the Bryndzás haluska, the Békékés version of the Slovakian sheep's cheese strupacka. While traditionally, sztrapacska is made from flour mixed with boiled potatoes, the fish sauce of the Southern Great Plain has no potatoes - but fried bacon and sour cream.
Thanks to shepherds for the „strong cottage cheese”
Brindza or bryndza is also a Slovak and Polish word used in Hungarian, and is also easily recognisable in the Romanian word brânză. Although the strong northern Slavic connection makes many people think that bryndza is a Slovakian newcomer to Hungarian cuisine, it is the Romanians who introduced us to the word bryndza. Shepherd's pie by making us.
The inoculated milk was once used to make fresh cheese in wooden vats, stirred occasionally. The milk, or rennet, was then dried to produce bryndza, or sheep's cheese. The curd was left to rest and dry for two to three weeks until they obtained a dairy product with a punchy consistency inside. This was then grated and pressed to produce bryndza, or sheep's milk curd. As its evocative Hungarian name suggests, sheep's cheese has a more distinctive flavour, stronger taste and smell than cow's cheese, which is why it is called „strong cottage cheese” in Békés.
It is precisely because of this characteristic that the raw material for commercially available sheep's cheese is also a blend of milk: about 70 percent sheep's milk and 30 percent cow's milk. The dairy product, made with a milk rennet process and bacterial culture, is a natural source of probiotics, so it is particularly useful after antibiotic cures, for example, to help the healthy functioning of the gut flora.
„Strong cottage cheese” at home: the Kistelek cheese factory has also become associated with sheep's cheese
The Kistelek cheese factory, well known in Hungarian gastronomy, is located in the Kistelek district of Csongrád-Csanád county. Cheese production has been carried out here for more than forty-five years by the third generation of the family, in the previous system as a unit of the Csongrád County Dairy Company, and since 1994 as a privately owned enterprise. The Kistelek cheese plant is also the largest sheep's milk processor in Hungary.
An everyday gourmet: sheep's cheese, the „strong cottage cheese”
While sheep's curd mousse or sheep's curd snacks can be found in gourmet restaurant starters, sheep's curd is an affordable ingredient that can be relied on in everyday life. The world of old peasant kitchens is evoked by the sztrapacska, the porridge with sheep's cheese (also known as gánca in Slovak) or the still popular puff pastry with sheep's cheese. Strong cottage cheese is a good accompaniment to all kinds of savoury pastries, and in traditional Hungarian restaurants, the main course is still a favourite: fried ribs stuffed with sheep's cheese.
Homemade circular extra - with sheep's cheese
The use of sweet and salty cow curd is a Hungarian speciality. A cow dung based homemade spreads are incomparably tastier than the ready-made ones in the shops. And if you use 1:1 sheep's milk curd in addition to the more subdued-tasting cow's curd, you can mix up a much more exciting-tasting sandwich topping. If you don't want to eat it with bread, you can make a tasty cream with vegetable chips or crackers.
Homemade Sheep Cottage Cheese Casserole Recipe
- 25 dkg Shepherd's pie 25 dkg cow's curd
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 large head of red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons of paprika
- Salt, pepper to taste
Finely chop the red onion, grate the garlic and season with salt. Add the two types of cottage cheese, the spices and the sour cream and mash with a fork.
You can leave it with more rustic chunks, but if you want a really creamy consistency, it's worth passing the curd through a sieve first, then loosening it with sour cream and finally flavouring it. To achieve a more concentrated flavour and deeper colour, sauté the onions in a little fat (butter, duck fat, etc.). After removing from the heat, sprinkle with the paprika, ground cumin and pepper to let the spices release their colour and flavour.
Tip: It is worth tasting several times as you go, and gradually adding flavour.
