This, for English speakers certainly an exotic term, represents nothing else than production of soft creamy sheep cheese-like substance called "bryndza." The word, originally unknown to Slovaks, was brought on our territory by the Wallachians together with their extensive sheep farming "industry." In Rumania, this word is used to describe generally any kind of sheep cheese. Over the years, bryndza and its side products has become very popular, finding its way to many dishes of Slovak cuisine. The truth is, that not only our dishes were enriched as May bryndza is especially "worshipped" by local gourmets as her quality, after long winter months, is considerably improved thanks to the fresh cheese being used for its preparation. During wintertime when fresh green fodder is absent it is produced from salted cheese reserves.
In general, "the whole sheep" has always found plentiful practical utilization. In this respect, a popular folk song ... "sheep, sheep, your triple benefit"... appears to be a sheer underestimation of this domestic animal's role in everyday life of Slovaks.
One of the main centres of sheep farming is traditionally Podpolanie region (Detva, Hrinova, Ocova, Zvolenska Slatina, Zvolen) in mountainous central Slovakia, providing ideal conditions for such activity. Detva has become a bastion of "bryndziarstvo" and cheese industry after "transferring" the sheep milk processing from sheep farms to more specialized centres being established in numerous Slovak villages and small towns. Therefore, perhaps not surprisingly, the first bryndza industrial processing outlet was set here in 1787.
Bryndza used to be the main and highly valued product of sheep milk processing around Slovakia. The whole technological process started with lumpy sheep cheese as basic material and this fact is the chief reason for its archaic production still being alive after so many years. Bryndza was not only an exclusive ingredient to accompany many farmers' dishes but bryndza making was also an oustanding and very simple method of conserving surplus sheep cheese.
In home bryndza production, well-risen sheep cheese, once being delivered from salas to individual households, was left to further mature in wooden mangers stored in cool cellars or larders. When fully matured, a thin top crust was removed. As a next step, a cheese lump was cut into smaller pieces and hand-knead into mash-like mass. Salt as a must and other optional ingredients (onion, chives,...) were gradually added during the kneading process. Kneaded cheese was pressed into special wooden vessels called "geleta," tightly closed by a wooden lid burdened by a stone. High quality bryndza can be stored in geletas throughout the whole winter without suffering both flavour or quality loss.
The original method of bryndza production was quite labourious and time-consuming. Once the cheese was carefully handled and mature, hand rolling, kneading and lump forming followed. Only later, this labourious task was replaced by using firstly hand powered and later engine powered mills. Such processed substance can directly be used for cooking and preparing meals.
Originally, bryndza production was limited to a period from March to October when fresh pasture was widely available. Once sheep were off their fresh fodder, there was no other way of producing bryndza but using surplus summer reserves. A special preservation method was introduced, where sheep cheese was firstly thoroughly salted and stored in cold cellars. Cheese processing into bryndza was the next step, after which bryndza was packed and shipped off.
Earlier on sheep stomachs or leather sacks were used for distribution. However, bryndza quality was declining rapidly in them with time. Luckily, later on, special wooden barrel-like vessels called geletky were introduced, improving considerably its quality and durability, allowing bryndza to be distributed even as far as to Vienna, Prague and Budapest. Only from Detva outlet itself, several wagons fully laden with both bryndza and sheep cheese, well-sought delicatessens on the tables of town folks, were despatched annually.
Mass production was probably to "blame" for penetrating of "geletka" into households, allowing thus villagers to acquire much finer bryndza.
We must say that bryndza has not lost anything from its popularity on both festive and daily Slovak tables. Of course, over the years its mass production has been modernised a great deal. Presently, the most important Slovak bryndza factory is still located in Podpolanie region in its biggest town Zvolen.
For cooking enthusiasts, although we are well aware of the fact that bryndza is probably not available outside central Europe region, we decided to publish a recipe for perhaps the most popular bryndza dish called "bryndzove halusky." To underline variability of bryndza utilization, we have decided to list a few examples of bryndza based dishes:
And finally, here is the recipe for "halusky."
Raw potatoes Semi fine flour or coarse flour mixed proportionally with fine flour Salt Bryndza Bacon Method:
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This simple dish is very hearty and healthy. Instead of bryndza, many other substances are being commonly used. The dish is excellent in stewed white cabbage, stewed sauerkraut, curd, grated kolhrabi, scrambled eggs, cream, grated smoked cheese or spread cheese variations. Instead of bacon, fried spicy chippolata can be used. Another typical recipe is to mix halusky with fried onion and lightly fried cooked potatoes.
My own, more modern recipe for those "mad" about tartar sauce, is to mix halusky with stewed sauercraut, fried chippolata and personally preferred amount of sauce.
Bon appetit!