Description
The Slovenská Bryndza PGI is a spreadable white cheese made from mature sheep cheese or from sheep and cow cheeses, as long as the percentage of sheep cheese is higher than 50%. The sheep's milk used originates from animals of the races Valaska, Zoslachtená valaska, Cigája and V?chodofriÅLzska ovca.
Production Area
The production area of the Slovenská Bryndza PGI extends throughout the entire Slovakia.
Production Method
the production takes place in specialised dairies that purchase loose sheep and cow cheeses and process them. Upon arrival in the dairies, these cheeses are separated according to the level of ripeness and placed in maturation chambers at a temperature between 8°C and 20°C for a period of three to five days. Once maturation has been reached, the cheese is accurately cleaned removing the dry layer and then pressed for two days. Successively, it is mashed and crushed into lumps of 2-5 cm with the help of a mill or a grinder. The mixture obtained is treated carefully until it becomes uniform, adding salt or pickle if necessary. Afterward, the packaging takes place, either manually or with the help of machinery.
Appearance and Flavour
the Slovenská Bryndza PGI has a delicate aroma and flavour, connoted by a pleasant acidity typical of sheep cheese, with a slightly spicy and salty taste, and a granulate texture containing a rich mixture of bacteria and milk enzymes.
History
The production of the Slovenská Bryndza PGI is long-standing. A lot of written and literary evidence dating back to 1900 can be found, which describes the qualitative requisites of this product and its fabrication method. This proves that the cheese was produced in a continuous manner for many years, and that it constituted an important subsistence source in the past for the inhabitants of this area. Furthermore, it was known abroad and exported, even if in small quantities.
Gastronomy
The Slovenská Bryndza PGI should be kept in the refrigerator to maintain its qualities, since it is a rapidly deteriorating product. It can be consumed spread on bread or as ingredient for the preparation of various dishes, lending them a typical flavour and scent. It is used as basic ingredient for the preparation of various traditional Slovak dishes, such as the bryndzové halusky, the national Slovak dish made with dumplings and bryndza; the bryndzové pagáciky, the round dough filled with bryndza; the pirohy, the bryndza filling; the bryndzové placky, the crêpes with bryndza; and the bryndzovníky, the sweets made with bryndza.
Marketing
The product is sold as Slovenská Bryndza PGI. It is marketed in baskets of wood or other suitable material holding from 1 kg to 5 kg, or in small packages of 123 gr to 1 kg covered with aluminium foil or wrapped in cling film.
Distinctive Features
The distinguishing factor of the Slovenská Bryndza PGI is its particular preparation through the crushing of pieces of already produced cheeses, which are transformed into a delicate and spreadable cheese. The properties of the cheese depend on the natural microflora determined by the pedoclimatic conditions of the production area in which the sheep are bred and pastured.
