Cheese Database

Bosnian smoked cheese vs Oscypek

Bosnian smoked cheese

Facts

Texture
Hard
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian smoked cheese is a very dry, hard cheese from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Local names include suhi dimljeni sir and dimljeni sir, which point to a cheese that is smoked and dried. A dark skin covers a pale interior, and the taste is piquant from the smoke and the salt. People eat it with meals rather than as a mild snack. Both home kitchens and dairies make it, so pieces can look a little different from one another.

Oscypek, field guide plate
Oscypek, photographed

Oscypek

Facts

Milk
Sheep
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Poland

Oscypek is a smoked sheep's milk cheese from Poland, formed in the mountain dairies of the Tatra Mountains. Each piece is a small spindle, with a stamped pattern pressed into the surface before it meets the smoke. The outside turns golden to brown, and the interior stays pale, firm, and elastic. Salt and wood smoke are part of the identity, not extras you can ignore. You can slice it for a board or heat it and eat it while it is soft.