Cheese Database

Koryciński vs Oscypek

Koryciński

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Poland
Place
Podlaskie Voivodeship in eastern Poland

Koryciński is a cow's milk cheese from the Podlaskie Voivodeship in eastern Poland. It is also called Swojski, a word that means homemade, and that name fits a farm cheese made with milk, rennet, and salt. The form is a flattened ball, with a thin yellow rind and a pale body full of small holes. Young cheese is mild, moist, and elastic under the knife. With age it grows saltier, nuttier, and a little drier toward the outside.

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.