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Bryndza (soft sheep's cheese)

Eggs & dairy · Fresh cheese

Bryndza (soft sheep's cheese)

Soft, salty, tangy sheep's cheese from the Carpathians; mixed into Slovakia's national dish, bryndzové halušky.

Also called: bryndza cheese, brynza, brinza, slovak sheep cheese

Around the world: bryndza (sk) · bryndza (pl) · brânză de burduf (ro)

A kind of cheese

1 recipe with it

Photo: Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

A spreadable to crumbly white cheese made from sheep's milk (sometimes with cow's milk), salted and ripened. Slovak bryndza has protected status. It is creamier than feta and has a distinctly sour, sheepy flavour.

How it’s used

  • Tossed with potato dumplings for bryndzové halušky
  • Filled into pirohy (dumplings)
  • Mixed with paprika and onion as a spread (šmirkás)
  • Crumbled over potatoes and salads

Characteristics

Taste
Salty, tangy and pronounced, with a sheep's-milk flavour.
Texture
Soft and spreadable to moist and crumbly.
Sold as
fresh
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep covered in the fridge and use within a week or two of opening.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
265 kcal
Protein
14.21 g
Carbohydrate
3.88 g
Fat
21.49 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, feta (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Feta — Mash 2 parts feta with 1 part cottage cheese or a spoon of sour cream.

Related ingredients

Recipes with bryndza (soft sheep's cheese)

More fresh cheese