Top 4 Polish Semi-hard Cheeses

Redykołka is a small, semi-hard cheese made from half-fat sheep's milk in the Podhale region in Poland. The name derives from the Polish word redyk, meaning a ceremony where sheep are taken to mountain pastures, kept there grazing and brought back down from the mountains. The cheese is made in unusual shapes of small animals, birds, hearts or spindles. It must not exceed the maximum weight of 300 grams, the smallest one being redykolka in the shape of a spindle and weighing from 30 to 60 grams. It is made from the leftovers in the process of making the famous Polish Oscypek cheese and is regularly confused with it. In the past, Redykolka was often used as a gift from shepherds to children or guests and it was always given in even numbers. The cheese is smooth and white on the interior while it is straw-colored on the exterior due to having been smoked. Its taste is slightly salty, smoky and spicy.Expand

This spindle-shaped smoked cheese hailing from the Tatra highlands is made exclusively with salted and unpasteurized milk from the Polish mountain sheep, though sometimes a small amount of cow milk from the Polish Podgórska red cow breed can also be added. Oscypek is produced from May to September and it is regarded as a traditional product of Poland's southernmost region, Podhale. With its pronounced smokiness and a unique salty and slightly sour flavor with subtle hints of chestnuts, this mildly piquant cheese is best enjoyed grilled, accompanied by cranberry marmalade.Expand

Radamer is the first Polish cheese with holes, produced by Spomlek dairy. Made from cow's milk from Polesie region, the cheese combines elements of both Dutch and Swiss tradition, and it's easily distinguishable by its cherry-sized eyes (holes) that are dispersed throughout the pale yellow paste. The flavors are nutty and sweet, and the cheese is sold in wheels, quarters, bricks, and slices. There is also a smoked version of Radamer. Interestingly, Radamer is the most awarded Polish cheese.Expand

Ser koryciński swojski (Rustic, or Local cheese from Korycin) is a unique ripened and salted cheese produced from unpasteurized, full-fat cow's milk in Sokólski County, Podlaskie Province in Poland. The cheese has a specific shape due to the strainers in which it is made - it is flattened and spherical with an elliptical cross-section. It weighs from 2,5 to 5 kilograms, and on the interior, it has numerous small holes of different sizes dispersed throughout its creamy yellow body. The flavor or Ser koryciński swojski is mild and creamy when fresh, and salty and nutty if matured, and dry, salty and nutty if fully ripe. Also, the cheese has a delicate scent of fresh butter. Additionally, fresh herbs and spices may be added to the cheese, such as garlic, basil, dill, chives, mint, paprika, olives and marjoram.Expand