Oscypek

Oscypek is the smoked cheese of the Tatra highlands, made by the mountain shepherds from salted sheep's milk, pressed in carved wooden moulds into a distinctive spindle shape with a patterned rind, then smoked. A protected regional speciality, it is often grilled and served hot with tart cranberry jam, a beloved snack of the Zakopane region.

What you actually see

• The spindle-shaped cheese - the patterned, smoked sheep's-milk cheese.
• Grilled with cranberry - the hot grilled cheese with tart cranberry jam.
• The highland shepherds - the traditional makers in the mountains.
• The market stalls - the stands in Zakopane and beyond.

When to go

Year-round in markets, though the genuine article is made in the sheep-grazing season from spring to autumn. Zakopane's Krupowki street is lined with stalls grilling it.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold as oscypek, especially outside the region and season, is not the genuine protected article, so authenticity varies. The grilled-with-cranberry version is the popular street snack. It is a salty, smoky, firm cheese, an acquired taste for some.

Nearby

Zakopane and the Tatra highlands are its home; markets across Poland sell it.