Zázrivá korbáčiky

Korbáčiky are made from parenica, a steamed and stretched sheep or cow milk cheese pulled into fine threads while still warm and then plaited by hand into small braids about the length of a finger, sold plain or smoked. Zázrivá in Orava is the village most associated with them and holds the protected designation. The plaiting is done by hand at speed and the cheese has to be worked while it is still at the right temperature.

What to look for

• The hand plaiting - threads braided by hand while the cheese is still warm.
• The stretched curd - the parenica method the threads are pulled from.
• The smoked version - braids cold-smoked to a darker colour and stronger taste.
• The roadside dairies - producers selling directly in and around the village.

When to go

Year round; dairies and stalls sell daily. Fresh is better than long-kept and the cheese is meant to be eaten within days. Weekend traffic through Orava is heavy in the ski season.

Things to know

Industrially made korbáčiky are sold widely across Slovakia and are not the same; buying at the village or from a named producer is the difference. The cheese is very salty. It keeps only a few days fresh.

Nearby

Dolny Kubin is west, and the Mala Fatra rises south.