Parenica

What it is

Parenica is a semi-soft unripened cheese with a very delicate taste. It is easy to recognize: a long cheese strip is twisted from both ends towards each other, forming the letter S, and tied with a cheese string. One such roll usually weighs about one hundred grams.

Inside, the cheese is creamy-yellow and layered — it can be unwound and torn into strips. After smoking, the surface becomes golden or yellow-brown. There is both smoked and unsmoked parenica.

It is eaten plain, with bread and wine; children love to unwind the strip.

In the salaš and cheese dairies of Slovakia, parenica is sold individually, often still warm after smoking. The fresh strip unwinds easily and barely squeaks on the teeth. This is the most delicate of Slovak sheep cheeses — a good start for those who are afraid of sharp bryndza.

History and name

The name comes from the word 'parenie': the cheese is softened in hot water, and only then can it be pulled into a strip. This is one of the three classic cheeses of Slovak salaš — along with bryndza and oštiepok.

In the EU register: protected geographical indication (PGI), registered name «Slovenská parenica», registered in 2008. Sources

Ingredients and allergens

Sheep lump cheesesouredFresh rennet cheese that the bača gathers into a lump at the salaš; the raw material for bryndza, parenica, and oštiepok.Contains allergens: milk

Rennet (klyag)in the initial cheeseNatural rennet from the stomach of a milk lamb or calf, which causes milk to curdle into cheese.

Also: salt (brine)

Contains allergens: milk
Diet: gluten-free · no cooking

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is made

Sheep lump cheese is left to sour: at 20–25 °C this takes 24–40 hours, and the cheese becomes plastic in the warmth. It is cut into thin strips and kneaded in a bowl with water at 63–65 °C.

The softened mass is squeezed in the palms, pulled into a strip, and folded — this is done two or three times. The strip is leveled in the groove of the forming board, immersed in brine for 3–5 minutes, folded in half, and rolled from both ends.

The roll is tied with a cheese string, dried, and lightly smoked in cold flowing smoke. If smoked for too long or in warm smoke, the cheese quickly sours.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Mountain and foothill Slovakia: Orava, Liptov, Turiec, Spiš, Pogrón, Kysuce. The map shows entire regions — the area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Polonyna (May — September) · Everyday food

Safety

Fresh cheese does not keep long — buy it on the day of production or from a refrigerated display.

FAQ