Chorna Tysa Plus farm — Hutsul sheep brynza, Chorna Tysa

Chorna Tysa Plus is a sheep farm in the village of Chorna Tysa, part of the Yasinia community, in the Poderei area. The family keeps more than a hundred sheep and makes cheese the way Hutsuls have for generations: on mountain pastures, with natural rennet and no hurry. The farm belongs to the Association of Producers of Traditional Carpathian High-Mountain Cheeses and since 2019 has been a certified producer of "Hutsul Sheep Brynza", the first Ukrainian product registered as a geographical indication. In other words, brynza from here is not just "home-made cheese" but a product with a guaranteed origin and a controlled method.

Why go to Chorna Tysa

For travellers it is a chance to see Hutsul sheep farming up close rather than simply buying cheese at the market in Yasinia. According to the Rakhiv-area tourism portal, the farm offers:

• a farm tour showing how sheep milk is turned into cheese;
• a tasting of brynza, budz and vurda right where they are made;
• cheese to buy directly from the maker, with no middlemen and in season;
• drinking water, meals, lodging and a camping spot, which is handy if you are hiking the Svydovets range and need somewhere to stop.

The date of that listing is unknown, so check the visit format, cheese availability and overnight options by phone before you set off.

What to taste and buy

The star is Hutsul sheep brynza. Under the geographical-indication specification the sheep must graze mountain pastures above 700 metres. The milk is strained and curdled with natural rennet (klyah); the resulting budz is pressed, matured and crumbled with salt. The result is a salty, piquant brynza with a rich, creamy taste that Hutsuls add to banush, kulesha (cornmeal porridge) and dumplings, or simply eat with bread.

• Budz is young sheep cheese, the base for brynza: soft and slightly tangy.
• Vurda is a light cheese cooked from the whey left after making budz, best eaten fresh.
• Brynza is matured and salted, keeps well and travels well.

Sheep milk in the Carpathians is seasonal, so the best choice of fresh cheese is from spring to autumn, while the flock grazes in the mountains.

Practical information

• Address: 742a Myru St (Poderei area), Chorna Tysa, Yasinia community, Rakhiv district.
• Phones: +38 096 281 24 21, +38 067 312 21 51.
• Hours: per Rakhiv.life, visitors are received daily; arrange your visit in advance.
• Season: fresh sheep cheese mainly from spring to autumn.
• Prices: not published, ask by phone.

Getting there. Chorna Tysa stretches along the valley of the river of the same name, west of Yasinia. By car, take the H09 over the Yablunytsia Pass (from Ivano-Frankivsk and Bukovel) or come from Rakhiv (about 35 km), and turn into the Chorna Tysa valley in Yasinia. Without a car, take a train or bus to Yasinia and continue by local transport or taxi; ask the hosts for directions for the last stretch to the farm.

Website and social media: rakhiv.life

Photos: rakhiv.life; zaktour.gov.ua; bbc.com.