Olomoucké tvarůžky (), also known as olomoucké syrečky () or ''tvargle'' (from its German name ''Olmützer Quargel''), English: ''Olomouc cheese, Olomouc
curd cheese'') is a ripened soft
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
made in
Loštice,
Olomouc Region,
Czech Republic. The cheese is very easy to recognize by its strong scent, distinctive pungent taste and yellowish colour. It is named after the city of
Olomouc where it was originally sold.
Production
''Tvarůžky'' is made from skimmed cow's milk without adding
rennet
Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and a ...
, colourings, flavourings and stabilizers, and contains only 0.5% of fat.
[
]
History
The first written mention of this cheese is from 1452. In 1583, the name ''tvarůžky'' appeared for the first time.
Until the 19th century, Olomoucké tvarůžky was produced in the villages surrounding Olomouc, and was generally regarded as a peasant food. It was at this time that the cheese began to be referred to as Olomouc curd cheese. The A. W. Company has been making this cheese since 1876.
In the first decades of the 20th century there were still several dairies in Loštice that produced the cheese. Until the Holocaust some belonged to Jewish families: Langer, Eckstein, Klein and Wischnitzer.
Since 2010, 'Olomoucké tvarůžky' has been registered as a Protected Geographical Indication
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
by the European Union.
In 2016, a shop in Loštice began producing a variety of ice cream based on the cheese.
Tourism
There is a museum devoted to the cheese at the A. W. Company production plant in Loštice.
See also
* Harzer
Harzer cheese is a German sour milk cheese made from low fat curd cheese, which originates in the Harz mountain region south of Braunschweig.
Harzer is often small and round, in which case it is called ''Handkäse'' or '' Taler'', or cylindrica ...
References
External links
Traditional Czech products - Olomouc curd cheese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olomoucke syrecky
Czech cheeses
Šumperk District
Smear-ripened cheeses
Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union
Cow's-milk cheeses
Peasant food
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