Liptauer is a spicy cheese spread from Slovak, Austrian and

Hungarian cuisine Hungarian or Magyar cuisine (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Magyar konyha'') is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary, and its primary ethnic group, the Hungarians, Magyars. Hungarian cuisine has been described as being the P ...

. Liptauer is made with sheep milk cheese, goat cheese,

quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nucleus, atomic nuclei ...

, or cottage cheese.

Etymology

The name is derived from the German name ''Liptau'' or ''Liptó'' for the former county

Liptov Liptov () is a historical and geographical region in central Slovakia with around 140,000 inhabitants. The area is also known by the German name ''Liptau'', the Hungarian ''Liptó'', the Latin name ''Liptovium'' and the Polish ''Liptów''. Etym ...

in northern

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Overview

It is a part of the regional cuisines of Slovakia (as ''Šmirkás'', a form of the German ''Schmierkäse'' for cheese spread),

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

(''kőrözött''),

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(''Liptauer''),

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

(''liptaver''),

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

('' urnebes salata'', "chaos salad"),

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, Albania (''liptao''),

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(especially in the province of Trieste), and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

(especially in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, where it typically goes by the Hungarian name, ''körözött''). The three main ingredients are spreadable white cheese like

, chives and paprika. About one third of "traditional" Liptauer consists of bryndza, a sheep milk cheese. Other soft cheeses used include cottage cheese, quark and goat. These are mixed with sour cream, butter or margarine and finely chopped onions; sometimes beer is added. Usual spices include ground

paprika Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...

, fresh parsley and whole (or ground)

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

seeds. Variants add others such as prepared mustard,

Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce (UK: ) is a fermented liquid condiment invented by pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century ...

, capers and anchovy paste. In Szeklerland and among other Transylvanian Hungarians,

tarragon Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herbaceous plant, herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medic ...

is also mixed in.

Consumption

Liptauer is traditionally eaten as an

open sandwich An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a single slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a ty ...

, especially with rye bread or pumpernickel toast, or

bagel A bagel (; ; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. Bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a torus or ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. ...

s, and also as an appetizer with crackers, served with beer or wine, or as a filling for cold dishes such as stuffed tomatoes, peppers, celery or hard boiled eggs. Ready-made Liptauer is generally available in small tinfoil packages and has a spicy, sharp taste. In Austria, Liptauer is a typical snack served at Heurigen, Austrian wine-drinking taverns. In Slovakia and Hungary many families have their own recipe for the dish. In Serbia, Liptauer is available in most restaurants that serve local cuisine. It is often made spicy with paprika, roasted red peppers and egg yolks. Another substitutes for bryndza: * Schlierbacher cheese (in German) * Mondseer cheese (in German) * Pálpusztai cheese

References

{{Slovak cheeses Slovak cheeses Hungarian cuisine Austrian cuisine Cheese spreads Spicy foods

Etymology

Overview

Consumption

See also

References