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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia

Liptauer (körözött)Liptauer

Liptauer is a spread, not a cheese of its own. Ripened sheep bryndza, or fresh curd cheese (Topfen, quark) in its place, is pushed through a sieve and beaten with an equal amount of butter, then seasoned with sweet paprika, caraway, pepper and grated onion. The fermentation happens in the bryndza, which ripens for about two weeks before it is milled with salt. Made in 4 steps over 11 days – 14 days. The longest step, ripen the lump into bryndza, takes 10–13 days (Štefániková J 2020) and runs at 12–22 °C (Štefániková J 2020). Salt is 4–6 % (Štefániková J 2020). Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts of the bryndza does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step10–13 daysReported[stefanikova2020]Ripen the lump into bryndza
Temperature12–22 °CReported[stefanikova2020]Ripen the lump into bryndza
Salt4–6 %Reported[stefanikova2020]Mill with salt into bryndza
AciditypH 5.1–5.3Measured[stefanikova2020]Mill with salt into bryndza

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceEqual parts of bryndza and butter in the traditional recipe; the spices have no fixed amounts.
1 partBryndza (Brimsen), or Topfen or quark · Pushed through a sieve[austriaforum-liptauer]
1 partButter · Beaten until fluffy; the Austrian food code allows butter or cream[austriaforum-liptauer]
To tasteSweet paprika, caraway, pepper and grated onion[austriaforum-liptauer]
Only with unsalted curdSalt · Bryndza is already salted[austriaforum-liptauer]
Starternone at the mixing stage; the bryndza's own lactic bacteria and yeasts did the fermenting

Total time across the recorded steps: 11 days – 14 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
18–22 °Cshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: The renneted ewe-milk curd hangs as a lump while whey drips out

Step 1 of 4
Drain the ewe-milk lump cheese
Time
24 h
Reported
Temperature
18–22 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Yeasts

Output: drained lump cheese (hrudka), renneted at 29–31 °C for 30 min.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

native lactic bacteria of the raw ewe milk start souring the lump

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Liptauer is a prepared spread, not a separately fermented cheese. Made with bryndza, it carries a sheep cheese that ripened for about two weeks before it was milled with salt. The Austrian food code defines it with fresh Topfen instead, which is barely ripened.

Milk
Sheep-milk bryndza, or cow-milk Topfen or quark
Austrian food code
A spread cheese made from Topfen with butter or cream and flavouring ingredients

Related ferments

Variants

  • Körözött / Liptói túró (Hungary)The Hungarian names.
  • Bryndzová nátierka / šmirkás (Slovakia)Made with Slovak bryndza.
  • Austrian LiptauerUsually Topfen with butter or cream.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [stefanikova2020] Štefániková J., Ducková V., Miškeje M., Kačániová M., Čanigová M. 2020, The impact of different factors on the quality and volatile organic compounds profile in "Bryndza" cheese, Foods 9:1195, doi:10.3390/foods9091195paper
  2. [austriaforum-liptauer] Austria-Forum, AustriaWiki, Liptauer (quotes Österreichisches Lebensmittelbuch, Codexkapitel B32 Milch und Milchprodukte, p. 51)wiki