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Cheese from Poland, Podlaskie

Ser koryciński swojski PGIser koryciński

Whole cow milk, raw or since 2024 also pasteurised with a lactic culture, is warmed and set with rennet and a little salt within five hours of milking. The curd is drained and moulded in strainers that give a fluted, flattened ball, rubbed with salt and ripened from 2 days (fresh) to over 14 days (ripe).

Fully documentedCheese2.2 daysPGI (EU), Reg. (EU) No 728/2012; amended by Reg. (EU) 2024/326 to allow pasteurised milkFamily: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAbout 3 g of salt goes into every 10 l of milk; no other doses are given. Cheeses weigh 2.5–5 kg.
Whole cow milk, raw, or pasteurised with a lactic acid starter culture addedCheese making must begin no later than five hours after milking ends[koryc-oj2011][koryc-oj2023]
Rennet[koryc-oj2011]
Table salt in the milk, plus salt for rubbing the cheese after mouldingabout 3 g for every 10 l of milk[koryc-oj2011][koryc-oj2023]
Spices and herbs such as pepper, dill, caraway, garlic, chives or paprika (optional)[koryc-oj2023]
Starternone for raw milk; a lactic acid culture where pasteurised milk is used

Total time across the recorded steps: 2.2 days

Start
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What changes: Rennet and a little salt go into warm, fresh whole milk

Step 1 of 4
Warm the milk and add rennet and salt
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Making must begin no later than five hours after milking ends. Where pasteurised milk is used, a lactic acid starter culture also goes in.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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

At a glance

Whole cow milk, raw or since 2024 also pasteurised with a lactic culture, is warmed and set with rennet and a little salt within five hours of milking. The curd is drained and moulded in strainers that give a fluted, flattened ball, rubbed with salt and ripened from 2 days (fresh) to over 14 days (ripe). Made in 4 steps over 2.2 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 2 days (European Commission 2011) and runs at 5–15 °C (Kliks J 2022).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 daysSet[koryc-oj2011][koryc-oj2023]Ripen
Temperature5–15 °CMeasured[kliks2022]Ripen

What makes this one different

Moulded in strainers that leave its fluted surface, with salt added to the milk itself as well as rubbed on, and sold fresh after only 2–4 days as well as matured or ripe.

Ripening classes
Świeży (fresh) 2–4 days; leżakowany (matured) 5–14 days; dojrzały (ripe) over 14 days
Size
Flattened ball up to 30 cm across, 2.5–5 kg, fluted surface
Milk rule
Cows pasture-grazed at least 150 days a year

Related ferments

Safety

A survey of 45 retail cheeses found coagulase-positive staphylococci in most, enterotoxin in one and Listeria monocytogenes above the EU limit in four, which the authors tie to raw milk and hygiene. The 2024 amendment allows low pasteurisation with a starter culture.

Hazards the sources name: Coagulase-positive staphylococci in 68.9 % of 45 retail cheeses, enterotoxin in one; Listeria monocytogenes above 10^2 cfu/g in four; no Salmonella.

History and sources

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

The name was placed on Poland's list of traditional products in 2005, and a Korycin cheese festival has been held every autumn since 2004.

  1. [koryc-oj2011] European Commission 2011, Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, single document 'Ser koryciński swojski' PGI, OJ C 345, 25.11.2011 (Publications Office cellar copy)spec
  2. [koryc-oj2023] European Commission 2023, Publication of an application for approval of a Union amendment, 'Ser koryciński swojski' PGI (pasteurised milk), OJ C 337, 25.9.2023 (Publications Office cellar copy)spec
  3. [kliks2022] Kliks J., Białobrzycka Z., Krzyszkowska M., Korycka-Korwek J., Ciepliński M., Kasprzak M. 2022, The Aroma Composition of Koryciński Cheese Ripened in Different Temperatures, Molecules 27(24):8745paper
  4. [antoszewska2024] Antoszewska A., Maćkiw E., Kowalska J., Patoleta M., Ławrynowicz-Paciorek M., Postupolski J. 2024, Microbiological Risks of Traditional Raw Cow's Milk Cheese (Koryciński Cheeses), Foods 13(9):1364paper