It’s white, neither sweet nor sour, melts in your mouth and is strongly reminiscent of childhood holidays in your grandmother’s village. Ask any Lithuanian what this reminds them of and they’ll undoubtedly all say – curd cheese. This product might seem a little odd to foreigners, but it’s a much-loved staple of our cuisine and a must-try for any visitor.
Produced Since the Middle Ages
Over a year ago, the European Commission added curd cheese to a list of protected products. It’s the third Lithuanian food product to have been added to this list. This means that curd cheese has been made according to an authentic recipe and ensures it’s of the highest quality.
This is a great way to preserve our culinary traditions. Lithuanian curd cheese is now marked with a special label that protects it from misuse and inferior imitations. The buyer can be sure that they’re getting the real deal whenever they see the seal of approval.
In the Middle Ages, Lithuanian curd cheese was produced in manors. The production process isn’t particularly difficult, but it requires a great deal of hard work. In villages, many people still make curd cheese at home. It’s an integral part of Lithuania’s culinary and national heritage, and features prominently in our everyday lives. Lithuanians are very proud to offer curd cheese to foreigners; even great cheese-making countries like France and Italy don’t have anything like it.
The label that guarantees the authenticity of the product also specifies the region it comes from because curd cheese is made using traditional methods throughout Lithuania. This type of cheese was widespread in the central part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which includes present-day Lithuania, Belarus and parts of Poland.
I Milk Myself, I Press Myself
You’ll find curd cheese in almost every shop, big or small. Small producers of curd cheeses are of great social and cultural value. The principle of “I milk myself, I press myself, I feed myself” is followed in small production companies. Small producers respect themselves and their clients. They also respect the environment by sticking to environmentally friendly production practices.
There are two cheese markets in Vilnius. Every Sunday from 10:00–13:00, friendly cheesemakers gather at the salad/soup restaurant Mano Guru to offer a mouthwatering variety of local cheeses. A second cheese market takes place on Thursdays at the Tymas Market in Užupis from 11:00–17:00. Gourmands will find a wonderful variety of Lithuanian cheeses at these bustling outlets, from traditional curd and sweet milk cheeses to mouthwatering goat and sheep cheeses made according to French traditions.
For the past 15 years, Ginta Novičkienė has been producing high-quality cheese in the Varėna region and selling it at various outlets in the capital. She says traditional curd cheeses are increasing in popularity, but her most popular product is natural fresh milk cheese. It’s very similar to curd cheese but is made in a different way. “Sweet milk cheese can be produced right after you milk the cows”, Ginta explains.
Fresh milk is boiled (and simultaneously pasteurised) and then concentrated by adding some acid. Cheese producers know exactly how to control this process to achieve the right texture, conistency and taste. The cheese can then be transformed into a dessert, which is extremely popular with both children and adults in Lithuania, or can be smoked or fried with herbs and other seasonings. The milk cheese is slightly more yellow than the curd cheese because it has around 20% fat. It’s recommended to consume this type of cheese within three days. The curd cheese is white and leaner, with around 14% fat.
Lengthy Production Process
According to Ginta, curd cheese is produced in accordance with ancient traditions and is “live” because it’s unpasteurised. It’s impossible to make this cheese quickly. First, you have to sour the milk at the proper temperature. Later, you need to skim the sour cream from the surface of the milk, otherwise the cheese can be too bitter.
Typically, soured milk is boiled at 40–50°C until it concentrates into curd. It’s then put into a special cheese bag and vigorously pressed. It’s more difficult to find this type of cheese in markets because the production process is labour intensive. Price-wise, one kilogram of fresh milk cheese should cost you around €6 and traditional curd cheese around €7.
The nutritional properties of curd cheeses are similar to that of curd: they’re rich in vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus and B group vitamins.
Ginta comically says that whenever she makes curd cheese at home, her family eats it right away. It’s amazing that she finds the time to do any home cooking at all. She has five cows, milks 50 litres of milk per day in winter and a whole lot more during the summer. According to her, it takes 10 litres of milk to make one kilogram of curd cheese.
Sweet and salty
In order to learn everything she could about making curd cheese, Ginta asked for recipes and advice from a range of older people. She wanted to make a curd cheese that was true to the ancient techniques used by countless generations before her. In other words, she wanted to make a truly Lithuanian cheese. Cumin is often mixed into the cheese, but Ginta tends to make her cheese without any additional seasoning. Unlike other producers, she also refuses to add salt to the mix because people’s diets have generally become less salty.
Lithuanians love to eat cheese with honey or jam. Those without a sweet tooth often like to eat it with an omelette.
Small dried cheeses called Kmynukai are also very popular in Lithuania. They’re made with equal parts of sweet and sour milk. The cheese, which is richly flavoured with cumin, has a very specific smell and is often consumed as a beer snack. It’s a curd cheese but is dried in special premises using a carefully controlled draught. This cheese is usually sold in small 50-gram chunks. Expect to pay around €1.50 for a pack. It makes an excellent present because it can keep for up to a month.
This article was written by Gina Kubiliūtė and has previously been published in Good Mood Travel Magazine.
For more local recommendations read:
What locals like to do in Vilnius
Where locals like to eat inVilnius
Where locals like to party in Vilnius
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