Liptauer is a spicy cheese spread from Slovakian, Austrian and

Hungarian cuisine Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products. ...

. 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 nuclei. All commonly o ...

, or cottage cheese.

Etymology

The name is derived from the German name ''Liptau'' for the region of Liptov in northern Slovakia.

Overview

It is a part of the regional cuisines of Slovakia (as ''Šmirkás'', a form of the German ''Schmierkäse'' for cheese spread), Hungary (''körözött''), Austria (''Liptauer''), Slovenia (''liptaver''), Serbia (''

urnebes Urnebes ( sr-cyr, Урнебес, , meaning "disorder, mess") is a type of spread or salad characteristic of Serbian cuisine prominent in the city of Niš and southern Serbia. It is made of white cheese, kajmak and hot chili peppers, with salt ...

salata'', "chaos salad"), Croatia, Albania (''liptao''), Italy (especially in the province of Trieste), and Romania (especially in Transylvania, 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 Bryndza (from Romanian ''brânză'' cheese) is a sheep milk cheese made across much of East-Central Europe, primarily in or around the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and southern Poland. Bryndza cheese is creamy white in app ...

, 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 ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

, fresh parsley and whole (or ground) caraway seeds. Variants add others such as prepared mustard, Worcestershire sauce,

capers ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning ...

and anchovy paste.

Consumption

Liptauer is traditionally eaten as an open sandwich, especially with rye bread or pumpernickel toast, or bagels, 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 In eastern Austria, a ''Heuriger'' (; Austrian dialect pronunciation: Heiriga) is a tavern where local winemakers serve their new wine under a special licence in alternate months during the growing season. The ''Heurige'' are renowned for their at ...

, Austrian wine-drinking taverns.Vienna Heuriger
/ref> 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 Pálpusztai is a Hungarian soft cow's milk cheese, known for its pungent odor. It was developed by Pál Heller of the Derby és Vajtermelő Cheese Co. in the 1890s. Heller named the cheese after himself (Pál), not after any real place. Pá ...

References

{{Slovak cheeses Slovak cheeses Slovak cuisine Hungarian cuisine Austrian cuisine Cheese dishes Spreads (food) Spicy foods

Etymology

Overview

Consumption

See also

References