U WnukaEst. 1850
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Grilled oscypek with cranberry, Karczma U Wnuka in Zakopane

Starter · Podhale cuisine

Grilled oscypek with cranberry

The most recognisable taste of Podhale, smoked sheep cheese straight from the grill.

Straight from the U Wnuka kitchen

Regional flavours, cooked from scratch

Grilled oscypek with cranberry, Karczma U Wnuka in Zakopane
Grilled oscypek with cranberry, Karczma U Wnuka in Zakopane
Grilled oscypek with cranberry, Karczma U Wnuka in Zakopane

Grilled sheep cheese „oscypek” · 27 zł

A regional classic

Warm, smoked cheese with tart cranberry

About the dish

Oscypek is the hallmark of Podhale, a smoked sheep's-milk cheese with an EU protected designation of origin. We grill it until a golden crust forms on top and the inside turns stringy. We serve it warm, with cranberry jam.

Ingredients

Oscypek, smoked sheep cheese, cranberry jam.

Preparation

We place the cheese on a hot grill and turn it until it browns and melts slightly inside. We serve it immediately, straight from the fire.

Taste and experience

The salty, smoky taste of the cheese meets the sweet-and-sour cranberry, a combination that defines highlander cuisine.

Recommended sides

A great starter to open a meal or an addition to a highlander platter. It pairs with dry wine or mulled wine.

Grilled oscypek with cranberry is the most recognisable taste of Podhale and one of the most frequently ordered starters in Zakopane. At Karczma U Wnuka at 8 Kościeliska Street, about 300 metres from Krupówki, we serve it warm, straight from the grill, with cranberry jam. For many guests it is a must-have start to a meal and their first contact with authentic highlander cuisine.

Oscypek is a smoked sheep's-milk cheese with a designation of origin protected in the European Union; its recipe and method of production go back hundreds of years in Podhale. Its characteristic spindle shape, hard rind and smoked, salty taste make it impossible to confuse with any other cheese. We grill it so that a golden, slightly crispy crust forms on top while the inside turns soft and stringy. Served warm, with sweet-and-sour cranberry, it creates a combination that defines the taste of the region.

It is worth knowing that oscypek belongs to the family of Podhale sheep cheeses, alongside bundz, bryndza and redykołka. All are made from sheep's milk and differ in form and method of processing. The pairing of oscypek with cranberry itself, though today considered typically highlander, is relatively new and was born with the growth of tourism in Zakopane; this does not, however, diminish its taste. If you are looking for where to eat grilled oscypek in Zakopane, in our inn we serve it in its classic form, in the atmosphere of the oldest regional inn in town, a few minutes' walk from Krupówki. It is a perfect starter to share at the table or an addition to a highlander cheese board.

Grilled oscypek is also a perfect choice to begin a longer feast, a light, aromatic starter that is easy to share at the table before the main courses arrive. In summer and winter, at the peak of the tourist season in Zakopane, it is one of the most frequently ordered items on our menu. It goes well with a glass of dry wine, and in winter with warming mulled wine. If you are visiting Podhale for the first time and wondering where to start getting to know highlander cuisine, warm oscypek with cranberry is one of the best and most recognisable choices, simply the taste of the region on a plate.

FAQ · Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions

Oscypek is a cheese made from sheep's milk, sometimes with a small addition of cow's milk, smoked and with a hard, spindle-shaped form. It is the sheep's milk that gives it its characteristic, distinctive taste.

A real oscypek has a designation of origin protected in the European Union and comes from Podhale. We serve a regional sheep cheese grilled on site.

The salty, smoky taste of the cheese is perfectly balanced by the sweet-and-sour cranberry. This combination has become one of the most recognisable tastes of the region, although in itself it is relatively new.

Oscypek is a fatty and fairly caloric cheese, but in a starter portion it is a small amount. The exact value depends on the size of the cheese served.

Bundz is a fresh, white cheese, bryndza is its soft, salted form, oscypek is hard and smoked, and redykołka is a small cheese, often decorated with patterns. All are made from sheep's milk.

Oscypek is a cheese made from milk that has been heat-treated and smoked, and additionally we serve it grilled, hot. In case of any doubts, it is always worth consulting your diet with a doctor.

It has a salty, smoky taste and a stringy, soft inside after heating, while the cranberry adds a sweet-and-sour contrast. It is one of the most recognisable tastes of Podhale and a perfect start to a meal.

No, oscypek is neither sharp nor spicy. It is a salty and distinctly smoked cheese, and its taste is built by sheep's milk and traditional smoking, not by spices. The tart cranberry we serve with it adds a sweet-and-sour contrast, so children happily order the dish too.

Oscypek itself has a centuries-old tradition, but serving it warm with cranberry is a relatively new idea, linked to the growth of tourism in Podhale. This does not, however, diminish its taste; today it is one of the region's calling cards.

At Karczma U Wnuka at 8 Kościeliska Street, about 300 metres from Krupówki. We grill it on site and serve it warm with cranberry, in its classic, regional form.

Try it in person

Come and taste it: Grilled sheep cheese „oscypek”

We don't take table reservations, just come in. We cook every day from 12:00 to 21:00, at Kościeliska 8, about 300 metres from Krupówki.

Call +48 18 206 41 67See the full menu
Call +48 18 206 41 67