Poland lays claim to Oscypek

Not enough to go to war over, but Poland and Slovakia are in a fight over oscypek. No, it's not a territory - it's a cheese.



The tiff is over the right to register a traditional smoked cheese, made from ewe's milk, soaked in brine and smoked. Poland had wanted it added to the EU's protected list this month. But, Slovakia objected, meaning that neither country can lay claim to it. Can a local tradition be patented?

It’s a regional product in Poland, a speciality of the Podhale region. Tasting oscypek, and of course bringing it home to family and friends, is a must for anybody who goes for a trip to the Tatra mountains or visits Kraków and Zakopane. For centuries oscypek has been produced locally by mountaineers in fairly primitive conditions and sold in stalls and open-air markets. The precise procedures of its production were closely guarded family secrets, passed on from generation to generation. Now, because of EU hygienic standards of food manufacture and processing forced on member nations - it just ain't the same.

The two countries have six months to come to an amicable solution. If not, the EU will have to rule on the matter.

According to the Associated Press, Oscypek would have become only the second listed agricultural product from the eight Eastern European nations that joined the EU in 2004. The first was Budejovicke beer from the Czech Republic.