Europe's Cheese Trail Is A Mouth-Watering Hut-To-Hut Trek Through The Polish Countryside

For food lovers, there isn't a better path in Europe to follow than the Oscypek Trail, winding through the mysterious Tatra Mountains. Located in one of the world's best national parks with Poland's largest peaks, this region in Southern Poland offers a unique blend of scenery, history, and unique culinary traditions. The Oscypek Trail gives a glimpse not only into the history of the region, but also to the unique cheesemaking practices that can only be found here, and is named for the cheese that the region is known for. 

Visitors can make their way through beautiful valleys, coming upon a collection of shepherds huts, which are still inhabited by local sheep herders today — the same shepherd's who make this incredible cheese. While there isn't an official trailhead, the shepherd huts are located near the town of Zakopane, tucked in the shadow of the Tatra Mountains and anywhere from a two to three-hour bus or train ride from Kraków, a city Rick Steves called the Boston of Poland.

The Oscypek Trail itself isn't a marked hiking trail but an invisible, cultural route that connects dozens of shepherds' huts in towns like Kuznice, Kalatowki, and Nowy Targ. As you make your way from hut to hut, you'll see generations of shepherds at work, minding flocks of sheep and making cheese. In Polish, these herders and cheesemongers are known as a baca, a mix between a cheesemaker and sheep herder, who pass down their secret recipe from generation to generation. Most of the baca's are men, but a rare few are women. Each hut has an information board with some snippets about their families and their specific culinary process. 

You'll likely be invited to try the special cheeses, often eaten raw, fried, or grilled, and paired with lingonberry preserves. Many of them also make the traditional shepherds' drink zentyca, which is fermented ewe's milk and a by-product of the cheesemaking process. Aside from indulging in these incredible culinary creations, visitors will also get to see the sheep grazing in nearby pastures, surrounded by incredible mountain scenery. 

While hiking along the Oscypek Trail, you'll have the opportunity to sample freshly made oscypek, a spindle-shaped cheese that has a golden hue and a slight smoky taste. This cheesemaking process was recognized by the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin in 2008, which essentially means that this is a regional product that is authentically made. The cheese must conform to strict criteria, including weight and length, and must be prepared using traditional methods by hand, containing at least 60% sheep's milk. Oscypek is typically produced from April to October using hand-carved, ornate wooden molds that are made from sycamore wood so as not to infuse the cheese with flavor.

If you are visiting outside the months of April to October, when cheesemaking takes place, you can learn more about it at the Oscypek Museum. Located in the heart of Zakopane, a charming tourist paradise with breathtaking views, the museum offers cheesemaking demonstrations several times a day. During the show, you'll have the chance to create your very own cheese. In their shop, they sell oscypek, along with a variety of other cheeses found in the region, and handicrafts.