I’ll be in Chicago for several days, about a month from now, and I’m determined to get my mitts onto some oscypek. But googling - even in Polish - has turned up zero sources for the spindle shaped, elaborately carved, smoked, sheep’s milk based deliciousness.
I assume import regulations are cock-blocking me, but does anyone know the details?
Or another angle: I’ll be in the epicenter of Polish-American society, and I can read the language & speak it pretty fluently. I’m also very familiar with the concept of “cwaniak” which has no good translation into English but connotes a cavalier disregard for rules made by The Man esp. if there’s some profit in it for you, as long as you don’t get caught, of course.
Perhaps someone has clandestine knowledge of a deli tucked into a hidden corner somewhere, and a secret knock or password lets them know I’m here to buy the good stuff?
Since oscypek isn’t sold on Amazon, should I assume there’s no official source for it in the U.S. at all? (I am not averse to unofficial sources, if someone’s babcia is flying in to visit from The Old Country soon.)
Please don’t make me go all Martha Stewart and try to make the stuff at home myself.
How badly do you want it? You’re about 90 minutes from Milwaukee. Try calling Mars Cheese Castle, they’re probably 20 minutes across the border. There’s also the West Allis Cheese Shop and, being in Wisconsin, some of the big box stores (Meijer, Woodman’s etc) may have it.
I’d also suggest you try calling Vern’s Cheese in Chilton WI or Knaus Cheese (also called Weyauwega/Star Dairy) in Rosendale, WI.
And there’s countless other cheese shops in the area. Since it’s Polish, you might want to start with a Polish deli/meat market and see what they have to say.
PS. If you do call Vern’s or Knaus and they have it, I may be able to facilitate getting it to you if they won’t/can’t ship it. I get deliveries from both of those places every week so it’s no big deal for them to deliver it to me.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Oscypek at Mars Cheese Castle or any of the usual cheese places in Wisconsin. And I’ve never seen it at Woodman’s or any place like that. This is what the stuff looks like, and it’s sold as a whole piece usually (perhaps you can sometimes get it cut in half–I’m not sure, but I think I’ve only seen entire logs of it being sold.)
Anyhow, some of the Polish groceries should have it. There’s one by my house, Shop & Save, at Archer and Central that regularly carries it. I’ll have a look for you if they have it today if I have some time to go out there. Where abouts are you staying? I could perhaps give you leads, though the southwest side of Chicago is more of the góral/Highlander area than the northwest side Poles, so you’ll probably have better luck in my neck of the city.
Now, whether it’s 100% authentic-to-the-letter oscypek, I don’t know for sure. Even in Poland, there’s a lot of knock-off oscypek that doesn’t hew completely to the rules being sold. But it is imported from Poland, and is identifiable by look and taste as oscypek.
Actually, I thought this was ringing a bell. We talked about it a bit back in this thread. (Post #78 is where I check the Shop & Save at Archer & Central and report back.)
Deli 4 You, Richards, and Montrose Deli all say they have it but my Polish coworkers warm me that don’t expect the same artisanal stuff you’d find in the mountains.
Even in Zakopane which is a famous and popular mountain town, most of the oscypek cheese is colored with coffee to mimic the smoked product. Still good but the real stuff is pretty hard to come by.
I’m intrigued now so I’ll do a little footwork and see what I can come up with.
Eta so basically what pulykamell said but in the NW side:).
I find that weird (though I do believe it), because the smoked taste is so immediately identifiable. You’d certainly be able to tell from the first taste, I would think. Anyhow, the oscypek I’ve bought here was definitely smoked. I can check with my parents tomorrow (my dad is from Zakopane, and my mother worked there for years), and they tend to know the delis pretty well on at least this side of town, so I’ll see if they have any recommendations.
Also, go to a small mom n pop type deli or specialty food store and ask them. If they don’t have it, they can talk to their vendors and possibly bring some in for you.
I guarantee you none of those places will have oscypek. It is an extremely niche cheese specifically sought by the Polish community. I have never in my life seen it anywhere outside a Polish deli.
OK, I messaged my cousin, whose entire family hails from the Zakopane area (married a Highlander as well), and while she says usually she just gets it from people coming from Poland or when she visits Poland, she was happy with the oscypek sold at Lassak’s. There’s a location in Palos Hills and one in Willowbrook. I would call ahead just to be sure. I haven’t been there, so it’s quite possible it’s all the same stuff being sold everywhere–I’m not sure if there are multiple suppliers for the cheese here.
I had never heard of this cheese but it looks and sounds delicious. My buddy and his family are back in Illinois/Wisconsin. I asked them to try and bring me some. I just hope it isn’t made with rennet.
It is typically made with rennet. The best I could find online in Polish is that either animal or synthetic rennet is used, but that manufacturers don’t usually state what source it is. So unless explicitly stated, I would assume an animal source for purposes of vegetarianism.
I stopped by the Shop & Save on Central & Archer that I mentioned before, but they do not have oscypek right now. There’s usually a cooler near the deli that has a selection of imported Highlander foods, but that’s been replaced with a cooler of prepared meals. I looked in the cheese section, and they do have gołka, which is a pretty much a cow-milk-only version of oscypek ($9.39 for a first-sized portion). But no oscypek currently. So definitely call around to ask.
ETA: Oh, as for the gołka, I did check the ingredients to see if there was any mention of rennet. The original English/Polish ingredients list did not even mention rennet, but the sticker on top in English listed “microbiology rennet,” which I assume is microbial rennet, which would be okay for Bo if he’s looking for something oscypek-adjacent.
I’m at my folks right now, and they also agreed with Lassak in Willowbrook. As for gólka, it’s milder. Still smoky and salty, but without that sheep milk vibe. With the Oscypek, like I said, call ahead to check, as they haven’t been there recently, but that’s where they’ve bought it before.
There’s another Shop & Save across from Superdawg which is pretty convenient to Ohare and I-90/Kennedy Expressway. Also, get a Superdawg! Another one to check Rich’s Food & Liquor on Harlem at Lawrence (or is it Gunnison over there?) in Harwood Heights, also easy from the highway and Ohare. Andy’s Deli on Milwaukee is another one if you can survive the parking lot. Avoid that one on the weekends.
