Ingredients
Milk
- 5 litresfresh raw or pasteurised sheep milk
To curdle
- animal rennet, as directed on the bottle
- or vegetarian rennet
To finish
- salt, a pinch
- the whey itself, which is the drink
Equipment
- a large pot
- a thermometer
- a cloth for straining
Directions
- Pour the milk into a large clean pot. Warm it slowly up to about 32C. Use a thermometer rather than guessing. Too hot and the rennet is destroyed.
- Take it off the heat at that temperature. Adding the rennet needs some care. Stir it into the warm milk thoroughly. Stir for no more than thirty seconds. Then stop stirring completely.
- Cover the pot and leave it undisturbed. Setting takes about forty minutes. Cut the set curd into cubes with a long knife.
- Cut in one direction and then across. Aim for pieces about two centimetres across. Let it rest for ten minutes after cutting. Return the pot to a very low heat. Warm it slowly up to about 38C.
- Stir it very gently as it warms. The curds firm up and then sink. Line a colander with a clean cloth.
- Set it over a large bowl or pot. Ladle the curds and whey into it. Salt them and press them to make bryndza. Left in a warm place it sours within a day.
- Taste it regularly as it develops. Refrigerate it as soon as it is sour enough. Discard it if it smells rotten rather than sour. Serving it is done warm or cold. Add a pinch of salt if it tastes flat. Drink it within two days and keep it refrigerated.
Technique
- The salas is the seasonal shepherd’s hut of the Slovak mountains, and zincica is sold there to visitors during the summer.
- Bryndza, the cheese it comes from, holds a protected designation in Slovakia.
Substitutions
- Cow milk can be used and gives a milder whey, though it is not zincica in the strict sense.
- Whey left over from making ricotta or paneer at home can be soured the same way.
Variations
- Fresh sweet zincica is drunk straight after the cheese is made.
- The soured version is sharper and is what most people mean by the name.
- Some huts sell a version thickened with a little of the curd.
History
Drunk at the salaš shepherd huts of the Tatras, where it was the by-product of making bryndza and a shepherd’s daily nourishment.
Frequently asked questions
What is Žinčica?
Žinčica is a drink from Slovakia: sour whey drink left from sheep cheese making, drunk warm or cold. Drunk at the salaš shepherd huts of the Tatras, where it was the by-product of making bryndza and a shepherd’s daily nourishment.
How long does Žinčica take to make?
Žinčica takes 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 1 litre. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Žinčica?
Yes, within limits. Cow milk can be used and gives a milder whey, though it is not zincica in the strict sense. Whey left over from making ricotta or paneer at home can be soured the same way.
What is the most important thing to get right in Žinčica?
Pour the milk into a large clean pot. Warm it slowly up to about 32C. Use a thermometer rather than guessing. Too hot and the rennet is destroyed.
