The traditional highlander food you should try in Zakopane starts with sheep’s cheese: smoked oscypek, salty bryndza, fresh bundz and little redykołka. Then come the dishes of the Podhale kitchen: kwaśnica sauerkraut soup, potato flatbreads called moskole, potatoes known locally as grule, mountain trout and lamb. Most of them come from a time when highland families lived on what their sheep, fields and forests provided. This guide lists the essential dishes, explains what each one is and tells you how to order them.
For advice on where to eat, from wooden taverns to mountain huts, see our food lover’s guide to Zakopane.
Traditional highlander food: the checklist
| Dish or product | What it is | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Oscypek | Smoked sheep’s cheese in a decorated spindle shape | Grilled with cranberry sauce |
| Bryndza podhalańska | Soft, salty, tangy sheep’s cheese | On bread, in pierogi or soup |
| Bundz | Fresh, mild sheep’s cheese | Sliced, in season |
| Redykołka | Small decorative cheese shaped like animals or hearts | As a snack or souvenir |
| Kwaśnica | Sour sauerkraut soup, often with smoked ribs | With potatoes or bread |
| Moskole | Flatbreads made with potato, baked on a hot plate | With garlic butter or bryndza |
| Grule | Highland word for potatoes | Boiled with sour milk or butter |
| Trout | Mountain-stream fish | Grilled or fried whole |
| Podhale lamb | Lamb from mountain-grazed sheep | Roasted or in a stew |
| Żentyca | Whey left from cheese-making | As a drink at a shepherd’s hut |
Sheep’s cheeses: the heart of highland food
For centuries, sheep grazed the high pastures of the Tatras and Podhale each summer, and shepherds turned their milk into cheese in wooden huts called bacówki. Several of these cheeses are protected by European Union rules, which means the traditional recipe and area of production are defined.
Oscypek
The symbol of Zakopane. Oscypek is made from sheep’s milk (sometimes with a limited share of cow’s milk), pressed into carved wooden moulds that leave a decorative pattern, then smoked. It is firm, salty and smoky. Locals and visitors alike eat it grilled until soft, with cranberry sauce. Genuine oscypek is made seasonally, roughly from spring to autumn, while the sheep are on the pastures.
Bryndza podhalańska
A soft sheep’s cheese that is fermented and then ground, giving it a spreadable texture and a sharp, salty, slightly sour taste. It was the first Polish product registered by the EU as a protected regional food. Try it spread on bread with onion, as a filling for pierogi, or stirred into soups.
Bundz
The starting point for both oscypek and bryndza: a fresh, mild, slightly sour cheese with small holes. It is best eaten very fresh at a shepherd’s hut in season.
Redykołka
Small smoked cheeses in the shape of animals, birds or hearts. Traditionally they were given as gifts when the flocks returned from the pastures in autumn. Today they make an easy, edible souvenir.
Soups that warm you up
Kwaśnica
If you try one soup, make it kwaśnica. It is made with sauerkraut and its juice, usually cooked with smoked pork ribs, and served with potatoes or bread. A good kwaśnica is distinctly sour; adding vegetables like carrot is said to turn it into an ordinary cabbage soup.
Other soups to look for
- Bryndzonka: a soup thickened with bryndza, creamy and tangy.
- Zaproska: a simple soup with dried mushrooms, a reminder of the frugal highland kitchen.
- Żur (kiesełyca): sour soup, in some highland versions made with whey.
Soups are often served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread, which makes a filling lunch on its own.
Potatoes, flatbreads and dumplings
Moskole
Flat, slightly chewy breads made from potato and flour, baked on a hot stove plate and served warm with garlic butter or bryndza. One popular story links their name to Russian prisoners of war who were in Podhale during the First World War. Whatever the origin, moskole are one of the most authentic highland foods you can order.
Grule
Potatoes were the staple of the poor mountain soil, and “grule” is their highland name. A classic simple meal is boiled potatoes with buttermilk or sour milk.
Pierogi and placki
- Pierogi with bryndza or with potato and cheese: Polish dumplings with a highland touch.
- Placek po góralsku: a crisp potato pancake topped with goulash. It is a modern restaurant favourite rather than an old shepherds’ dish, but it is on almost every menu.
Meat and fish
- Podhale lamb and mutton: roasted, grilled or slow-cooked in stews. Look for it in spring and autumn especially.
- Trout: from mountain streams and local fish farms, usually grilled or fried whole and served with potatoes.
- Grilled meats: pork neck, sausages and ribs cooked over wood in many taverns, often in generous sharing platters.
- Bigos: a slow-cooked stew of sauerkraut, cabbage and meat, typical of Poland as a whole and much loved in the mountains in winter.
Drinks and sweet things
- Żentyca: whey, the traditional drink of shepherds. Sour and refreshing, and available at some shepherd’s huts in season.
- Hot tea with lemon or fruit syrup: drunk everywhere in the mountains. “Tea with a kick” adds a splash of something stronger.
- Grzaniec: mulled wine, sold at winter stalls.
- Szarlotka: apple cake, a favourite in mountain huts after a long walk.
How to taste it all in one evening
Ordering a full menu of highland dishes in one meal is hard. A highland feast solves that. Our highlanders’ feast in Poronin serves unlimited regional food in a hillside hut, with a live band, dancing and a bonfire.
In winter, our Chochołowska Valley sleigh ride ends with a bonfire feast of bigos and highland music.
Tips for food lovers
- Real oscypek is seasonal: from late autumn to spring, most “oscypek” on sale is a similar smoked cheese made from cow’s milk. Tasty, but different.
- Buy from the source: shepherd’s huts and certified sellers at markets offer the most authentic cheeses.
- Share platters: portions are large; ordering several dishes to share lets you try more.
- Ask for local specials: moskole and bryndzonka are not always on the main menu.
FAQ
What is the most famous food from Zakopane?
Oscypek, a smoked sheep’s cheese with a carved pattern, usually eaten grilled with cranberry sauce.
What is the difference between oscypek and bryndza?
Both are made from sheep’s milk. Oscypek is pressed, shaped and smoked; bryndza is fermented and ground into a soft, spreadable cheese.
What are moskole?
Traditional highland flatbreads made from potatoes and flour, baked on a hot plate and served with garlic butter or bryndza.
Is highland food suitable for vegetarians?
Partly. Cheeses, moskole, pierogi with bryndza and potato dishes are vegetarian, but many soups, such as kwaśnica, are cooked with meat.
When can I buy real oscypek?
Genuine oscypek is made while the sheep graze on the pastures, roughly from spring to autumn. Buy it from shepherd’s huts or certified sellers.
