Liptauer Cheese from Zingerman’s Creamery

Excerpt from Ari’s Top 5 enews

5 Tasty Things to Do With “Hungarian Pimento Cheese”

If we were living in Hungary, something like this spicy, creamy, delicious cheese spread would be pretty much ubiquitous! Like pimento cheese in the American South, liptauer (pronounced “LIP-tower”) is a long-standing tradition throughout the part of Europe that made up the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. In fact, I’ve come to realize, it’s essentially a Hungarian version of pimento cheese—a great cheese spread, spiced with chile peppers, and super delicious and much-loved by nearly everyone who tries it!

When I first went to Hungary with Frank and Amy about fifteen years ago, I learned that liptauer is more frequently known there by the name of körözött (pronounced “KUR-uh-zut” with a rolled “r” and a short “uh” sound), but we’d already been calling it liptauer here for so long we decided to leave the label as it had been. The name liptauer comes from Liptó in north-central Slovakia, but almost every region in the area makes some version of it. As with pimento cheese, if you go to its home region, most folks will have their own heirloom recipe. Each family’s recipe is, of course, “the best.” What we make at the Creamery is our version. We start with our very fresh Farm Cheese, spice it up with fresh garlic, a good bit of farmstead Hungarian paprika, capers, toasted caraway, and just a touch of anchovy. It’s moderately spicy and exceptionally flavorful—there’s a big burst of flavor in every bite!

Like pimento cheese, the Creamery’s Liptauer is good on most any savory dish you can imagine! It’s easy to serve at any party, and it’s good morning, noon, and night! Here are half a dozen of my favorite things to do with liptauer:

  • Combine the Hungarian love of both liptauer and predilection for poppy seeds by spreading some on a toasted Grand Poppy bagel from the Bakehouse
  • Add a few spoonfuls of liptauer to scrambled eggs when they’re nearly cooked
  • Spread it on a burger
  • Make it into a grilled cheese—great as it is, or topped with some pickled vegetables
  • Spoon it on top of a hot baked potato, or, just-cooked redskins or Yukon Golds
  • Toss it with hot pasta, and garnish with a generous sprinkle of Hungarian paprika

> SHOP LIPTAUER CHEESE!