Parenica is a traditional Slovak

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

. Parenica is a semi-firm, non-ripening, semi-fat, steamed and usually smoked cheese, although the non-smoked version is also produced. Parenica is cream and yellow in color, which is darkened by steaming. The cheese is produced in strips, which are woven into snail-like spirals.

The name comes from the Slovak

Slovak language

Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...

 word for steaming. Parenica is a protected trade name under the EU's protected geographical indication

Protected designation of origin

Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

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External links

Production of Parenica (scroll down to "Steamed cheese")