Bronisław Stopka's Shepherd's Hut in Jordanów
Jordanów
Tourist region: Beskid Żywiecki i Orawa
He started his adventure with sheep 30 years ago, and half of that time he spent at Mąkacz near Jordanów, where he runs a shepherd's hut. Before that, he used to pasture in Lower Silesia, in nearby Lachowice, his hometown of Maruszyna. During the grazing season, he looks after nearly half a thousand sheep that belong to breeders from various parts of the Podtatrze region. Bronisław Stopka inherited his passion for sheep from his father, who was also engaged in this profession. He was a shepherd's helper and then a full-fledged shepherded in the Bieszczady and in Jaworki, among other places. He then decided to start shepherding on his own in Jordanów, a well-known town in Małopolska. He does not want to talk too much about the details of making oscypek and other sheep milk cheeses, because, as he says, their deep flavour is a family secret. Even though, of course, all sheep's delicacies are made according to traditional recipes, and the one for oscypek is generally protected by EU regulations. Therefore, complete freedom is out of question and so is the possibility of buying something that will not resemble oscypek. The very spindle shape of this famous cheese is exclusively reserved for the original product. Greater freedom is allowed in the case of the popular gołki, and here the way they are made can vary considerably from one shepherd's hut to another.