Locally known as Salaš, hence the term Salašnícky, Ovčí hrudkový syr is a farmhouse cheese made from unpasteurized sheep's milk, shaped by hand into a lump that gets its unique taste from the traditional process used during fermentation in shepherd's huts in the Slovak Republic's mountainous regions.
It weighs up to 5 kilograms and has a dry surface, with tiny holes and cracks on its interior. It is white to pale yellow in colour and the taste is delicately mild, clean, fresh, slightly acidic, characteristic of sheep's milk products. The texture is quite firm, yet elastic and pliable.