5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (2024)

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5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (1)

Have you heard of Polish farmer’s cheese dip? Gzik recipe is super simple and once you try it, it will quickly become one of the most frequently used in your cookbook.

So what is gzik? It’s a dip made of farmer’s cheese, radish, chives, and sour cream. It’s healthy, and it’s one of the food you can find in almost every Polish home.

Basic Info About Gzik

5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (2)

Even though gzik is exactly what this farmer’s cheese dip and I’ve been eating it since I was a child, I didn’t know the actual name of it until I was an adult.

My husband comes from a different part of Poland- Wielkopolska, where the name gzik is very popular. When I first heard it, I had no idea what it is. But once my mom-in-law explained to me that she is talking about the farmer’s cheese dip, I knew exactly what dish it is.

Gzik is popular all over the country, so it’s not true that this dip is specific to Wielkopolska (Greater Poland). What is specific though, is the way they eat it- they serve it with baked potatoes, as lunch or dinner.

5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (3)

In most Polish homes gzik is served on the bread, as a sandwich.

Different Types Of Gzik

5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (4)

The most popular gzik recipe will include radish and chives, apart from sour cream and farmer’s cheese.

However, the farmer’s cheese dip has different variations, and you will be surprised by what people are adding to it! The base is always farmer’s cheese and sour cream. They should make a spread that can be easily put on the slice of bread.

Here are the most famous add-ons to farmer’s cheese and sour cream:

  • boiled eggs
  • garlic
  • smoked mackerel and onion
  • ketchup
  • any kind of veggies
  • sugar or honey

Tips For Making Gzik

Use Organic Ingredients

Farmer’s cheese, as well as sour cream and veggies, should be organic. Make sure the quality of the ingredients that you are making gzik of is high enough. If you want, you can even make farmer’s cheese at home! Here’s my recipe.

Use A Fork To Mix The Ingredients Together

The consistency doesn’t have to be smooth.

You Can Use Greek Yoghurt Instead Of Sour Cream

Gzik will have fewer calories if you use yogurt.

Polish farmer’s Cheese Gzik Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip Gzik Recipe

5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (5)

What is gzik? It’s a dip made of cottage cheese (farmer’s cheese), radish, chives, and sour cream. It’s healthy, and it’s one of the food you can find in almost every Polish home.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of cottage cheese
  • 4-6 radishes
  • 1 bunch of chives(1/2 cups chopped)
  • 1heaped tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • salt, pepper

Instructions

  1. Place cottage cheese in a bowl.
  2. Chop finely the radishes and chives. Then add them to the cottage cheese. 5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (6)
  3. Add sour cream or yogurt.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix everything together using the fork.
  6. Serve on bread or with boiled potatoes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 362mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (14)

Did you enjoy this Polish farmer’s cheese dip gzik recipe? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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7 Responses

  1. Please provide at the top of the page, a link to jump directly to the recipes. It is so much more convinient, instead of having to scroll down to find it.
    Thanks.

    Reply

    1. I will consider that, thanks for the suggestion.

      Reply

  2. I’m confused. It says to use chives in the recipe, but those are green onions in the photo.

    Reply

    1. Either will work for this recipe.

      Reply

  3. I was wondering if this could be heated up? I made farmer cheese Pierogi and have some farmer cheese leftover. I thought that this recipe would be a better alternative than sour cream.

    Reply

    1. Yes, you can heat it up but without radish or chives.

      Reply

  4. My inlaws are from Poland and my mother in law uses what is called Farmers Cheese and its not Cottage cheese. It’s a bar of soft cheese and she uses it for pierogi. I will try this recipe using the real farmers cheese and not cottage cheese.

    Reply

5-Minute Gzik Recipe! Traditional Polish Farmer's Cheese Dip (2024)

FAQs

What is farmers cheese made of? ›

What is farmer's cheese? Farmer's cheese, a fresh cheese variety, is a pressed cottage cheese that is slightly more acidic and has a firmer texture, thanks to a lower moisture content. Farmer's cheese can be made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats and can be rolled in different herbs or seasonings for extra flavor.

Where is Gzik from? ›

The classic version, called gzik, comes from the Wielkopolska province in Poland. It's built from a farmer's cheese called twarog, which is essentially a dry version of what Americans know as cottage cheese.

How do you serve farmers cheese? ›

The simplest way to eat either is to treat them like plain yogurt, eaten with a little jam, honey, or fruit. Or you can spread the farmer's cheese on toast, with either more jam or savory accompaniments such as green onions or tomatoes.

What is cheesy dip made of? ›

This dip can be mixed and served immediately but the flavor is even better if you have time to allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes. Beat softened cream cheese with mayonnaise, sour cream, and seasonings. Stir in shredded cheese (per the recipe below). Chill and enjoy!

What is the closest thing to farmers cheese? ›

What's a good substitute for farmer's cheese? We've already mentioned that cottage cheese is a good alternative, but Indian paneer and ricotta work too. That said, certain Slavic recipes (like pierogis, blintzes, and vareniki) are simply not as authentic without it.

Is farmers cheese a good melting cheese? ›

Fresh goat cheese, quick farmers cheese, paneer, queso fresco, and ricotta just can't melt. When heated, the acid in these cheeses lose water, but not proteins. Water will continue to be cooked off, but the proteins in the curd are only going to tighten, holding the cheese together.

What is Gzik in English? ›

Noun. gzik m inan. (Poznań, Kujawy) a dish made from cottage cheese, cream, chives, radishes, onions, or eggs synonym ▲ Synonym: gzika.

What does a Polish breakfast consist of? ›

The most popular Polish breakfast food are open-face sandwiches featuring slices of hard cheese, cold cuts, tomatoes and cucumbers. Also eaten are different style eggs (soft and hard boiled, fried, scrambled, etc.), pot cheese with radish and chives or honey or jam served with fresh bread and rolls.

What cheese is the same as farmers cheese? ›

Even Wikipedia says it's just pressed cottage cheese. As far as I can tell, cottage cheese and ricotta are very similar to farmers cheese.

Why is it called farmers cheese? ›

Farmer's cheese is a soft, unripened cheese that was traditionally made in the farms of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was a quick and easy way for farmers to use up any leftover milk on the farm after they had taken the cream. Farmer's cheese is an unripened cheese, meaning it's fresh.

Why is my farmers cheese rubbery? ›

Too much rennet was used or too much butterfat, left your cheese during the process. Rubbery cheese can happen when an excess amount of rennet is used, too much rennet equals a rubber ball, too little, soup!

What state is known for cheese dip? ›

Cheese dip is considered to be an important part of Arkansas's food culture. Not only is cheese dip more popular in the Arkansas area than in other parts of the country, but some claim that the original cheese dip was invented either in North Little Rock (Pulaski County) or Hot Springs (Garland County).

What makes cheese dip thicker? ›

For a cheese dip or sauce, the addition of cornstarch serves a similar function: Starch molecules absorb water and expand, not only thickening the liquid phase of the sauce, but also physically preventing the proteins from binding into long, tangled strands and the fats from separating out and pooling.

Is Velveeta real cheese? ›

Though Velveeta is no longer an FDA-defined genuine cheese, it does have some similarities, namely pasteurized milk and cheese culture.

What's the difference between farmers cheese and regular cheese? ›

Farmer's cheese is an unripened cheese, meaning it's fresh. A lot of cheeses are aged, which removes the moisture. Unripened cheese is eaten fresh so it contains a lot more moisture. Some other unripened cheeses are cottage cheese, cream cheese, and ricotta.

Is farmer's cheese the same as ricotta? ›

Though very similar and interchangeable in most recipes; ricotta is made from whey, whereas Farmer's cheese is made from milk. Is there a substitute? If I don't have time to make this delicious curd cheese from scratch and you can't find it in the store, use Ricotta instead.

Is farmers cheese better than cottage cheese? ›

Cottage cheese may be more familiar in name and product, however, Farmer Cheese is its better-for-you cousin. Both kinds of cheese offer a soft curd texture, an excellent source of protein, and a good source of calcium, but that is where the similarities end.

Is farmer cheese healthier than cream cheese? ›

It is a good source of protein and calcium. The Bad: Farmer's cheese, like all cheese, is high in fat and saturated fat. Recommendations: Watch serving size to keep fat and calories in check. If you love cream cheese on your morning bagel, but not the calories and fat, try this healthier option.

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