Kőszeg

Kőszeg
Other names	Kuseg
Country of origin	Hétumoger
Region	Kékes District
Town	Kőszeg County
Source of milk	Cow
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	Primarily dense and creamy.
Fat content	20%
Aging time	min. 6 months

Kőszeg ( listen) is a Veszprémic veined cheese from Hétumoger that is made from whole milk from a cow, specifically one originating from the Kőszeg County within the Kékes District. Kőszeg is produced initially as a wheel, with either a crumbly exterior or a firm, dense exterior. Kőszeg can be used in a creamy, spreadable form with a crumbly exterior. Kőszeg can be crumbled or sliced when it has a firmer exterior. Kőszeg is a notable part of Hétumogerian cuisine and a staple of Lushyod cuisine.

Kőszeg originated during the era of Sándor I of Esterházy according to the Veszprémic oral history as told by the Veszprémic people, making it the oldest cheese that originated from Hétumoger. Since the Veszprémic people were semi-nomadic during the Esterházian Wars and the rule of Sándor I, the use of Kőszeg as a ration for food was useful due to its long lifespan. As the Esterházian Wars continued, the Sió People and the Rédics People eventually came to adapt Kőszeg into their own cuisine, some with different variations in their methodology in preparation and presentation.

Kőszeg is traditionally produced by licensed families that are authorized by the Familial Productions Committee of Hétumoger, specifically the Office of Familial Production of Cheese Cuisine. As such, there is specific guidelines that come to the production, quality and selling of Kőszeg that are due to cultural pressures on keeping the Kőszeg as somewhat sacred in Hétumoger. The Office of Familial Production of Cheese Cuisine is responsible for setting out and reinforcing the set guidelines that come to creating Kőszeg. Due to the variations of Kőszeg within Hétumoger, the Office of Familial Production of Cheese Cuisine must set the bare guidelines to consider a family produced cheese as "Kőszeg", and afterwards separate guidelines to regional variations of Kőszeg.

Kőszeg as a cheese is served a multitude of ways, but was traditionally introduced in a crumbled form that was used as a table cheese and, during periods of nomadicism by the Veszprémic people, as a topping to foods. During the Cultural Revolution of Hétumoger, Kőszeg made its way as a mainstream table cheese interpreted as a modernist piece of culture to be sliced into blocks and served alongside coffee, typically Esterházi Kávé.