Annie and Sandra asked in the comment section about the Norwegian brown goat cheese so I decided to write about it. For many years, this was the ultimate topping for those open faced lunch sandwiches I talked about in yesterday's post about bread.
I don't know if it as popular still but my parents, as well as many of my friends, always have some in their fridge. The taste is caramelly and soft. In the US and Canada it can be bought in some supermarkets as "Ski Queen".
I am a little rushed so please forgive me for just using a Wikipedia quote (actually I have edited it because there were some mistakes):
Brunost is a brown Norwegian whey cheese. The Norwegian name brunost means 'brown cheese'. The two most popular varieties in Norway are Gudbrandsdalsost, which means 'cheese from the Gudbrandsdal' (made from goat's milk cow's milk), and the more traditional version geitost, which simply means 'goat cheese', and which is wholly made from goat's milk. There are also regional varieties, which vary both in colour and taste, depending on how much caramel they contain. Geitost has a strong, sweet, yet somewhat sharp flavor with notes of caramel and goat's milk, while Gudbrandsdalsost is similar but more mellow in taste.A mixture of milk, cream and whey is boiled carefully for several hours so that the water evaporates. The heat turns the milk sugar into caramel which gives the cheese its characteristic taste. It is ready for consumption as soon as it is packed in suitable sized blocks.
The cheese is always cut with a cheese slicer, if you cut thicker slicer it is a little too overpowering. (BTW, the cheese slicer was a Norwegian invention! We often make fun of the fact that we had to be either very poor or very stingy to invent something that made sure you never got a nice big chunk of cheese!) Many people also put the cheese on waffles, but I don't like that! It does taste great on "Knekkebrød", though, like the Wasa crispbread that you can buy in the Americas as well.
Comments (7)
Cheese! The only thing I like as much as bread! :D
Great post. I'll look for the Ski Queen brandname and give it a try on Wasa.
Posted by colleen | February 26, 2008 5:48 PM
Posted on February 26, 2008 17:48
I'll be checking Global Food for "Ski Queen".
OR, you could just come visit us in St. Louis (like you promised) and you can help me find it yourself.
Posted by Deborah | February 26, 2008 9:21 PM
Posted on February 26, 2008 21:21
Colleen, don't get your hopes up - it really is an acquired taste and there is nothing gourmet about it!
Posted by Chiocciola | February 26, 2008 10:16 PM
Posted on February 26, 2008 22:16
Crikey - interesting looking cheese!
Hey - thanks for looking at my Harry Potter pic. I have fun making those, it's my second one.
Every now and then i just like to declare that it's National Harry Potter Day.
As I just bought two new kits from the Digital Scrapbook Place on the magic theme - I think there might be a few more!
I'm rereading the series yet again!
Posted by Leslie | February 27, 2008 2:37 AM
Posted on February 27, 2008 02:37
Thanks for the info - it looks delicious! We have a couple of stores with big international cheese selections so I'm going to try to track it down.
Posted by Annie | February 27, 2008 1:37 PM
Posted on February 27, 2008 13:37
Thanks for the information about the cheese. It is pretty common here in Seattle which has strong ties to Scandinavia. I think someone brought it to a wine tasting but I avoided it. I'm going to try it next time. Maybe it will go well with wine.
Posted by marta | February 27, 2008 11:41 PM
Posted on February 27, 2008 23:41
Marta, I am afraid it won't go well with wine!! It really doesn't taste like any other cheese. Your best bet is to put it on Wasa crispbread or on crepes...
Posted by Chiocciola | February 28, 2008 8:40 AM
Posted on February 28, 2008 08:40