Gamalost (also Gammelost, Gammalost) is a traditional
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
.
History
Gamalost, which translates as old cheese, was once a staple of the Norwegian diet. The name might be due to the texture of the surface, or the fact that it is an old tradition, not the ripening which may take as little as two weeks. Like many traditional Norwegian foods, such as
flat bread
A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread.
Flatbreads ra ...
, dry salted meats and
stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks (which are called "hjell" in Norway) on the foreshore. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage lif ...
, Gamalost could be stored for long periods without refrigeration.
The brownish-yellow cheese is firm, moist, coarse and often
granular
Granularity (also called graininess), the condition of existing in granules or grains, refers to the extent to which a material or system is composed of distinguishable pieces. It can either refer to the extent to which a larger entity is subd ...
. Gamalost is rich in protein with low fat content, measuring 1% fat and 50% protein.
Production
To make Gamalost, lactic starter is added to skimmed cow's milk, causing it to sour. After several days of souring, the milk is slowly heated, before the
curd
Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as lemon ...
s are separated and pressed into forms. After removal from the forms,
mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...
is introduced onto the surface of the cheese, either by exposure to the wooden walls of the form that is only used for Gammalost, or rubbed on by hand in the traditional method. The cheese is then allowed to cure for four to five weeks. The ripening happens from outside inwards, so the center might be lighter than the parts near the exterior.
Gamalost production is very labor-intensive, particularly if traditional methods are used. Everything depends on the proper fermentation and maturation. It is not made in sufficient quantity for mass export. As such, it is rare to find the cheese outside Norway. Commercial production has principally been limited to the
Tine facility in
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*Vík í Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
.
Gamalost Festival
Gamalost Festival (''Gamalostfestivalen'') is an annual event held in
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*Vík í Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
in
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
at the beginning of summer every year.
See also
*
List of cheeses
This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depe ...
References
Other sources
*
*
*
Related reading
*Diehl, Kari Schoening (2012) The Everything Nordic Cookbook (Quarto - Everything Books)
*Scott, Astrid Karlsen (2015) ''Authentic Norwegian Cooking: Traditional Scandinavian Cooking Made Easy'' (Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.)
External links
TINE in NorwaySynnøve FindenGamalostfestivalen
{{Norwegian cheeses
Norwegian cheeses
Dairy products
Blue cheeses
Cow's-milk cheeses
Acid-set cheeses