Västerbotten cheese ( ) is a

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range 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 prod ...

from the

Västerbotten Västerbotten (), sometimes called West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in northern Sweden, located by the Gulf of Bothnia. It borders the provinces of Ångermanland, Lapland and Norrbotten. The region is famous for Väs ...

region of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

History

The village of Burträsk (now part of the

Skellefteå Skellefteå (, locally ) is a Cities in Sweden, city in Västerbotten County, Sweden, with a population of 36,388. It is the seat of Skellefteå Municipality, which had 77,322 inhabitants in 2024. The city is historically industrial, with mining ...

municipality) claims Västerbotten cheese was invented there in the 1870s, supposedly by a dairy maid, (1835-1892). According to legend, she was left alone to stir the curd of a traditional cheese but was interrupted, either by other chores or an assignation with her lover. This resulted in alternating periods of heating and stirring of the curdling milk. Västerbottencheese and ''västerbottensost'' are registered trademarks owned by Norrmejerier, and the cheese is produced only at their dairy in Burträsk. It is a hard

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

cheese with tiny eyes or holes and a firm and granular texture. As in

Cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar, Somerset, Cheddar in ...

, the

curd Curd is obtained by Denaturation (biochemistry), 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, a Kefir cheese, ...

is heated, cut, and stirred before the cheese is moulded and aged. Strong in flavour, its taste is described as somewhat like

Parmesan cheese Parmesan (, ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a grana-type cheese, along with Grana Padano, the historic , and others. The term ''Parmesan'' may refer to either Parmigiano ...

, salty, but with more bitter notes. It is light yellow in colour and has a fat content of 31%. Västerbotten cheese must be aged for at least 12 months, but 14 months is more common practice. Many Swedish people consider it the king of cheese and demand for it has often outstripped the limited supply. It has also been served as part of the Nobel Dinner, and other Royal dinners. For this reason, it is roughly twice as expensive as other types of aged cheese. In Sweden, Västerbotten cheese is considered a must-have for the late summer crayfish party and is also eaten together with the traditional dish of pickled herring, year round. It adds a distinctive flavour to the highly popular Västerbotten cheese

pie A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

, or ''västerbottensostpaj'', as it is known in Sweden. Its filling consists of Västerbotten cheese, cream and eggs, and black pepper. The pie is eaten widely in Sweden, especially during the celebrations of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

and during the crayfish season in August.

References

Other sources

External links

Vasterbottensost.com

Vasterbottensost at Swedishfood.com

The Swedish Cheese That Can't Be Moved (BBC News) accessed 1 Aug 2015Västerbottensostpaj
recipe {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasterbotten cheese Swedish cheeses Västerbotten Cow's-milk cheeses Grainy cheeses Purveyors to the Court of Sweden Skellefteå Municipality

History

See also

References

Other sources

External links