Swedish Herrgardsost
Sweden is a Nordic country in northern Europe. It shares land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast. Swedish cuisine is traditionally simple and fish, meat and potatoes play an important role. Cheese is also an important part of Swedish cuisine and Sweden is quite well known for its different cheese making traditions. It is also known for its famous meatballs, which are traditionally served with gravy and potatoes.
Herrgardsost is a Swedish cheese made from cow’s milk. This cheese has been made in Sweden since the 1890’s and it is still as popular today as it was then. The name Herrgardsost means manor house in the Swedish language. Herrgardsost cheese is also sometimes called Herrgard cheese. Herrgardsost is a semi-hard aged cheese, which is manufactured in wheels which measure around 40 centimetres in diameter and are 12 centimetres wide. Each of these wheels weighs around 14 kilograms.
Herrgardsost cheese is pale yellow in colour and has many holes. It has a creamy somewhat elastic consistency. It is similar to Gruyere cheese but it is softer and suppler. It has a round shape and its smooth pale yellow natural rind is usually covered with yellow wax. It has a mild nutty flavour similar to cheddar cheese and it has a fresh zingy tang.
Herrgardsost cheese starts off as partly skimmed milk which is usually pasteurised. The next step is to introduce bacterial starters into the milk. One of these is lactic acid bacteria which acidify the milk and another is propionic bacteria which are responsible for producing carbon dioxide which in turn is responsible for creating the characteristic holes that herrgardsost is known for. The soured milk is then curdled by adding rennet which is a natural complex of enzymes produced in a mammalian stomach to digest milk. The addition of this mixture of enzymes is what causes the soured milk to separate into curds and whey. The curdled milk is then heating to no higher than 43 degree Celsius.
The whey is drained and the remaining curds are pressed into a wheel. The wheel is then salted in brine. The salted wheels of cheese are then left for two weeks after which they are coated in wax. The waxed cheese is then left to age for another three to four months but sometimes it is even left for twelve to fourteen months. It is this aging process that intensifies the flavour of the cheese thus producing its characteristic flavour.
The finished cheese usually has a 39.5% water content, a 29% fat content, a 27% protein content and a 1.5% salt content. The low calorie fat free cheese is made with fully skimmed milk and has a 53-57% water content in the dry matter.
Herrgardsost cheese melts evenly and easily and keeps very well. It is great as a cheese used to make delicious fondues, which are usually served with bread. Herrgardsost is also great by itself as a snack between meals. The cheese goes very well in meat or vegetarian sandwiches. It holds its own even in salads and is a great topping for pizzas. One particular recipe calls for a mixture of herrgardsost cheese, gorgonzola cheese, which is a blue cheese, ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese mixed together with mushrooms and tomato flavoured with thyme and oregano as a pizza topping. The result is a cheesy pizza with a distinctive flavour and is a pleasure for cheese lovers.
- Ayesha Sruti Ahmed
Tags: cheese, sweden, swedish herrgardsost
Related Posts:Related Posts
Leave a Comment
