Västerbotten cheese is a source of pride for Swedes.
Västerbotten cheese matures for at least 14 months. Västerbottensost
Sweden’s Västerbotten, also called the Parmesan of the North, is one chef Risto Mikkolan favorite cheeses. If not the number one favorite.
Västerbotten is a crumbly, characteristic and strongly aromatic hard cheese that has been matured for at least 14 months.
– It is a hard cheese with a strong characteristic taste, good acid and saltiness. Västerbotten goes well with many foods. In food preparation, it is good both warm and cold, Mikkola praises.
He continues that Västerbotten is a strong cheese with its own flavor. A bit like we have Aura cheese. In Mikkola’s opinion, there is nothing like it anywhere else.
So it’s no wonder that Västerbotten is Sweden’s most popular cheese. It is also one of the oldest brands in our western neighbor. Along with Mikkola, Västerbotten has also paved the way for other Finnish chefs.
Västerbotten has been made the same way since the dairy Ulrika Eleonora Lindström created his recipe in 1872. The recipe is still a closely guarded secret, which only a few know and which is safely stored in the dairy’s safe.
Västerbotten cheese is called Parmesan of the North. Västerbottensost
When Ulrika Eleonora Lindström was 30 years old, she received an inheritance of 500 Norwegian krones, which she used to pay for her studies at Degeberga Dairy College in Western Götaland. There he learned to make Western Götan cheese and in 1869 he brought the knowledge to the newly established Gammelby dairy. Ulrika Eleonora started as a maid, but after only three years she had progressed to a corresponding milkmaid whose skills were recognized.
According to the story, Västerbotten was born by accident. No one knows exactly what happened in 1872, the day the Västerbotten recipe was born.
The story goes that the courtship of the milk ring made Ulrika Eleonora completely forget about the cheese pot. At first the cheese was considered a failure, but when it was later tasted, its unique taste was revealed.
But there’s an even bigger mystery to making cheese than inventing it.
Despite numerous attempts, making cheese elsewhere than in Burträsk has proven to be impossible. No one has managed to find out the reason for this.
Various theories have been put forward, such as the water in the area or the quality of the milk milked from the cows.
Source: vasterbottensost.com