Gjetost, Norway's absolute delicious cheese

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I was recommended this cheese by a native of Norway, and from the way they described it, I was interested. Did some research, was even more interested. Once I tried it, I was all "man, the rave reviews were ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFIED!"


First, a little background. Gjetost (also called several other names depending on the variant like Brunost) is a national staple of Norway. It's made via the boiling of cheese whey with added cream until it goes below 80% fluid to solid ratio. The resulting cheese, with a very distinct sweet taste due to the caramelization of the cheese (which results in the brownish color due to the cooking of the milk sugars), is a very soft and spreadable cheese. This cheese is a common breakfast staple, going well with coffee, toast, pancakes/waffles, and can also be good for sandwiches or even a sweet snacking cheese by itself.

Now, it can be made with cow's milk, but goat's milk is what most Norwegians would consider authentic. I managed to get some from my favorite cheesemonger Murray's, made with goat's milk. It comes in a small cube-like form yet has the texture of hard fudge.

When it came time for taste testing, I have to admit I was surprised, because I barely could tell it was cheese. It was like caramel and peanut butter fudge with a very distinct sweet aftertaste, and while I like the harder, drier, and saltier cheese most of the time, if you forced me to eat this and nothing else for a month, you'd be threatening me with a good time.

My mother absolutely loved it. It went down smooth and as a huge fan of the softer cheeses, she wanted to buy extra for breakfast snacking, and I can't really blame her. My grandmother concurred, finding she really enjoyed the creamy taste.

Few extra notes of warning: This cheese is a bit on the fatty side, so I don't recommend it in large quantities, but in small portions for spreads and as a snack it would be just fine. It's a fairly young cheese that will story reasonably well if properly refrigerated, and I'd keep it cool to avoid having it melt to avoid a mess, as it's commonly shipped in cube or block form.

I really enjoyed this cheese, and I'd like to salute Norway for making something that even I, generally a hardcore dry and salty cheese fan, absolutely loved and would gladly have more of.

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