A hard, salty, crystalline cheese baked into the classic crayfish party pie. It was first made in 1872 at Burträsk in Västerbotten by the dairymaid Ulrika Eleonora Lindström, and it is still produced only at that one dairy.
It is made at a single dairy in one Swedish village to a process the producer does not publish, ripened for over a year in a controlled store.
What goes into it
- cow’s milk
- rennet
- a starter culture
- salt
How it is made
The curd is cut, heated and stirred through an unusually long and irregular working before pressing — a step the dairy will not fully describe — then the wheels are brined and ripened for at least fourteen months, developing the tyrosine crystals and the sharp bite. Attempts to make it at other dairies have never produced the same cheese, which the company treats as proof and outsiders treat as a mystery.
How long it takes: at least fourteen months
How it is eaten
Baked into Västerbottensostpaj for a crayfish party, or shaved with a glass of aquavit.
History
First made in 1872 at Burträsk in Västerbotten by dairymaid Ulrika Eleonora Lindström; it is still produced only at that one dairy.
Frequently asked questions
What is Västerbottensost?
Västerbottensost is a cheese & dairy from Sweden: hard, salty, crystalline cheese baked into the classic crayfish party pie. First made in 1872 at Burträsk in Västerbotten by dairymaid Ulrika Eleonora Lindström; it is still produced only at that one dairy.
How is Västerbottensost made?
The curd is cut, heated and stirred through an unusually long and irregular working before pressing — a step the dairy will not fully describe — then the wheels are brined and ripened for at least fourteen months, developing the tyrosine crystals and the sharp bite. Attempts to make it at other dairies have never produced the same cheese, which the company treats as proof and outsiders treat as a mystery. It takes at least fourteen months.
Can I make Västerbottensost at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is made at a single dairy in one Swedish village to a process the producer does not publish, ripened for over a year in a controlled store.
What goes into Västerbottensost?
Cow’s milk, rennet, a starter culture, salt.
How is Västerbottensost eaten?
Baked into Västerbottensostpaj for a crayfish party, or shaved with a glass of aquavit.
