More Than The Meatballs

Swedes love their cheese. Sweden has many types of cheese, but one is special: Västerbotten. Named after its birthplace in northern Sweden, Västerbotten is a “celebration” cheese often served at special events and holidays.

As the story goes, the cheese was born when a milkmaid was distracted by her lover as she was stirring curd. The resulting uneven heating and stirring created the unusual Västerbotten.

FLAVOR
Västerbotten is a hard, dry cheese full of small holes. It has a distinct taste, somewhat like Parmesan. It’s very rich in flavor—Dagmar at A Cat in the Kitchen describes it as, “quite salty and a bit fruity with a vague hint of toffee, but I have to admit that I never analyse the taste, I just eat it.”

HOW TO BUY
Any good Swedish specialty store in the US will stock Västerbotten by the wheel. In my experience, it tastes better when bought freshly-cut from the wheel.

However, Ikea sells pre-packaged wedges in roughly half-pound increments for  $11.99/lb ($5-7 per wedge, only in physical locations). Beware—they seem to sell out during the holidays.

HOW TO SLICE
To properly slice Västerbotten, a slicer called a “cheese plane” in the US is necessary. The more common wire slicers just don’t cut it, literally.

Cheese planes are fairly easy to find at home and kitchen stores.  Don’t buy Ikea’s slicer; it’s dull. Oxo’s version works well, with the added benefit of a comfy handle. A cheese plane is necessary for any hard-cheese lover—the wire cutter and knife seem barbaric in comparison.

HOW TO EAT
Cheese and bread is a popular snack in Sweden. I love to eat Västerbotten, tomatoes and salami on bread for breakfast or brunch. One serving is satisfyingly filling, unlike a fast-food egg sandwich.

Admittedly, I’ve never cooked with Västerbotten (a wedge is lucky to last a couple days). Västerbotten’s official website has a PDF download with some recipes in English to try.

Know a good recipe? Please share it in the comments.