Brunost

Brunost(lit.'brown cheese') is a commonNorwegianname formysost(lit.'whey cheese';Danish:myseost;Swedish:mesost;Finnish:mesjuusto;Icelandic:mysuostur/mysingur), a family of softcheese-related foods made withwhey,milk, and/orcream. The characteristic brown color and sweet taste result frommilk sugarsbeingcaramelizedafter boiling. The termbrunostis often used to refer tofløtemysostorGudbrandsdalsost('Gudbrandsdalcheese'), which are the most popular varieties.
Brunostis primarily produced in Norway and is popular there, and has spread to South Korea.It is regarded as one of Norway's most iconic foodstuffs, and is considered an important part of the country's gastronomical and cultural identity and heritage.
Boiling down whey 10:1 to create a brown, cheesy spread (such as the Norwegianprimand Swedishmessmör) has been common in theScandinavian countriesfor at least 2,500 years. An archeological find from September 2016 in centralJutlandhas determined that a cheese residue on pottery from circa 650 B.C.E. is a type of cheese, potentially similar tobrunost.
However, the creation of the modern, firm, fattybrunostis commonly attributed to themilkmaidAnne Hovfrom the rural valley ofGudbrandsdalen. In the second half of the 19th century, Gudbrandsdalen was suffering economically due to falling profits fromgrainandbuttersales. While working at the Valseter mountain farm nearGålåin 1863, Anne Hov (sometimes spelled Anne Haav) came up with the idea of adding cream to the whey when boiling, and to boil it down in an iron pot until the fluid content was reduced to less than 80 percent, creating a firmer, fattier, more cheese-like product. She originally called itfeitost('fat cheese'). The name later changed intofløtemysost('cream whey cheese'). The product immediately caught on, and was soon commonly produced and consumed in the area. This variety is currently the second most popular type in Norway. In 1805, Ole Olsen Evenstad, from what is nowStor-Elvdal Municipality, wrote his cheese manuscript,Om Brug af Myse og dens Indkogning til Myssmør, but Evenstad does not mentiongoat's milkor cream as an additive.
When Hov married and moved to Rusthågå farm inNord-Fron Municipality, she started larger-scale production and invented a variety where she addedgoat's milkto the mix for a more pronounced taste. The local trader Ole Kongsli liked it so much he thought there might be a market for the product in the capital,Oslo. He started exporting it to his business contacts in Oslo under the nameGudbrandsdalsost(lit.'Gudbrandsdal Cheese'), and it became so successful that it contributed significantly to the economy of the region, thus helping Gudbrandsdalen out of recession. In 1933, at age 87, Hov received theKing's Medal of Merit(Kongens fortjenstmedalje) for her contributions to Norwegian cuisine and economy.
In modern times, the world's largest producer ofbrunostis the Norwegiandairyco-operativeTine, which markets a total of 13 varieties, as well as three types ofprim.The second-largest is Norwegian dairy companySynnøve Finden, which markets two varieties ofbrunost, as well as two varieties ofprim. There are also a number of smaller,artisanalproducers, mainly in Norway and in the US.
Mysostis a family of cheese-related foods made withwheyandmilkand/orcream. The main ingredient, whey, is abyproductof the cheese making process; it is what is left when the cheese is removed from the milk. Therefore,brunostis not technically cheese. However, it is produced by cheese makers, and is sold, handled and consumed in the same way as cheese. Therefore, it is generally regarded as a cheese. The texture is firm, but slightly softer thanGouda cheese, for example, and lends itself well to cutting and shaping. It does not crumble like hard cheeses. The taste is sweet, and best described as caramel-like, but with a tang that is more noticeable in the variants that contain goat's milk. The variantekte geitost('true goat's cheese') contains only whey and goat's milk, and has an intense,chèvre-like taste that cuts the sweetness.
Brunostis made by boiling a mixture ofmilk,cream, andwheycarefully for several hours so that the water evaporates. The heat turns the milk sugars intocaramel, which gives the cheese its characteristic brown colour and sweetness. It is ready for consumption as soon as it is packed and refrigerated. Low-fat varieties are made by increasing the proportion of whey to milk and cream.
In Norway,brunostis commonly divided into two types: those that contain only cow's cream and/or milk, and the ones that contain some proportion of goat's milk. The latter type is commonly calledgeitostorgjetost('goat cheese'). Varieties that do not contain any cow's milk are calledekte geitost('true goat cheese'). Technically, the name 'truegoat cheese' is misleading, since goat cheese (such as the Frenchchèvre) is relatively uncommon in Norway, and is commonly calledhvit geitost('white goat cheese') to avoid confusion.
By far the most popular variety isGudbrandsdalsost, which contains a mixture of cow and goat milk, cream, and whey.Heidal cheeseis a type ofGudbrandsdalsost. In Norway it is so common that it is simply referred to asbrunostorgeitost, assuming that unless otherwise specified,Gudbrandsdalsostwill be provided. This variety is also the most popular internationally, and in the US it is commonly referred to just asgjetost. The second most popular variety isfløtemysost, which has a milder taste due to the lack of goat's milk. The third most popular type isekte geitost.
Related tobrunostareprim(in Norwegian) ormessmör(in Swedish), which is a soft, sweet spread commonly sold in tubes all across the Nordic countries. This is the original, ancient product made by boiling whey for a shorter period of time thanbrunost, and not adding milk or cream. Also, in Norway,pultostis traditionally made from byproducts of thebrunost-making process, and has a very distinctive flavour.
Very similar to full cow's milkbrunost, but unrelated to it (probably developed independently) isrequeijão moreno, from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It is produced in a similar way, by boiling cow's milk until it caramelises and darkens to a brown colour, hence the namemoreno'tanned, brown'.Requeijãohas three varieties:branco'white',de raspa'with scrapes' (because of the streaks of caramelised milk scraped from the pan), andmoreno. The flavour and texture of the latter have a remarkable resemblance to brunost.
Brunostis mostly used as a topping forsandwiches,crispbread, andbiscuits. It is very common in the traditional Norwegianmatpakke(lit.'food pack'), which is a common Norwegian lunch—sandwiches are packed in a lunch box in the morning, and carried to work for consumption in the 30-minute lunch break commonly afforded to Norwegian workers. One advantage ofbrunostfor this purpose is that although its texture changes if not refrigerated, its taste does not.Brunostis also popular on Norwegianwaffles,and as an ingredient in cooking, particularly in gravy for game meat.
To what extentbrunostis healthy has been the subject of some controversy in Norway.On the one hand,brunostcontains high amounts ofcalcium,proteinsandvitamin B, as well asiodine, which is beneficial. It also does not, as other cheeses do, contain salt. It used to contain significant amounts of iron because it was traditionally made in iron pots. In fact, when modern production methods with aluminium pans were introduced by the Norwegian dairy co-operative, the government was worried that it would significantly reduce iron intake in the general population, and ordered iron to be added to the cheese. On 1 September 2001, however, a ban on the addition of iron tobrunostwas introduced.A few years later, exceptions to the ban were introduced after health authorities identified an increasing incidence of iron deficiency in younger age groups.Modernbrunostdoes not contain significant amounts of iron.
On the other hand, the (natural) sugar content ofbrunostis quite high, and also the fat content is significant, causing some to warn against it, and even likening it tomilk chocolate.Some tests have shown major nutritional differences between different varieties ofbrunost.Also, it has been pointed out by nutrition experts that the fat content of mostbrunostis significantly lower than that of numerous other cheeses, such as soft cheeses.
Where many sorts of cheese are naturallylactosefree, brunost is high in lactose.
In January 2013, alorrycaught fire in the 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long Brattli tunnel inTysfjord Municipality. The temperature of the burning lorry rose so high that the 27 tonnes (27 long tons; 30 short tons) ofbrunostit was carrying caught fire also. Its fats and sugars fueled the blaze and prevented firefighters from approaching it until four days later when most of it had burned out. The tunnel was severely damaged, and was closed for repair for several months afterward. The accident was widely publicized in international media, and was dubbed "the goat cheese fire". It was likened to the 1999Mont Blanc tunnel fire, when a truck carryingmargarineandflourcaught fire.