Västerbotten cheese

Västerbotten cheese

A 17kg Västerbotten cheese spooned out for buffet service

Västerbotten cheese “Västerbottenost” is a cheese from the Västerbotten region of Sweden It is a hard cow’s milk cheese with tiny eyes or holes and a firm and granular texture. As in cheddar the curd is heated, cut, and stirred before the cheese is molded and aged. Västerbotten cheese is strong and salty in flavor, with bitter notes. It is light yellow in colour and has a fat content of 31%. Many Swedish people consider it the king of cheese and demand for it has often outstripped the limited supply. For this reason, it is roughly twice as expensive as other types of aged cheese. Västerbotten cheese must be aged for at least 12 months.

The northern village of Burträsk claims that Västerbotten cheese was invented there in the 1870s. Västerbotten cheese is produced only by Norrmejerier at the dairy in Burträsk.