Viking Magazine - September 2022 - 21

the fi rst joint dairy north of the Alps,
and they produced Swiss cheese.
By 1881, the fi rst nationwide
organization was founded as an
increase in dairy farming made a
cooperation within the industry
necessary. By 1900, Norway had its
largest number of cooperative dairies
ever registered. Over the course of the
next few decades, some of Norway's
most iconic cheeses, such as Jarlsberg,
Norvegia and Gudbrandsdalsost
(a type of brunost), would emerge
to become the most popular and
consumed cheeses in Norway.
While the commercial cheese
industry was doing well, a law was
passed in 1951 restricting the use
of non-pasteurized milk and also
limiting local production of cheese.
This had an adverse eff ect on local
cheese production stifl ing much of the
creativity and ability to experiment on
a small and private scale. However, a
critical change happened in early 2000
when the law from 1951 was lift ed.
This meant farmers could make their
desired amounts of cheese and use
unpasteurized milk once more.
A new law also meant that any milk
not used for cheese production had
to be purchased by TINE (Norway's
largest dairy product cooperative),
making milk production for the local
farmer viable because they could use
some of the milk for creating artisanal
cheeses while still earning an income
on the remaining milk through
economies of scale.
Since this change, it has taken the
past few years to truly transform
Norway's stance on cheese. With
inspiration from other countries,
welcoming in a wider taste palate,
and a desire to not only revive local
cheesemaking traditions but also create
newer ones, Norwegians have opened
up to the incredible opportunities
existing in front of them.
It was during the World Cheese
Awards (WCA) in 2016 that the very
fi rst Norwegian cheese won. Kraft kar,
a blue cheese from Tingvollost,
@sonsofnorway
stunned the crowd by taking home the
top title, which aided in bringing an
international interest in Norwegian
cheese. In 2018, the WCA were held
in Bergen and Fanaost, a Gouda-style
cheese from Ostegården, won with
Stordalen Gardsbruk's brown cheese
taking the silver. I happened to be a
judge there, and I was in the audience
watching as both of these Norwegian
cheeses won. The excitement in the air
was felt by all, especially given the craft
of these small-scale local producers and
because brown cheese was fi nally given
the recognition it deserves.
While inspired by the traditions and
recipes of other countries, the cheeses
in Norway are taking their place at the
forefront of quality and recognition.
What makes Norwegian cheese stand
out, in addition to the craft smanship,
is the milk-animals grazing freely,
very low use of antibiotics, and care
and attention to the animal's welfare
and quality of life. It's in this pride and
value, from the grass to the animal to
the milk to the hands and techniques
of production, which you can taste
in every bite. It's the connection
Norwegians have to their surroundings
making the cheese exceptional in every
way.
What you see today is a mixture
of dedicated farmers, educated
cheesemakers, dairy workers, and
people of all backgrounds coming
together to create this new tapestry
of Norwegian cheese rooted in its
seter beginnings and representing
the bold and courageous pioneers of
cheesemaking who have been, are, and
are yet to be. This truly is Norway's
cheese revolution. ▼
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nevada Berg is a Utah native living in rural
Norway on a 17th-century mountain farm
in the Numedal valley. She has become
one of the most recognized and celebrated
voices in Norwegian food and culture
though her website, North Wild Kitchen.
Read more about her in the July 2021
issue of Viking.
Visit a
Norwegian
cheese farm or
urban cheese
factory
Driving along the rural
roads, you're sure to come
across local dairy farms
serving some fantastic
cheeses.
* BRIMI SÆTER *
Located in Jotunheimen,
this working summer farm
off ers the full package of
accommodation, meals, and
a small boutique. They're
known for their skråpå-tå
method of melting and
scraping cheese.
brimi-seter.no
* GANGSTAD
GÅRDSYSTERI *
A wonderful stop along the
Golden Road in Inderøy
brings you to this dairy farm
where they sell a variety of
award-winning cheeses and
ice cream. ysteri.no
* OSTEBYGDA *
A cheese area made up of
eight local cheese producers
near Geilo. Stop by Hol
Ysteri to purchase from the
wide selection.
geilo.com/en/ostebygda
* TINGVOLLOST *
Explore the farm in Tingvoll
where Norway's fi rst world's
best cheese, " Kraftkar, " is
produced as well as their
other types of white and
blue cheeses. tingvollost.no
* UNDREDAL
STØLSYSTERI *
Located in the small and
quaint village of Undredal in
the fj ords, this dairy farm is
famous for its various goat
cheeses. undredalsost.no
September 2022
21
http://www.brimi-seter.no http://www.ysteri.no http://www.geilo.com/en/ostebygda http://www.tingvollost.no http://www.undredalsost.no
Viking Magazine - September 2022

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