Gamalost

Last updated
Gamalost
Gamalost-NorwegianOldCheese.jpg
Country of origin Norway
Region, townPrimarily Hardanger and Sogn
Source of milkSkimmed Milk cow's milk
PasteurizedYes
TextureFirm
Aging timeFour to five weeks
CertificationN/A
Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

Gamalost (also Gammelost, Gammalost) is a traditional Norwegian cheese. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Gamalost, which translates as old cheese, was once a staple of the Norwegian diet. Like many traditional Norwegian foods, such as flat bread, dry salted meats and stockfish, Gamalost could be stored for long periods without refrigeration. The brownish-yellow cheese is firm, moist, coarse and often granular. Gamalost is rich in protein with low fat content, measuring 1% fat and 50% protein. [3] [4]

Production

To make Gamalost, lactic starter is added to skimmed cow's milk, causing it to sour. After several days of souring, the milk is slowly heated, before the curds are separated and pressed into forms. After removal from the forms, mold is introduced onto the surface of the cheese, either by exposure to the wooden walls of the form that is only used for Gamalost, or rubbed on by hand in the traditional method. The cheese is then allowed to cure for four to five weeks. [5] The ripening happens from outside inwards, so the center might be lighter than the parts near the exterior.

Gamalost production is very labor-intensive, particularly if traditional methods are used. Everything depends on the proper fermentation and maturation. It is not made in sufficient quantity for mass export. As such, it is rare to find the cheese outside Norway. Commercial production has principally been limited to the Tine facility in Vik. [6]

Gamalost Festival

Gamalost Festival (Gamalostfestivalen) is an annual event held in Vik in Sogn at the beginning of summer every year. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy product</span> Food product made from milk

Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, environmental concerns, other health reasons or beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunost</span> Norwegian cheese

Brunost is a common Norwegian name for mysost, a family of soft cheese-related foods made with whey, milk, and/or cream. The characteristic brown color and sweet taste result from milk sugars being caramelized after boiling. The term brunost is often used to refer to fløtemysost or Gudbrandsdalsost, which are the most popular varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Processed cheese</span> Food product

Processed cheese is a product made from cheese mixed with an emulsifying agent. Additional ingredients, such as vegetable oils, unfermented dairy ingredients, salt, food coloring, or sugar may be included. As a result, many flavors, colors, and textures of processed cheese exist. Processed cheese typically contains around 50 to 60% cheese and 40 to 50% other ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream cheese</span> Soft, mild-tasting cheese with a high fat content

Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream. Cream cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neufchâtel. It is more comparable in taste, texture, and production methods to Boursin and mascarpone. Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricotta</span> Italian cheese

Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein has been used to make cheese, notably albumin and globulin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut milk</span> Liquid extracted from coconuts

Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingredient used in Southeast Asia, Oceania, South Asia, and East Africa. It is also used for cooking in the Caribbean, Central America, northern parts of South America and West Africa, where coconuts were introduced during the colonial era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyr</span> Icelandic cultured dairy product

Skyr is a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product. It has the consistency of strained yogurt, but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as a fresh sour milk cheese, similar to curd cheese consumed like a yogurt in the Baltic states, the Low Countries and Germany. It has been a part of Icelandic cuisine for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camel milk</span> Milk produced by female camels

Camel milk is milk from female camels. It has supported nomad and pastoral cultures since the domestication of camels millennia ago. Herders may for periods survive solely on the milk when taking the camels on long distances to graze in desert and arid environments, especially in parts of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. The camel dairy farming industry has grown in Australia and the United States, as an environmentally friendly alternative to cow dairy farming using a species well-adapted to arid regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strained yogurt</span> Yogurt thickened by draining whey

Strained yogurt, Greek or Greek-style yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, kerned yogurt or labneh is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt. Like many types, strained yogurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. In Europe and North America, it is often made from low-fat or fat-free cow's milk. In Iceland a similar product named skyr is made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pultost</span> Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds

Pultost is a soft, mature Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese</span> Curdled milk food product

Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk. During production, milk is usually acidified and either the enzymes of rennet or bacterial enzymes with similar activity are added to cause the casein to coagulate. The solid curds are then separated from the liquid whey and pressed into finished cheese. Some cheeses have aromatic molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout.

Snøfrisk is a Norwegian goat cheese made by Tine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of cheese</span> Classification of coagulated milk products

There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criteria may be used either singly or in combination, with no method used universally. The most common traditional categorization is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chhena</span> Type of cheese curds originating in India

Chhena or chhana is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffalo or cow milk by adding food acids such as lemon juice and calcium lactate instead of rennet and straining out the whey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegan cheese</span> Cheese-like food item made without animal ingredients

Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusion of all animal products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quark (dairy product)</span> Acid-set cheese

Quark or quarg is a type of fresh dairy product made from milk. The milk is soured, usually by adding lactic acid bacteria cultures, and strained once the desired curdling is achieved. It can be classified as fresh acid-set cheese. Traditional quark can be made without rennet, but in modern dairies small quantities of rennet are typically added. It is soft, white and unaged, and usually has no salt added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sour cream</span> Fermented dairy product

Sour cream is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name comes from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, which is called souring. Crème fraîche is one type of sour cream with a high fat content and less sour taste.

References

  1. "Gammelost". Worldnews, Inc. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  2. "gammelost". cheese.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  3. "Gamalost". Norway At Home. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  4. Jan Peter Aursnes. "gammelost". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  5. Jeri Case (July 2013). "Gammelost". cheesemaking.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  6. "Gamalost frå Vik (Tine)". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  7. "Velkomen til Gamalostfestivalen 2017". Gamalostfestivalen. Retrieved February 1, 2017.

Other sources