Cottage cheese
Stølsost - real craftsmanship
If you come across stølsost, you have made a bargain. It is about proper artisanal products, says head of Norsk Gardsost, Turid Nordbø. Here she explains what the term stølsost means.
- It is a long European tradition to make hard cheese in the summer. A concentrated cheese means that it can withstand temperature variations and transport. The temperature in the mountains varies in the summer and it is important to make cheese that can withstand this range. Stølsost, (in Switzerland, Austria and France called alpine cheese), also often has a lower fat content so that it is more stable in relation to storage. A hard cheese can take a beating, she says.
More floral taste
-The plants on the mountain have more polyunsaturated fat to be able to withstand the cold. This in turn gives more polyunsaturated fat in the colostrum.
There are 400 different fatty acids in cow's milk. The balance between these changes on the mountain, - which in turn affects the taste of the milk and how the curd behaves in the cheese pan. The milk is perceived as sweeter and fresher. Goats milk also takes on a different character on the mountain. If the goats graze on mountain pastures with lots of birch, it can produce milk with a birch flavor.
Characteristic of the støls milk is that it has a more floral taste than the winter milk, which makes it a more exclusive and exciting product.
More cumbersome work
When it comes to the cheese making itself, støl dairies and stølsost have more of a craft feel than farm and village dairies. Settling is often operated with little infrastructure, and the operation is more labor-intensive. There are only around 900 mountain farms left in operation in Norway. If you come across støl cheese, you know that it is about real craftsmanship, long traditions and a completely unique taste. And a lot of hard work? - You have to work a lot more with your body, but it gives you freedom to come to setra. We sit for seven weeks each summer. For me it's mindfulness, says Turid Nordbø from Grindal Ysteri and Jelsetra in Trollheimen
Byline: Trude Henrichsen
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