Västerbottensost cheese is known as the “Emperor of Cheeses” in
Sweden. people there love its complex taste and creamy texture so much
that they use it on everything. When they can get their hands on it that
is, because authentic Västerbottensost is only produced at a small
factory in the village of Burträsk. People have tried producing it
somewhere else several times, but it just doesn’t turn out the same.
The secret to why Västerbottensost cheese can only be produced in
Burträsk has been dubbed one of Sweden’s most intriguing mysteries. Over
the years, people have tried expanding production of this famous cheese
in various parts of the northern country, but to no avail. They tried
making it in Falkenberg, a municipality in southern Sweden, in Bollnäs, a
settlement in central Sweden, and even in the city of Umeå, close to
Burträsk village. but the resulting cheese just didn’t taste like the
original. The same recipe and production protocol were respected to the
letter, but the Västerbottensost cheese made in Burträsk always tasted
better.
Particularities of a region’s soil or climate have been known to
influence the taste or general quality of certain foods or drinks, but
in the case of Västerbottensost, we’re talking about a small village, or
according to some, a very small dairy factory. Although no one knows
exactly why Västerbottensost cannot be produced elsewhere, theories
abound. Some believe that it’s due to a meteorite that struck the area
long ago, creating a lake near Burträsk and enriching the soil with
calcium, which now affects the milk and the cheese it’s turned into.
Other believe that the unique flavor of Västerbottensost cheese is given
by the spruce shelves that it’s left to mature on for 14 months, or by
the unique flora in the dairy factory.
Despite using forensic DNA analysis techniques to decipher the link
between Västerbottensost and the Burträsk dairy factory, cheese experts
have been unable to offer an irrefutable explanation. When the local
factory expanded, large holes between the old building and the new one
were left uncovered so the air could flow freely, just in case the
factory flora was indeed key to the cheese.
Västerbottensost is a slow-maturing cheese, requiring at least 14
months on the shelves of the dairy factory in Burträsk. It’s complex
taste and creamy texture make it very popular in Sweden, but because
it’s always in short supply (around 4,000 tonnes of it are made per
year), its price is about double that of other aged cheeses.
