Photo: Pål Allan / www.imagebank.sweden.se
Västerbottensost, svecia and kryddost are three examples of the Swedish hard cheese tradition. Västerbotten cheese is aged for more than a year and comes from northern Sweden, svecia is another aged hard cheese, and kryddost is a hard cheese spiced with caraway and sometimes with cloves. The country has many other hard cheeses as well. Back in the days when there were hundreds of Swedish dairies, practically every one of them had its own special hard cheese.
Cheeses that people can cut with a small razor-style cheese slicer are found on practically every Swedish breakfast table. Hotel breakfast buffets usually offer several kinds to choose from. Early in the day, many Swedes prefer a hard cheese with a mild taste, meaning one that has been aged for a shorter period. The later it is during the day, the more they appreciate a cheese with a stronger taste, which has been aged for a longer period.
Aside from snaps, the traditional Swedish herring table includes a well-aged hard cheese, often eaten on crispbread or perhaps a dark rye bread like kavring.
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Innkeeper Emeritus Carl Jan Granqvist selected the dishes. Journalist and author Lena Katarina Swanberg wrote the texts.
The authors alone are responsible for the opinions expressed on this web page.
Translation: Victor Kayfetz
© Photos: Pål Allan / www.imagebank.sweden.se
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