Sweden can hardly be called a country of cheese, but it still is the homeland and the only producer of one of the most expensive cheese varieties in the world – moose cheese!
Yes, moose cheese exists. It is made on the farm Älgens Hus (commune Bjurholm) from the moose’s milk, which are grown on this farm. The color of the moose cheese is white, the texture resembles feta, but fattier, and the taste is very delicate, slightly salty with a rich milky flavor.
The Moose farm in northern Sweden produces the cheese from the milk of three moose living there. The animals are named Jullan, June and Helga, and it takes 2 hours a day to milk just one of them. Moose are milked only from May to September. The unusual cheese is served in the most respectable Swedish restaurants at a price of about $ 500-600 per pound. Farmers produce just over 300 kilograms of cheese per year.
Moose Cheese Taste
What does moose cheese taste like? Gourmets claim that compared to cow’s milk cheese, moose cheese has a significantly stronger, saltier flavor, similar to the Greek feta cheese. Moose cheese has a creamy, milky, buttery taste due to its high protein and fat content. Moose cheese is not spicy and has a smooth texture.
The peculiarity of moose cheeses is their light, deep and wide taste, without spicy and strange side aftertastes. Moose milk is very similar to cow milk, but it has a much higher protein content and fat content, which is 7-11% depending on the season. Moose milk is mainly used to make fairly rich cheeses.
Is moose cheese good? Moose cheese is very good and highly prized for its nutrients and unique light, buttery flavor. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids and is extremely low in unhealthy fats. Compared to cheese made from cow’s milk, moose milk cheese has a higher content of selenium, zinc and iron.
Moose milk is considered one of the healthiest drinks in the world and is used to prevent gastrointestinal diseases. It is consumed by the elderly and sick in Sweden, the USA and Canada due to its ability to strengthen the immune system. Moose milk contains a lot of healthy fat, making it the perfect elixir of life when turning into cheese. This dairy product has been credited with healing properties ranging from reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure to helping to build muscle and fighting cancer.
Moose Cheese Nutritional Value
Per 100 grams of product:
Calorie value: 290 kcal
Water: 47.8 g
Protein: 21.5 g
Fat: 22.1 g
Carbohydrates: 2.7 g
How Much Is Moose Cheese? Moose Cheese Price
How expensive is moose cheese? Expect to pay $1200 per 1 kg of moose cheese or $600 per pound. It is the second most expensive cheese in the world after Pule cheese ($1500 per 1 kg). Moose cheese is produced only in Sweden, making it a rare and expensive delicacy.
Moose cheese is so expensive as it is very rare. Only 270 kg of moose cheese is produced annually. There are only a few moose farms in Sweden that specialize in cheese production from moose milk. Moose milk is difficult to obtain in large quantities as moose are wild animals.
Moose Cheese Production
Moose is a mammal that belongs to the deer family and lives in the northern forests worldwide. Over time, this animal became the center of attention for people because of its fur, antlers and even milk.
Even though moose can be found on almost five continents of our planet, getting moose milk is quite difficult and requires a lot of energy since this animal is wild and very strong.
How is moose cheese made? Milking should take place in complete rest and silence as moose should not be disturbed by extraneous sounds and creatures. Milking can take from half an hour to two hours. Each milking process yields from a few hundred milliliters to several liters of milk.
The moose cheese is only produced at Moose House in Sweden, a 59-hectare farm that exclusively breeds moose. Milk for cheese production is obtained from three large moose cows named Gullan, Helga and Juna. The moose business began seven years ago, when Christer and Ulla Johansson found their first moose calves in the forest, for some reason abandoned by their mothers.
Differences Between Moose Cheese and Other Types of Cheese
Cheese is nutritionally rich because it concentrates the benefits of cow, goat or sheep milk. These types of cheeses can be found on the market all year round, as these cattle are milked all year round (especially cows). If we are talking about moose cheese, it is rare and unique. Most moose are milked only between May and September. The milking process can take quite a long time, about 2 hours per animal.
Gourmets claim that compared to cow’s milk cheese, moose cheese has a significantly stronger flavor. Its taste is reminiscent of Greek feta cheese. The peculiarity of moose cheeses is their light, deep and wide taste, without spicy and strange side aftertastes. Moose milk is very similar to cow milk, but it has a much higher protein content and fat content, which is 7-11% depending on the season. Moose milk is mainly used to make fairly rich cheeses.
The most famous moose cheese dish is the Swedish delicacy, Moose Cheese Parfait. It is very tasty and healthy due to the high content of proteins and essential amino acids.
