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Leipäjuusto (bread cheese) or juustoleipä ( fit, kahvijuusto; sv, kaffeost or ''brödost''), also known in the United States as Finnish squeaky cheese, is a Finnish fresh cheese traditionally made from cow's beestings, rich milk from a cow that has recently calved.
The milk is
Leipäjuusto can be eaten warm or cold, and is served in a number of ways:
* The traditional way is to serve it as slices, as a side dish with
Leipäjuusto (bread cheese) or juustoleipä ( fit, kahvijuusto; sv, kaffeost or ''brödost''), also known in the United States as Finnish squeaky cheese, is a Finnish fresh cheese traditionally made from cow's beestings, rich milk from a cow that has recently calved. Reindeer
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...
or even goat milk
Goat milk is the milk of domestic goats. Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply. Some goats are bred specifically for milk. Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream will stay i ...
can also be used. Commercially available versions are typically made from cow's milk, and they lack some of the colour and flavour because of this. The cheese originally comes from Southern Ostrobothnia
South Ostrobothnia ( fi, Etelä-Pohjanmaa; sv, Södra Österbotten) is one of the 19 regions of Finland. It borders the regions of Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, and Satakunta. Among the Finnish regions, South ...
, Northern Finland, and Kainuu.Magnus Nilsson. The Nordic Cookbook (2015) 768 pag. ,
Name
Traditionally, the cheese has been called ''leipäjuusto'' mainly in Ostrobothnia and Lapland and ''juustoleipä'' in Kainuu. Nowadays the two words are interchangeable, but ''leipäjuusto'' is the more common spelling. Other dialects have various names (such as narskujuusto) that refer to the way that fresh leipäjuusto "squeaks" against the teeth when bitten.Susan Raisanen. Squeaky Cheese: The Ultimate Guide to Making Finnish Leipajuusto. (2016). 52 pag. ,Preparation
The milk is curd
Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...
led and set to form a round disk from two to three centimeters thick. After this, leipäjuusto is baked, grilled, or flambéed to give it its distinctive brown or charred marks.
Traditionally, leipäjuusto was dried and could then be stored for up to several years. For eating, the dry, almost rock hard cheese was heated on a fire which softened it and produced an especially appetizing aroma. Even today, the cheese may be dried by keeping it in a well ventilated place for a few days. It has a mild flavour.
Methods of serving
Leipäjuusto can be eaten warm or cold, and is served in a number of ways:
* The traditional way is to serve it as slices, as a side dish with coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
.
* A few pieces are placed in a cup, with hot coffee poured on. The Swedish name ''kaffeost'' ("coffee cheese") refers to this.
* Served as diamond-shaped pieces, roughly 5 to 7 cm long and a little less wide, with cloudberry
''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. This herbaceous perennial produces amber-colored edible fruit similar to the blackbe ...
jelly or fresh cloudberries.
* Slices of the cheese are cut into a cup or plate, with some cream poured on the pieces so that they soak a little, some cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over it, and grilled in the oven for a moment. Served with cloudberry jelly.
* In modern Finnish cuisine, diced leipäjuusto is often used as a mild replacement for feta
Feta ( el, φέτα, ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, a compact touch, few cuts, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it ...
in various salads.
* As a dessert, leipäjuusto can be served like Camembert
Camembert (, also , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit wi ...
, fried on a pan with butter until it softens, and served with jam, traditionally cloudberry.
See also
*Cheese curds
Cheese curds are moist pieces of curdled milk, eaten either alone or as a snack, or used in prepared dishes. They are consumed throughout the northern United States and Canada. Notably, cheese curds are popular in Quebec, as part of the dish ...
(North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
squeaky cheese)
* Fried cheese
* Halloumi
Halloumi or haloumi (, el, χαλούμι, haloúmi; tr, hellim}) is a traditional Cypriot cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting poi ...
* List of cheeses
This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors dep ...
* Saganaki
In Greek cuisine, saganaki (Greek σαγανάκι) is any one of a variety of dishes prepared in a small frying pan, the best-known being an appetizer of fried cheese. It is commonly flambéed in North America.
Etymology
The dishes are name ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leipajuusto Finnish cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses Goat's-milk cheeses Reindeer