Traditional artisan Swedish cheese brings full flavor and 150 years of history to town
One of the most exciting cheeses on the counter at the Deli is this super tasty but still little-known new arrival from Sweden! If you like full-flavored mountain cheeses, be sure to swing by soon to score a taste!
Wrångebäck is a farmstead cheese made at Almnäs Bruk, on the west bank of Sweden’s second-largest lake, Vättern. About four hours southwest of Stockholm, the estate was founded by monks in August 1225—this month marks its 800th anniversary. While cheese likely has been made there in some form since the beginning, the estate began producing what we now know as Wrångebäck formally in the spring of 1889, the same year the Eiffel Tower opened in Paris and the first Indigenous American woman graduated from medical school in the U.S.
Sweden’s oldest known cheese by name, Wrångebäck, has a European PDO—in other words, its traditional production methods are legally protected. Since 1916, Almnäs Bruk has been owned by the Berglund family. The farm is organic, so no chemicals are used on the pastures. The cheese is made only with milk from the farm’s own 180-cow herd, and the cheeses are matured on the same wooden planks that have been in use for 150 years. Like a sourdough starter, the wood becomes enriched with natural cultures over time, passing them on to the wheels placed on it and contributing in unique ways to the cheese’s flavor development.
The final cheese has a firm texture and a lovely combination of mountain cheese and washed-rind character, like a great Swiss Tête de Moine or Tilsiter. The wheels of Wrångebäck we have right now, matured for nearly a year, are some of the best I’ve ever tasted—full, clean flavor with hints of mushrooms or caramelized onions, with a beautiful, long finish. Excellent on its own, or on some of the Bakehouse’s Vollkornbrot, Dinkelbrot, or Caraway Rye—better still if you spread a little of that great Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter on first. Wonderful with all the fresh fruit coming into season, on a burger with caramelized onions or mushrooms, or paired with dried pears and toasted walnuts. A truly traditional taste of Scandinavia!
