Gjetost

Gjetost is an artless cheese. It has no crystals, no shards, no holes, no rind, no mold. It is not smudged with ash nor washed with Cognac. Caves do not age it.

In fact, gjetost (pronounced YEH-toast) is more like fudge than cheese. A product of Norway, it is made by boiling the whey left over from traditional cheese production. It is stirred and condensed over heat until reduced to one-quarter its original volume. The sugars in the lactose caramelize, and the cheese becomes thick enough to pour into rectangular molds. The finished gjetost emerges from its supermarket wrap squeaky clean, with an all-body tan and shiny creases on its face. Its semifirm compact texture, which bears a trace of peanut butter's sullen mouth feel, has a rich salty-sweet caramel finish.

NY Times Jan 7, 2004