Jāņi cheese vs Nøkkelost
Jāņi cheese
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Soft
- Type
- Fresh
- Rind
- No rind
- Country
- Latvia
Jāņi cheese is a fresh cow's milk cheese from Latvia. Makers cook milk and curds together, then stir in butter or cream, eggs, salt, and caraway seeds. The mass sets into a low round with a soft, compact paste and seeds scattered through it. Latvians eat it at Jāņi, the midsummer festival, and the round form is tied to the sun in that tradition. It is also a familiar symbol of Latvian food beyond the festival table.
Nøkkelost
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- No rind
- Country
- Norway
Nøkkelost is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Norway, sold in blocks and in wheels. The name means key cheese, and the same cheese is also called kuminost. Cumin and cloves are mixed through the curd, so dark flecks show in a pale yellow paste. Small round eyes are a normal part of the cut face. It is an everyday spiced cheese, closer to a Dutch loaf than to a sweet brown whey cheese.