A hunt for Norwegian brown cheese led to several grocery stores while cruising in Norway. Bunnpris in Molde was a great place to shop to bring home a taste of Norway. Brown cheese, waffle mix, mackerel packed in small tins. The locals were so nice giving recommendations on what to buy and guiding our group through the store. Bunnpris is a family owned and operated group of stores. The Lykke family founded the first company in 1830 when Iver Knudsen Lykke started exporting millstones to Southern and Eastern Norway. Since he was often paid in agricultural products, he started a fat store to raise capital. His great, great grandson Trond Lykke founded the low cost Bunnpris grocery store chain in 1981. What is brown cheese? Brunost, or brown cheese, is a family of soft cheese-related foods made with whey, milk, and cream. The brown color and sweet taste result from milk sugars being caramelized after boiling. It is regarded as one of Norway's most iconic foods. Although the brown, creamy, cheesy spread has been common in the Scandinavian countries for at least 2,500 years, the modern, firm, fatty brunost is commonly attributed to the milkmaid Anne Hov. In the second half of the 19th century, Gudbrandsdalen was suffering economically due to falling profits from grain and butter sales. While working at a mountain farm in 1863, Anne Hov came up with the idea of adding cream to the whey when boiling and then to boil it down in an iron pot creating a firmer, fattier, more cheese-like product. When Hov married and moved to another farm, she started larger-scale production and invented a variety where she added goat's milk to the mix for a more pronounced taste. A local trader liked it so much he thought there might be a market for the product in the capital, Oslo. He started exporting it to his business contacts in Oslo under the name Gudbrandsdalsost where is became so popular that it helped boost the Norwegian economy. In 1933, at age 87, Anne Hov received the King's Medal of Merit for her contributions to Norwegian cuisine and economy. Try some if you visit Norway. It is delicious especially with waffles. In Houston, you can also buy it at Whole Foods. read more

See all