Norway Cheese: The Cheeses of Norway and How Norwegians Eat Them

The country also keeps gamalost, a Viking-era cheese, and a craft scene that took off in the 1990s.

This page covers the main cheeses, how Norwegians eat them and where to look in the US. For the wider region see the Scandinavian cheese guide.

Norway cheese at a glance

Here is Norway cheese at a glance: the cheeses worth knowing, with their milk and style.

Norway is not an EU member, so none of these is an EU PDO or PGI.

Norway cheese history

Norway cheese history reaches back to the Viking Age, around 800, when milk products were central to the food supply and gamalost, pultost and skjørost were staples, according to the Ostelandet cheese history.

The modern dairy era began in 1856 with Rausjødalen setermeieri in Tolga, described as Northern Europe's first cooperative dairy. Norvegia began in 1859 at Nittedal Dairy, using Dutch Gouda methods, and Tine's predecessor Norske Meierier set up its export organization in 1928.

Everyday cheese from Norway

Everyday cheese from Norway means Norvegia and Jarlsberg. Life in Norway calls Norvegia perhaps the most common cheese in the country, with a mild taste and smooth, sliceable texture, and Jarlsberg Norway's most successful export cheese.

The Jarlsberg guide covers how it was developed at the agricultural college in Ås in the 1950s and why it gets its holes. It is now also made in the US and Ireland, so check the origin on the pack. Norvegia started as "Norsk Gouda" and was renamed after failing Dutch fat standards for Gouda, and the Gouda guide is the closest comparison.

Brunost and Norway's brown cheese

Brunost is Norway's brown cheese, made by boiling whey until the sugars caramelize. Ostelandet credits the farmer Anne Hov with adding cream to the whey in the 1860s, which earned her the King's Medal of Merit. It tastes of caramel and fudge, and Norwegians shave it onto bread, crispbread and waffles. The brunost guide has the details.

Gamalost and old Norway cheese

Gamalost is the old Norway cheese, and it is nothing like the rest. Ostelandet says it is made from sour skimmed milk with no added salt, ripened with the mold Mucor mucedo, and contains about 0.5 percent fat and 50 percent protein. Its Viking-age roots make it possibly the only uniquely Norwegian cheese. Expect it to be pungent and hard to find outside Norway.

The Norway craft cheese scene

The Norway craft cheese scene is young. Ostelandet says the ban on farm cheese sales was lifted in 1995, the first authorized farm dairy opened in 1998, and Norway now has about 150 producers making more than 300 cheeses.

It has results to show. Life in Norway reports that Tingvollost's Kraftkar won World Champion Cheese at the World Cheese Awards in 2016, and a blue from Gangstad Gårdsysteri won the same title in 2023.

How to find Norway cheese in the US

To find Norway cheese in the US, start with Jarlsberg, which most supermarkets stock, and brunost, which turns up at Scandinavian shops, Ikea food markets and some cheese counters.

Check that Jarlsberg says Norway if you want the Norwegian version, since the US makes it too. Gamalost and craft cheeses such as Kraftkar are rare, so ask a specialty importer. Norwegians slice cheese thin with a cheese slicer, invented in 1925 according to Life in Norway, and a vegetable peeler does the same job at home.

Cooking with Norway cheese

Cooking with Norway cheese is straightforward. Jarlsberg melts smoothly, so it suits grilled cheese, gratins and fondue, and it works as a swap for Swiss or Emmental. Norvegia behaves like a mild Gouda in sandwiches and casseroles. Brunost is a topping rather than a melting cheese: shave it onto waffles, porridge or crispbread, or stir a few slices into a meat sauce to add sweet, caramel depth.

Serving Norway cheese on a board

Serving Norway cheese on a board works best with thin slices: a block of Jarlsberg or Norvegia, shaved brunost and crispbread, with apples, pears and lingonberry jam. Plan about 1 to 2 ounces of each cheese per person as an appetizer, and the board builder scales amounts by headcount. Pilsner suits the mild cheeses, and a brown ale or a coffee stout suits brunost.

What most Norway cheese lists get wrong

Most Norway cheese lists get brunost and Jarlsberg right and stop there. They miss gamalost, the country's oldest cheese, and the craft revival that produced two world champions.

They also blur the names brunost and gjetost, which the gjetost vs. brunost page untangles. And they treat Jarlsberg as the whole story, when Norwegians themselves reach for Norvegia.

Questions about Norway cheese

These are the most common questions about Norway cheese.

What cheese is Norway known for?

Norway is known for Jarlsberg, the mild nutty export cheese, and brunost, the sweet brown whey cheese.

What is the most common cheese in Norway?

The most common cheese in Norway is Norvegia, a mild Gouda-style slicing cheese.

Is Norwegian cheese protected by the EU?

Norwegian cheese is not in the EU register because Norway is not an EU member.

What is Norwegian brown cheese?

Norwegian brown cheese is brunost, a sweet, fudgy cheese made from whey and shaved thin onto bread or waffles.

Where to start with Norway cheese

Start with Norway cheese by slicing Jarlsberg thin onto buttered bread, then shave a few slices of brunost onto a waffle or crispbread. The pairing guide lists drinks for both.