Nobody wants Cabbage every day

There's a problem. Sweden is so darn far north that living on local eco-friendly veggies and fruit just won't work for me. Here's a short list of common options for local fresh greens: potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onion and perhaps some cauliflower. The problem is also that organic choices often look terrible compare to its conventional counterpart in the veggy section. The big well-known organic certified label in Sweden is KRAV (transl: demand or requirement), every so slowly there's more choices available, but still there's a long ways to go.

(I think don't think that people in California get it, how fantastic they have it, really....)

I found a local unhomogenized whole milk, really terrific stuff, from Järna Mejerier with a creamy milky flavor. I'll guess the flavor is still there due to careful, lowish temp pasteurization, 72 C (161.6F) says their web site. It only has six days shelflife. The one liter "Kontiki" package is funky for sure, but alas, it does the job. Empty, it takes virtually no space in the trashbin.

I also had to try one of the local swedish cheeses, Prästost. Translates to Priest's Cheese, in the old days it was the farmers payment/tithe to the priest. This one is known back in history as far as the 16th century apparently, also known as Smålandsost. Sweden is from what I read, one of the worlds largest per-capita consumers of hard cheese, preferrably sliced thin, with a special cheese slicer contraption, available in every single swedish home. (Also common in other Nordic countries). Most typical Swedish factory cheese, including Prästost, doesn't get to age much, so the flavor isn't there. I'm told that Sweden has a good reputation for making hard-ish cheese. The best one of this particular type I've found so far, is called Prästost 1878, aged 18 months, from the maker Falbygden Ost, founded in 1878, hence the branding. Made with pasteurized cows milk, quite grainy, somewhat pungy, small holes, really nice tang, unique flavor. The key is that it's aged. Elsewhere, the standard variety Prästost basically has very, very mild (useless I think) flavor, instead, you have to know what to look for.

Aside from snaps, the traditional Swedish herring table includes a well-aged hard cheese, often eaten on crispbread or perhaps a dark rye bread.

In all honestly, I will be spending more time commenting on the fabulous imported foods from south of me in Europe. Cabbage gets to be only so interesting...

I'm going to list a few of the really well known typical Swedish cheeses that Falbygden promotes as their top of the line versions, in quotes below is their trademarked most-aged variant. That way I'll have something to go on. One more cheese, Västerbotten cheese isn't listed below because it's only made by one single factory in the way-up-north-town of Burträsk.

Herrgård (Falbygden calls theirs "Arn", Emmentaler-like, rich/strong aged 18 months)

Prästost ("1878" aged 18 months, already mentioned, Svecia-like)

Grevé ("Birger Jarl" aged +12 months. Jarlsberg/Emmentaler-ish. Sweden's newest cheese, invented in 1960's)

Brännvinsost a vodka doused Prästost ("Morfars Brännvinsost" aged +12 months)

Svecia ("Viking" aged 18 months. The only European Union "PDO" protected cheese from Sweden. )