Prästost

A package of Präst cheese

Prästost ("priest cheese") is a Swedish cheese with historical roots in Sweden's one-time custom of paying tithes with agricultural goods including milk.^[1] It was common for the church to make cheese from this milk from the 16th though 19th centuries. Today, this style of cheese once produced in churches across Sweden is factory-made from pasteurized cow's milk.

Prästost is sometimes soaked or cured in whisky or other spirits; Saaland Pfarr is one such whisky-soaked variant.^[2] A version of prästost aged for 12 months and cured in Absolut vodka has been marketed as VODCheese.^[3]

A 1969 USDA booklet describes the manufacturing technique for one whisky-cured style of prästost:

Fresh, whole milk is set with rennet at a temperature of 90°F. When the curd is very firm, it is cut coarsely, then put in a sieve to allow the whey to drain off. The curd is collected in a cloth and kneaded to expel more whey. Whisky is mixed with the curd, then the curd is packed in a basket and salt is sprinkled on the surface. Curing is done in a cool, moist cellar. The cloth covering is changed daily for 3 days, and the cheese is washed with whisky after the third day.^[4]

References

1. ↑ Ridgeway, Judy. The Cheese Companion: The Connoisseur's Guide. Quintet Publishing. ISBN 0-7624-0500-7.  p. 20
2. ↑ Carlton Brown, Robert (1955). The Complete Book of Cheese. Gramercy Publishing Company: New York, 1955.
3. ↑ Cheese, Sweden. Product review. Igourmet.com, 2007.
4. ↑ Doane, C.F.; Hargrove, Robert C.; Lawson, H.W.; Matheson, K.J.; Sanders, G.P; Walter, Homer E. (1969). Cheese Varieties and Descriptions. U.S. Department of Agriculture.  p. 95.