Swedish coffee with cheese — Photo courtesy of iStock / bonchan
“Just think of it as mocha-flavored cream cheese,” my friend urged as I stared doubtfully at the saturated, oily, brown blobs floating in my coffee. I’m no stranger to mocha cheesecake, so with her encouraging words, I took my first bite of kaffeost and plunged into one of the world’s most curious coffee traditions.
Kaffeost, or “coffee cheese,” is a firm, flexible cheese that hails from Swedish Lapland – the arctic north of the country – and is most at home marinating in a steaming cup of java.
Hot coffee is something you’ll find a lot of in Sweden. The country has one of the highest rates of coffee consumption in the world, and the practice of fika – enjoying cozy coffee breaks, usually with a pastry – is a beloved ritual of everyday life. But kaffeost is unlike any other coffee break.
Kaffeost is a traditional food of the Sami. The Sami are the Indigenous people of Sápmi, a region that extends across northern Scandinavia and Russia, and overlaps much of Swedish Lapland.
Customarily made with reindeer milk (though cow’s milk is often substituted), kaffeost has a neutral taste and a smooth, slightly dry texture. It also has a high melting…
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