ABSTRACT
Several semihard cheese varieties are produced from pasteurized bovine milk in the Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Table 1). The Danish cheeses are often ripened with a smear surface microflora, giving them a special flavor note from sulfuric aroma compounds. These cheeses are among the semihard cheeses with the highest moisture contents. Propionic acid bacteria are used in combination with mesophilic starter in some Norwegian and Swedish varieties that have a smooth, sliceable texture with large round eyes and sweet, nutty, and sharp flavor components. Several cheese varieties, especially from Sweden, are ripened by no other bacteria than the mesophilic starter and lactobacilli from the environment. These cheeses have a mild to aromatic flavor, often with a sweet note and a pronounced flavor of diacetyl, if they are consumed, as most of them are, at a quite young age (from 2 to 6 months). Older cheeses develop a more aromatic and mature flavor. Those cheeses all have a semihard, sliceable texture that easily melts in the mouth. Much Scandinavian cheese is consumed sliced on bread.
