Jarlsberg, a pasteurized semi-hard cheese from Norway, is the world's most famous Baby Swiss. The origin of Jarlsberg Cheese traces back to the early 1800s when Swiss cheese makers came to southern Norway to teach Norwegians how to make cheese. Norwegians began to produce their own cheese similar to Swiss cheese, but this first attempt at cheese making did not last.
It wasn't until 1956 that Norwegian Professor Ole M. Ystgaard of the Agricultural University of Norway recreated the cheese first made in the 1800s. His secret recipe combined traditional cheese making methods with modern technology. The end result was called Jarlsberg Cheese, named after Count Vadel Jarlsberg whose estate was located near where the cheese was first produced. Part of the Jarlsberg Cheese secret lies in the use of high-tech laboratory environments in its production. Another factor in its success comes from a top secret bacterial culture that gives Jarlsberg Cheese its famous holes and sweet flavor.
Jarlsberg cheese has a sweet, nutty and buttery flavor with hole formations similar to Swiss Emmental. Aged at least one year, Jarlsberg has a yellow wax rind and is produced in twenty pound wheels. Jarlsberg Lite was introduced in the late 1980s and has the same nutty sweet flavor as Jarlsberg, but with 50% less fat and 30% fewer calories. Jarlsberg and Jarlsberg Lite are excellent multi-purpose cheeses, great in sandwiches, as table cheeses, in salads, main dishes or on a cheeseboard. Jarlsberg and Jarlsberg Lite are also great substitutes for Swiss cheese in fondues and are delicious when paired with a fresh white wine or beer.
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