Andy Montoya
Reindeer cheese is a traditional product of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. It is made from reindeer milk, which is rich and nutritious, containing 22% butterfat and 10% protein. The cheese is mild and creamy, with a fine aroma, and melts easily in the mouth. In the past, it was stored in a container called a naehpie and worked by hand. Today, it is made by pouring the curdled milk into a reindeer stomach or using linen cloths, giving it a hard and grainy texture. While there is no commercial production of reindeer cheese, it remains a delicacy sought by cheese enthusiasts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Taste | Very mild, creamy, salty-sweet, low acidity, strong and mature |
| Texture | Squeaky, gooey, bread-like |
| Colour | White on the inside, yellow on the outside |
| Region | Finland, Scandinavia |
| Producers | Sami people |
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What You'll Learn
- Reindeer cheese is made from reindeer milk, which is hard to obtain in large quantities
- It has a mild, creamy taste and a bread-like texture, making it a popular breakfast food in Finland
- The Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, have traditionally relied on reindeer as one of their main resources
- Renost, or reindeer cheese, is made by pouring curdled milk into a reindeer's stomach or using linen cloths
- Reindeer milk is rich and nutritious, with a high butterfat and protein content, but reindeer produce very little milk
Reindeer cheese is made from reindeer milk, which is hard to obtain in large quantities
Reindeer cheese is a traditional product of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, who rely on reindeer as one of their main resources. Reindeer milk is important in the everyday Sami diet and is among the richest and most nutritious of milks, containing 22% butterfat and 10% protein. However, a reindeer can only be milked for about 1.5 cups per day, making it difficult to obtain large quantities of reindeer milk.
The process of making reindeer cheese, also known as renost, has been practiced for centuries. To make renost, the Sami would curdle reindeer milk and pour it into the stomach of a reindeer, which would then be closed and hung in the open air. Today, the few producers who still make renost use linen cloths to drain the excess liquid and shape the cheese into a rounded, flat form.
The taste of reindeer cheese is described as quite strong, similar to matured cheese, and it is often used in place of cream in coffee. The cheese is also sometimes smoked to prolong its shelf life. In modern times, reindeer cheese is a speciality in northern Finland, where it is made from reindeer milk or, more commonly, cow's milk. This cheese, known as Juustoleipä or Leipäjuusto, is a popular breakfast dish due to its bread-like texture and blend of salty and sweet flavours.
Due to the small amount of milk produced by female reindeer, large-scale production of reindeer cheese is not feasible. Reindeer cheese remains a rare delicacy, produced in small batches by a handful of dedicated reindeer breeders committed to preserving this traditional craft.
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It has a mild, creamy taste and a bread-like texture, making it a popular breakfast food in Finland
Reindeer cheese, also known as renost, is a traditional product of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. Reindeer milk is important in the everyday Sami diet and is often turned into cheese. The process of making reindeer cheese involves curdling the milk and then slightly baking it to give it a charred taste and smell on the exterior of the rounded disk.
Reindeer cheese has a mild, creamy taste and a bread-like texture, making it a popular breakfast food in Finland. It is a perfect blend of salty and sweet with low acidity. When heated, it becomes soft and gooey, and can be enjoyed with honey or maple syrup.
The cheese is made from reindeer milk, which is among the richest and most nutritious of milks, containing 22% butterfat and 10% protein. However, a reindeer can only be milked for about 1.5 cups per day, making large-scale production of reindeer cheese challenging.
The cheese is also known as Juustoleipä or Leipäjuusto and is created in Finland. It is made from reindeer milk or cow's milk, depending on the country of production. Commercially produced Juustoleipä is typically made with cow's milk due to the limited supply of reindeer milk.
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The Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, have traditionally relied on reindeer as one of their main resources
The Sami are an indigenous people who inhabit Sápmi, their preferred name for Lapland, and adjacent areas of
Reindeer herding was the traditional basis of the Sami economy, although that practice has significantly declined in recent times. The Sami have used reindeer for food and raw materials for everyday use. They have traditionally kept and used every part of the reindeer, including the skin and antlers for making shoes and knives, and the meat for cooking or further processing. Reindeer milk is also important in the everyday Sami diet and is often made into cheese. The milk was traditionally stored in a container called naehpie and worked by hand. The milk can be consumed fresh or acidified to make tätmjölk, dense milk.
To make reindeer cheese, or renost, the curdled milk was poured into the stomach of a reindeer, which was closed and hung in the open air. Today, the few producers who still make renost use linen cloths. Renost was usually made into a rounded, flat shape and decorated. The cheese is yellow on the outside and white on the inside, except in the neighborhood of the numerous cracks, where it is also yellow. When cut into, the white rapidly changes to a golden yellow. The taste is very mild, very creamy, and the cheese melts very easily in the mouth, with a fine aroma. Renost is sometimes smoked to prolong its shelf life.
In addition to reindeer herding, the Sami engage in fishing, farming, forestry, and mining, as well as other occupations across northern Europe. Many Sami supplement reindeer husbandry with secondary employment such as making handicrafts or tourism-related activities.
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Renost, or reindeer cheese, is made by pouring curdled milk into a reindeer's stomach or using linen cloths
Renost, or reindeer cheese, is a traditional product of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. The Sami rely on reindeer as one of their main resources, using all parts of the animal. They preserve the meat and milk, and make coats from the reindeer's fur, and tools from its bones and antlers. Reindeer milk is important in the everyday Sami diet and is among the richest and most nutritious of milks, containing 22% butterfat and 10% protein. However, a reindeer can only be milked for about 1.5 cups per day, and female reindeer produce very little milk, making large-scale renost production impossible.
Renost is made by pouring curdled milk into a reindeer's stomach or using linen cloths. The milk can be consumed fresh, made into cheese, or acidified to make tätmjölk, dense milk. The cheese is usually made into a rounded, flat shape and decorated. The Sami traditionally stored milk in a container called a naehpie and worked it by hand. They also curdled the milk for storage in barrels or in bags made from reindeer stomachs or hide.
The flavour of renost is quite strong, similar to matured cheese, and it is often used instead of cream in coffee. It is a rich, creamy cheese, with a fine aroma, and a mild, sweet and salty taste. The cheese is white on the inside and yellow on the outside, except near cracks, where it is also yellow. When cut, the white interior rapidly changes to a golden yellow.
Renost is sometimes smoked to prolong its shelf life. The few producers who still make renost today use linen cloths to eliminate excess liquid and give the cheese a hard, grainy texture.
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Reindeer milk is rich and nutritious, with a high butterfat and protein content, but reindeer produce very little milk
Reindeer milk is highly nutritious and rich in protein and butterfat, containing 22% butterfat and 10% protein. However, reindeer produce very little milk, with only about 1.5 cups of milk available per day. This makes reindeer milk cheese a rare delicacy, primarily produced by a few reindeer breeders who continue the traditional methods of the Sami people, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia.
The Sami have relied on reindeer as one of their main resources, using all parts of the animal. They preserve the meat, make cheese from the milk, and use the fur for clothing and the bones and antlers for tools. Reindeer milk was traditionally stored in a container called a "naehpie" and was consumed fresh, made into cheese, or acidified to make "tätmjölk", a dense milk product.
Renost, or reindeer cheese, was traditionally made by pouring curdled milk into the stomach of a reindeer, which was then closed and hung in the open air. While this method is no longer practised, the cheese-making tradition is kept alive by a few dedicated reindeer breeders.
Reindeer milk cheese is a speciality of northern Finland, where it is often enjoyed for breakfast due to its bread-like texture and consistency. The cheese has a unique blend of salty and sweet flavours with low acidity. When heated, it becomes soft and gooey, and it can be sprinkled with honey or maple syrup for an extra touch of sweetness.
While reindeer milk cheese may be challenging to find due to the small amount of milk obtained from reindeer, it remains a delicious and nutritious treat for those who have the opportunity to try it.
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Frequently asked questions
Reindeer cheese is said to have a very mild, creamy taste and a fine aroma. It is a blend of salty and sweet with low acidity. The cheese is also described as having a "squeaky" texture.
Reindeer cheese is a traditional product of the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. It is not commercially available due to the small amount of milk that can be obtained from reindeer, so you would need to personally know a reindeer herder to source it.
Reindeer cheese is made from the milk of reindeer, which is curdled and then slightly baked to give it a charred taste and smell on the exterior of the rounded disk.
Reindeer cheese has been historically found in Scandinavia, where it was a staple of the Sami diet during the summer and autumn. The milk was traditionally stored in a container called "naehpie" and worked by hand.
