Västerbotten cheese (
Västerbottensost) is a
cheese from the
Västerbotten region of
Sweden. It is a hard
cow's
milk cheese with tiny eyes or holes and a firm and granular texture. As in
Cheddar cheese, the curd is heated, cut, and stirred before the cheese is moulded and aged. Strong in flavour, its taste is described as somewhat like
Parmesan cheese, salty, but with more bitter notes. It is light yellow in colour and has a fat content of 31%. Many Swedish people consider it the king of cheese and demand for it has often outstripped the limited supply. For this reason, it is roughly twice as expensive as other types of aged cheese. Västerbotten cheese must be aged for at least 12 months, but 14 months is more common.