Dave's Cheese Notes: Jarlsberg

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Jarlsberg comes in a wheel with a super distinctive yellow/orange wax "rind".

Here’s my specimen:

In the US, we would call this a "Swiss cheese". And yet, it’s from Norway and was named after the Jarlsberg Manor in Norway:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarlsberg_Manor

What, exactly, is a "Swiss cheese"? Thankfully, there’s a page for that as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-type_cheeses

The true "Swiss cheese" is Emmental, but anything mass-produced locally with holes in it that has that "nutty" flavor might bear the name "Swiss Cheese" in the US.

We also have Swiss-flavored Kraft-brand "cheese product", which is apparently considered weird enough that Kraft won’t even admit it on their website (they do admit to having "White American" - and I’m not going to comment on that fact).

Here’s a picture to prove it exists:

And now I’ll admit something to prove once and for all that I am the furthest thing from a cheese snob you could possibly find: I like Swiss flavored cheese product singles. I don’t know why. Love is love.

So, how does Jarlsberg taste? It’s great! It’s fairly rich and flavorful, so it makes a really good snack. I think "nutty" is as good a description as any I could come up with.

Now that I’m learning to appreciate the whole "rind" concept, I made sure to cut the wax outer layer only when it wouldn’t pull off on its own. I think getting as much of the "outer and inner" portions of the cheese as possible into a bite is the best way to get the full range of flavor.

But you say, "The outer part feels hard and dried-out!" I completely agree. That’s why I used to cut off more of that than I should have. I think you just get used to it and once you do, you get more of the full cheese flavor.

Then again, maybe you shouldn’t be taking any tasting advice from someone who admits to liking "cheese product"?