Moose Milk Cheese ... Only $500 per pound - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chad300tdt · #1 01-16-2009, 01:24 PM

Some have said that Caciocavallo Podolico is the most expensive cheese, but you can get 2 kg (4.4 pounds) for 53 Euros (about $70 US).
http://www.esperya.com/Esperya/Prodotto.do?cond216=4212&stu1.LanguageISOCtxParam=en

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/18/214808.php

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The World's Most Expensive Cheese: $500/lb - And It's Not Even French!
Written by bookofjoe

Believe it or not, it's Swedish.

Even more unbelievably, it's made from moose milk. Yes, it's a fact.

Moose milk cheese is made at the Moose House, a 59-acre moose dairy farm in Bjursholm, in northern Sweden.

The cheese comes from the milk of three moose cows, named Gullan, Haelga, and Juna.

It's sold to upscale hotels and restaurants in Sweden. You can also sample and buy any of the three available cheese varieties at the farm.

Christer Johannson started the farm seven years ago with his wife Ulla. They were inspired by similar facilities in eastern Russia, which produce only milk, not cheese. According to Johannson, theirs is the only farm of its kind in Europe.

The three cows, which stay outside all year long, were found as calves abandoned in the woods around Bjursholm, 404 miles north of Stockholm, and were adopted by the Johannson family.

The animals, usually wild, have been domesticated, making it possible to milk them.

"Fortunately, they know and love us, because they weigh about 1,100 pounds. They see us almost as their own calves," Johannson said.

It takes between 30 minutes and two hours to milk a cow, and each produces up to one gallon of milk a day. But that's only between May and September, the time between when they calve and when they are in heat again.

"That's one of the reasons why the cheese is so expensive," said Johannson.

The milk, which contains 12% fat and as much protein, is refrigerated, and curdling is done three times per year, producing about 660 pounds of cheese annually.

The Moose House attracts about 25,000 visitors a year.

I find it interesting, in light of the above, that Maine may enlarge the area of the state where moose hunting is legal.

It's because of all the auto accidents and fatalities caused by collisions. When a moose meets a car, it's not a pretty site.

Moose collisions in Maine accounted for 3,600 car crashes from 1997 to 2001, 11 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and $81 million in damage.

On just one day last month, June 10, there were four separate moose-related crashes in one night on the Maine Turnpike.

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jul2004/Moose_Cheese.htm

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Healthy, Tasty... Expensive

STOCKHOLM (JP) - Farmers in northern Sweden are milking moose, hoping that cheese-lovers with deep pockets will develop a taste for moose cheese.

It's healthy and tasty - and very expensive (nearly $500 per pound) because moose milk is hard to obtain.

Christer & Ulla Johansson started the 59-acre "Moose House" - the only moose dairy farm in Europe - seven years ago in Bjursholm (400 miles north of Stockholm). Moose House has 14 moose in the fields, but only three cows (Gullan, Haelga & Juna) can be milked. The cows were found as abandoned calves in the woods around Bjursholm, and were taken in by the Johansson family. The domesticated moose stay outdoors all year, and weigh about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

Why so expensive? Moose only produce milk between May and September, and it takes up to two hours to milk a moose, with each producing up to a gallon of milk per day. Moose milk contains 12% fat and 12% protein, is kept refrigerated and curdling is done three times per year – yielding 660 pounds of cheese per year. Made in three varieties, the moose cheese can be sampled at the farm’s restaurant. Sales are mainly to upscale Swedish hotels and restaurants, and they have plans to export more cheese - especially their sour feta-type, which is laid down in oil and is easy to transport.

Moose House attracts 25,000 visitors per year, and is the main attraction in an activity center that also offers fishing, golf, canoe tours, and riding.