“Brunost” (Norwegian) simply means “brown cheese” and is made from goat’s and cow’s milk. The taste starts with a salty, rich caramel, and under the sweetness there’s a pleasant funk. Why has brunost become so popular in Seoul?
Eating brunost is momentarily overwhelming, as it sticks to the roof of your mouth before melting away. Its dense, sticky texture even requires a cheese plane, a special spatula-shaped tool for shaving off long pieces, invented by the Norwegian carpenter Thor Bjørklund.
Norwegian brown cheese is often hard to find outside of Norway, but times are changing. Dairy factories in Norway are struggling to keep up with demand from a surprising export market with very few Scandinavian connections.
In South Korea, they love brown cheese. They use brown cheese in their waffle iron and on their pizza. Norwegian dairy producer Tine is selling more than ever. Brunost is now everywhere across the nation, from cafes to street food stands. Interestingly, Koreans have made brunost their own, by adding its salty richness to all kinds of treats and confections.
Dating back to the 17th century, Norwegian brunost is made from leftover whey during the cheese-making process, so it isn’t technically a cheese. In Norway, it’s still popular on waffles, crisp bread and rolls. Last year, Tine exported 130 tons of brown cheese to South Korea.
“We like to eat brunost and ice cream together. It’s savory and salty,” says Irang Choi, who lives in Busan. “We eat it with croiffle too.” The croiffle is a hybrid pastry made by pressing croissant dough into a waffle iron. Brunost is then shredded on top, which is the preferred way for Koreans to eat it. Brunost is grated onto desserts, on coffee, and even on steak. It’s also used as a flavoring in treats like cookies, macaron fillings, and donut glazes.
It’s not just Tine enjoying success. Another Norwegian dairy producer, Synnøve Finden, has also exported several tons of brunost to South Korea. “There is a strong tradition of combining sweet and salty in our country, and this goes very well with brown cheese,” says Heesook Shin.
She is global brand manager at the cooperative Seoul Dairy, and says they expect further growth in brown cheese sales in the coming years.
While brunost is just as common as white cheese in Norway, its traditional uses are pretty narrow: sliced thinly and served on bread or a soft waffle alongside butter is about as far as it goes.
The person deserving the credit for turning brunost into a Korean phenomenon is Jeonmi Eom. “They call me Brown Cheese Lady,” she laughs. Through her family, she was introduced to the Norwegian dairy Synnøve Finden, and four years ago, she set up her own company as an independent brunost importer, with an exclusive license with Synnøve to develop their products and branding for use in Korea. Eom’s company now has three “Synnøve” cafes in Busan, with brunost as the main draw. “My Norwegian friends are shocked by how we use brown cheese,” she says.
South Koreans sure must have a taste for the stuff, because import of brown cheese is steadily growing! Personally, I can’t imagine enjoying a brown cheese pizza, but each to their own.
Brunost in Seoul, written by Tor KJolberg