Graddost
Gräddost is a Swedish semi-hard cow's milk cheese whose name means cream cheese. It tastes mild, creamy and slightly sour, is usually sold at 60% fat, and melts so well that Swedish pizzerias made it a standard in the 1970s.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
| Specific Origin | Sweden |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | 60%, lower-fat variants available |
| Rind | None, ripened in Cryovac plastic film |
| Texture | Semi-hard, artisan |
| Flavor | Nutty, tangy |
| Aroma | Nutty |
| Colors | Pale yellow |
| Forms | Round 1 kg (2.2 lb) forms, also larger forms |
| Age | At least 4 weeks |
| Alternative Spellings | Gräddost |
| Also Known As | Norsk Gräddost (in Norway) |
What is Graddost Cheese?
Knut Hedqvist developed the recipe for Gräddost on 24 September 1952 for the Swedish dairy Boxholm Mejeri AB. The Swedish name translates literally as cream cheese.
His main goal was practical: to save the paraffin needed for an artificial rind by ripening the cheese in Cryovac cling film instead. Most Gräddost is still made in round forms weighing one kilogram (2.2 lb), which ripen in that plastic for at least four weeks. Larger formats are also produced.
The cheese is semi-hard and made from cow's milk. Its flavor is mild and creamy with a slight sourness, and sometimes a nutty note. The usual fat content is 60%, though spiced versions and lower-fat variants are sold too.
Gräddost broke through on the Swedish market in the 1970s, when a wave of new pizzerias went looking for a Swedish-made, mild cheese that melted easily and settled on this one. It caught on in Denmark and Norway as well. Norwegian dairies started making their own and kept the Swedish spelling, selling it as Norsk Gräddost. In Sweden the word has since become a generic term for a whole group of comparable cream cheese specialities.
How Does Graddost Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Graddost against.
