Juustoleipa
Juustoleipa, more commonly spelled leipäjuusto, is a Finnish fresh cheese traditionally made from cow's colostrum. It is baked, grilled or flambéed until the surface browns, tastes mild, and squeaks against the teeth when bitten.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Finland |
| Specific Origin | Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland and Kainuu, Finland |
| Milk Type | Cow's, goat's or reindeer's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | 12% |
| Rind | Washed |
| Texture | Semi-hard, artisan |
| Flavor | Salty, sweet |
| Aroma | Fresh, pleasant, sweet |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Round disks 2 to 3 cm thick |
| Age | Fresh, sometimes dried for a few days |
| Alternative Spellings | leipäjuusto |
| Also Known As | Leipäjuusto, Finnish squeaky cheese, reindeer cheese, juusto |
What is Juustoleipa Cheese?
Juustoleipa is a fresh cheese from Finland, traditionally made from cow's colostrum. It comes from Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland and Kainuu. The name shifts with the region: leipäjuusto in Ostrobothnia and Lapland, juustoleipä in Kainuu, kahvijuusto in Meänkieli, kaffeost or brödost in Swedish. Both Finnish words are now used interchangeably, though leipäjuusto is the more common spelling. In the United States it is often sold as Finnish squeaky cheese, and there cow's milk is generally used, sometimes goat milk. Commercial versions are typically cow's milk.
The milk is curdled and set into a round disk two to three centimeters thick. The disk is then baked, grilled or flambéed, which gives it the brown or charred marks it is known for. Older practice was to dry the cheese, after which it kept for years. The dried cheese went almost rock hard, and heating it over a fire softened it again and brought out a strong appetizing smell. Drying still happens today, usually just a few days in a well ventilated spot.
The flavour is mild. Bitten into, the fresh cheese squeaks against the teeth, and some dialect names, such as narskujuusto, refer to exactly that.
It can be eaten warm or cold. The usual way is sliced, alongside coffee. Some people drop a few pieces into a cup and pour hot coffee over them, which is what the Swedish name kaffeost, or coffee cheese, describes. It is also cut into diamonds roughly 5 to 7 cm long and served with cloudberry jelly or fresh cloudberries. Another version soaks slices in cream, adds cinnamon and sugar, browns them briefly in the oven and serves them with cloudberry jelly.
Modern Finnish cooking dices it into salads as a mild stand-in for feta. As a dessert it is treated like Camembert: fried in butter until soft, then served with jam, cloudberry by tradition.
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