post #2 in my series on delicious norwegian regional food:
gamalost is some viking-era cheese made entirely from skim milk (off to a bad start already), and then a lactic acid starter is added to sour it. after several days, the cheese is heated before the curds are removed and pressed in a form. when it is removed from the forms, mold is introduced to the surface and rubbed all over by hand and allowed to rot for 4-5 weeks. the texture is reminiscent of duvan cvarci pressed together, that is to say that it has no creamyness at all and has a kind of unpleasant dry stringyness which crumbles a bit but still remains tangled up in itself. the smell is exactly the same as an older unwashed wet homeless dog covered in dirt from sleeping outside. the taste is surprisingly complex, in that it both delivers on the promise of smelly-wet-dogs and adds in some notes of dirt and shredded rotten twigs. the aftertaste is equally as unpleasant and my stomach strongly reacts to the mere thought of putting it anywhere near my mouth again.
2/10 very surpising