Ostkaka

Ostkaka.

Ostkaka, "ost" meaning "cheese" and "kaka" meaning "cake" in Swedish (the definition of "kaka" includes "cookie" but is a wider concept in Swedish). Also known as Swedish cheesecake or Swedish curd cake, is a Swedish dessert that has its roots in two different parts of Sweden, Hälsingland and Småland (there are also some differences between ostkaka from Hälsingland^[1] and ostkaka from Småland^[2]). The dish has a rather firm consistency and subtle, creamy taste with a hint of almonds. It is usually eaten warm or lukewarm with different jams, typically Cloudberry though Lingonberry is often used, as well as fruits, whipped cream or ice cream.

Despite the similarity in literal translation, ostkaka should not be confused with cheesecake which is a layered cake. Swedes typically call the latter by its English name, sometimes making it "American Cheesecake", to avoid confusion. Though even then, Scandinavian restaurant menus sometimes confuse the two.

Traditional recipes

Ostkaka is traditionally produced by adding rennet to milk and letting the casein coagulate. Cream, sugar, eggs, almonds and bitter almonds are added to create a batter.

It is then baked in an oven and served warm - never hot, as this will nullify the rather delicate flavour.^[3]

Traditionally, the Småland variety is cooked in a large copper pot. This gives rise to a tradition of allowing guests to take their portions from the centre of the Ostkaka, thereby avoiding any traces of copper that may have leached into the mixture where it is contact with the pot.

Simplified recipes

Since the process of curding milk is somewhat complicated, alternative recipes intended for home cooking instead use cottage cheese as a base to simulate the texture of the dessert.

National Day

Since 2004, the "Day of Ostkaka" is celebrated on November 14 in Sweden.^[4]

It was established and is promoted by the "Ostkakans vänner" ("Friends of Ostkaka"),^[5] a non-profit organization founded in the spring of 2003.

References

1. ^ http://www.ica.se/FrontServlet?s=mat_recept&state=recept&receptid=5380
2. ^ http://www.frodinge.se/index.asp?avd=produkter&sub=Ostkaka.
3. ^ http://hem.passagen.se/lenjoh/efter/ostkaka1.htm
4. ^ http://www.frodinge.se/index.asp?avd=ostkakansdag
5. ^ http://ostkakansvanner.se/

See also

• Fatost