The Real Reason Moose Cheese Is So Expensive

We love cheese in all its forms — be it fresh, aged, blue, rindless, soft, or hard. And those are just a handful of the variations. Brie and butter on a baguette? Yes, please. The best recipes to make with cheddar cheese? We've got you covered. Our love for cheese is so great that we've even uncovered the possible reason humans started eating cheese. But there is one type of cheese that's truly unique and requires the ability to look past the traditional cheeses made from cow, sheep, and goat milk. Have you heard of moose cheese?

Along with pule cheese, which is made from donkey's milk in Zasavica Nature Reserve in Serbia, moose cheese is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world. Atlas Obscura reports that it's produced in The Elk House, located in Bjurholm, Sweden, by just three moose (or elk, as they're called in Europe) named Gullan, Juno, and Haelga. But why is moose cheese so expensive?

The moose only lactate within a relatively short period of time, from May until the end of September. According to Itsfoodtastic, during these months the owners of the farm, Christer and Ulla Johansson, milk the moose for just two hours daily, which they produce about five liters each. The milk is used to make four types of moose cheese: Feta-style, dry blue cheese, creamy blue cheese, and a soft variety covered in white mold. The cheeses have a smooth texture and intense, buttery, creamy, and salty flavors. The animals feed on wild arctic plants, hence the unique flavors of the cheese. 

10Best reports that moose cheese is very nutritious as it contains high levels of zinc, iron, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. It may also lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation, so it's no wonder that this prestigious and rare moose creation can cost upwards of $600 per pound. That's a lot of cheddar to dish out on some cheese, but it is on Mashed's list of cheeses you should try at least once in your life so perhaps it's worth the splurge.