I stumbled across this article in my morning google.

Norway makes a type of cheese called Gamalost. The Vikings originally made this fromage over 1000 years ago and believed it to have special properties. They put it on wounds to further the healing process and believed it had the ability to fend off common colds and provide energy. Most interestingly, and this is the sexy part, they held the cheese in high esteem for passing on to the consumer "enhanced sexual prowess."

However, the cheese appears to be an acquired taste. Teenagers despise the stuff, prefering blander cheeses, because Gamalost smells like a "dog's bed." Mmm. Tasty!

But what I found hysterically funny this morning were these two quotes from the article about how the cheese is made. Historical Method:

The locals call it "Old Cheese" from the days when the cheese was made in
the summer, on the mountain dairy farms and took a very long time to mature.
Skimmed cow's milk was left to sour, heated, and then the curds were placed in
cloth-lined wooden boxes, wrapped in dried marsh grass, and the aging process
would begin. Every other day, for many months, the dairy maids would pull the
boxes out from under their beds, where the cheese was stored, and rub the cheese
by hand to help spread the bacteria evenly. By Christmas the cheese had
fermented to a brownish gold color and was ready to eat.

Or the faster, less labor-oriented method:

"Take some cheese, stuff it in an old sock, bury it in manure under the barn and
when it is ready, it will crawl out."

While that is certainly descriptive, I'm not inspired to gnaw on some Gamalost. I generally avoid things that escape being buried in a sock under a pile of manure, whether they crawled out on their own power or not.

And so, in the vein of all things cheesy for this beautiful Wednesday:

C: Aah, how about Cheddar?
O: Well, we don't get much call for it around here, sir.
C: Not much ca--It's the single most popular cheese in the world!
O: Not 'round here, sir.
C: and what IS the most popular cheese 'round hyah?
O: 'Illchester, sir.
C: IS it.
O: Oh, yes, it's staggeringly popular in this manor, squire.
C: Is it.
O: It's our number one best seller, sir!
C: I see. Uuh...'Illchester, eh?
O: Right, sir.
C: All right. Okay. 'Have you got any?' he asked, expecting the answer 'no'.
O: I'll have a look, sir... nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnno.
C: It's not much of a cheese shop, is it?
O: Finest in the district!
C: (annoyed) Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please.
O: Well, it's so clean, sir!
C: It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese....

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