How South Korea Fell in Love With Norway's Unique Cheese

31.08.2023 - 20:08 / atlasobscura.com

Since leaving my native Norway, I find myself constantly telling people about brunost. Pronounced “broon’ust,” it simply means “brown cheese.” But brunost is nothing like any other cheese.

The taste starts with a salty, rich caramel, and under the sweetness there’s a pleasant funk, courtesy of a mix of goat’s and cow’s milk. Eating it is momentarily overwhelming, as it sticks to the roof of your mouth before melting away. Its dense, sticky texture even requires a cheese plane, a special spatula-shaped tool for shaving off long pieces.

It used to be nearly impossible to get brunost outside of Norway, but in recent years, it’s become a craze in an unlikely place—South Korea. Brunost is now everywhere across the nation, from cafes to street food stands. Interestingly, Koreans have made brunost their own, by adding its salty richness to all kinds of treats and confections.

“We like to eat brunost and ice cream together. It’s savory and salty,” says Irang Choi, who lives in Busan. “We eat it with croiffle too.” The croiffle is a hybrid pastry made by pressing croissant dough into a waffle iron. Brunost is then shredded on top, which is the preferred way for Koreans to eat it. Brunost is grated onto desserts, on coffee, and even on steak. It’s also used as a flavoring in treats like cookies, macaron fillings, and donut glazes.

My Norwegian grandmother would be shocked to see brunost used like this. While brunost is just as common as white cheese in Norway, its traditional uses are pretty narrow: sliced thinly and served on bread or a soft waffle alongside butter is about as far as it goes.

The person deserving the credit for turning brunost into a Korean phenomenon is Jeonmi Eom. “They call me Brown Cheese Lady,” Eom laughs over a video call from Busan. Eom first tasted brunost when her husband, whose family business regularly takes him to Norway, brought some home to Korea. “I tried a fresh vegetable sandwich with brown cheese, and I was shocked by the flavor,” Eom recalls. “Like many Korean people, I don’t like cheese very much. But I just fell in love with the sticky, salty, and sweet taste.”

Eom simply assumed this product was already widely available locally. “Because in Korea, the salty and sweet combination already has success in various foods like candy, ice cream, snacks and desserts,” she explains. To her surprise, brunost was basically unknown. Eom, who already worked in the food industry, decided to start importing and selling it.

Through her family, she was introduced to the Norwegian dairy Synnøve Finden, and four years ago, she set up her own company as an independent brunost importer, with an exclusive license with Synnøve to develop their products and branding for use in Korea. Eom’s formal