Jarlsberg

Jarlsberg is the famously sweet, nutty semi-soft from Norway, made from pasteurized cow's milk and instantly recognizable by the big round eyes scattered through its pale yellow paste. The recipe was developed in the 1950s at the Agricultural University in Ås, and the cheese is named for the historic Jarlsberg region.

The paste is smooth and pliable, slicing clean off the wheel with that signature chew. On the palate it opens with fresh sweet cream and butter, then pulls into a clear toasted hazelnut note through the middle. The eyes come from a propionic culture working slowly in temperature-controlled caves, the same family of bacteria responsible for the holes and the nuttiness in Swiss Emmental, though Jarlsberg reads sweeter and softer than its Alpine cousin.

This is a mild cheese, but mild doesn't mean flat. It melts beautifully over a burger or into a gratin, slices clean for a ham and rye sandwich, and holds its own on a board next to bolder neighbors. A good gateway for anyone who thinks they don't like cheese, and a workhorse for anyone who already does.