Norwegian semi-soft with sweet cream and toasted hazelnut.
Norwegian semi-soft cow's milk cheese with sweet cream, toasted hazelnut, and the signature large round eyes. Great for melting, sandwiches, and boards.
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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.
Semi-soft and pliable, slices clean without crumbling and gives a slight chew before melting on the tongue. Studded throughout with the signature large round eyes.
Mellow and approachable. Sweet cream and toasted hazelnut sit right at the center, with none of the sharpness or pungency you'd find further up the Alpine ladder.
Clean and short. The sweet, nutty note fades within a few seconds, leaving the palate ready for the next bite.
Fresh sweet cream sits right at the front of the palate, buttery and mild, more milky than tangy.
Toasted hazelnut runs through the middle, a calling card of the propionic culture that also opens up the big round eyes.
Almost no earthy pull. The paste is clean and dairy-forward, with none of the mushroom or cellar notes of a washed rind or aged Alpine.
No heat, no piquancy. Sweet and gentle from front to back.
Waxed rind
Wax-coated rind, inedible. All flavor lives in the paste.
Jarlsberg stands on its own, but the right partners turn a wedge into a moment. Regional pairings first — they were built for each other.
The cheese is sweet and mild, so a crisp pilsner or off-dry Riesling lifts the nutty side without overpowering the cream.
Crisp apple and pear play off the sweet nuttiness, while mustard cuts the richness for sandwiches and honey leans into the dessert side.
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Hand-cut to order the day it ships. Packed cold for overnight delivery.
Taste it for yourself →Cold-ship 2-day overnight nationwide
