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May 24, 2004 / Vol. 163 No. 20 The Use of a Moose
It's creamy, strong and good for your elk
Ever milked a moose? Meet Helga, Juna and Gullan—three cows weighing nearly half a ton each, who live on Europe's only moose dairy farm: the Algens Hus near Bjurholm, some 60 km west of Umeå in northern Sweden. Together they yield enough milk to allow owners Christer and Ulla Johansson to produce about 350 kg of a tasty, healthy cheese. High in protein and low in fat, the delicacy—which can only be made during the May-to-September milking season—comes in three varieties: one similar to a Camembert, the other blue like a Gorgonzola, and the third moist and slightly sour like feta cheese. The only catch is the price: the couple sells to upmarket restaurants across the Continent at a whopping $600 per kilogram. Why so high? "It's very hard work to farm these huge, wild animals," says Christer Johansson, who, inspired by similar farms in Russia, opened the 24-hectare "Moose House" seven years ago. Most of the cheese is sold on site in the farm shop—King Carl Gustav is said to have once ordered some—or in specialty stores across Sweden. For those who want to try the unusual dairy product before they spend a small fortune, Algens Hus' restaurant offers delicious moose-cheese dishes. Try the cheese plain with bread or biscuits, or better yet, frozen moose mousse: it's best served with raspberries.
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