Say 'Cheese', then ask 'Why'? : The mystery of adding cheese to coffee and tea

At BTS our preference is plain tea with cheese on the side

On certain occasions, or maybe as a full-time preference, many of us may add milk or sugar to our coffee or tea, but has cheese ever been a consideration? 

In some parts of the world, the answer is "yes". 

For tea, we sampled "Cheese Tea" from Eli Tea in Birmingham over a year ago - it's a sweet concoction of tea and liquid cheesecake mix.  Although it's more dessert than, say, a cup of Earl Grey, it's not too much of a stretch from adding milk and sugar to a serving of hot tea.

Rachel & Barb of BTS sample cheese tea at Eli's

However, we recently learned about a coffee-cheese drink that does expand greatly on traditional caffeine/dairy pairings, Kaffeost from Scandinavia.

According to an Atlas Obsurca article, Kaffeost is the drink of the Sami people of Lapland - or as they prefer to call the region, in their own language, Sápmi.  Kaffeost is coffee served up with dried cheese, or juusto, traditionally made from Reindeer milk, but now more commonly derived from goat or cow milk.  The cheese is curdled, baked and dried into thin rounds.

Finland trip, Lapland/Sampi where the family saw reindeer whose milk produces juusto for kaffeost

Traditional kaffeost is made by placing the juusto into the bottom of a wooden mug, then pouring the hot coffee on top. One can spoon out chunks of juusto or enjoy scooping out the dregs that line the mug. Kaffeost is traditionally served as a welcoming drink.

My niece at the Arctic Circle, where kaffeost was invented

Although I visited northern Finland with family back in 2001, I was never offered kaffeost and don't recall seeing it served anywhere. I did, however, see a few reindeer when we crossed the Arctic Circle, and perhaps, they provided some juusto for kaffeost in the area.

Kaffeost is not found in Fika

In search of more on kaffeost, I checked "Fika" a book I recently purchased (watch for an upcoming Tea and Tomes feature) that celebrates the Scandinavian custom of the "coffee break" (for those of you who have Swedish grandmothers who set a table for coffee, you know it's not really a "break", but more of  an "event"!). There is no mention of kaffeost and  I surmise that's because it is a drink of those who live in the arctic circle, where temperatures are extreme and call for a bit of odd creativity (think of the sport of curling).

I love tea (and coffee) and cheese, but not so much together. I'll stick to plain tea and coffee with a splash of cream, cheese to be served separately.