Tilsit

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Name Variations

 * Tilsiter
 * Tilsit Havarti

About Tilsit
Wikipedia Article About Tilsit on Wikipedia

Tilsit cheese is a light yellow semi-soft cheese. Tilsit was created in the mid-19th century by Swiss settlers in Prussia. The same ingredients were not available and the cheese became contaminated by molds, yeasts, and bacteria in the humid climate. The result was a cheese which was more intense and full flavored. The settlers named the cheese after Tilsit, the Prussian town they had settled in.

Now also produced in Denmark, Tilsit has a medium-firm texture with irregular holes or cracks. Commercially produced Tilsit is made from pasteurized cow's milk, ranges from 30 to 50 percent milk fat and has a dark yellow rind. Often flavored with caraway seed and peppercorns, Tilsit is a superb complement to hearty brown/rye breads and dark beers. It is a common table cheese, yet extremely versatile. Tilsit can be eaten cubed in salads, melted in sauces, on potatoes, flans, or burgers. Tilsit goes well with Danish Ales.

A cheese said to have originated in Tilsit, East Prussia (now part of Russia and Poland), when Dutch immigrants accidentally created it while attempting to make Gouda. Tilsit has a medium-firm texture with irregular eyes or cracks. Commercially produced Tilsit is made from pasteurized milk, ranges from 30 to 50 percent milk fat and has a pale yellow interior surrounded by a dark yellow rind. Its flavor is mild but becomes more pungent with age. A very strong version, called Farmhouse Tilsit, is made from raw milk and is aged for about 5 months, which creates a cheese approaching Limburger in aroma. Tilsit is used to flavor foods such as sauces and vegetable dishes.