On an appropriately bone-chilling Sunday morning, I visited Brooklyn’s “Little Norway,” located in Bay Ridge. Once a “Big Norway,” this area was home to the largest concentration of Norwegians outside of Norway during the mid-twentieth century. Today, there are fewer people of Norwegian descent, but a small number of shops preserve the neighborhood’s Scandinavian legacy. One noteworthy shop is Mejlander and Mulgannon, a deli and grocery that sells prepared foods, meats, Norwegian cheeses and candies. On my visit, the gentlemen behind the counter were quick to offer suggestions and information on authentic Norwegian foods and their uses.
There isn’t much arable land in Norway, so preserved meat, fish and dairy have always figured heavily into Norwegian cuisine. Cheese is also big, and while many people are familiar with Jarlsberg, I recently learned of one rare Norwegian cheese, nokkelost, that was banned from the United States for some time due to mad cow disease concerns. Now available again, I suddenly wanted to try that cheese more than anything. Mejlander and Mulgannon delivered.
Made since the 17th century, nokkelost is a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese about the consistency and color of havarti. Its closest relative is the Dutch cheese, Leyden. In Norwegian, the word nokkelost means ‘crossed keys,’ which is also the emblem of the city of Leyden. Freckled with caraway seeds as well as cumin, clove or allspice, this unusual cheese is slightly spicy, rye-smelling (from the caraway) and less overpowering than you might expect. The cheese has a mildly sour note - not unusual as traditional Norwegian dishes often included sour milk as an ingredient. In alternating bites the cheese seems both exotic and medieval. Nokkelost is great for grilled cheese, and is sometimes coated with breadcrumbs, baked and served with hot red cabbage.
If you’re looking for Norwegian items in the neighborhood, be sure to also visit Nordic Delicacies which has a good selection of food items as well as authentic trolls.
Mejlander and Mulgannon
7615 5th Ave
Originally published on Until Monday: Brooklyn.
