Nøkkelost (Norwegian: "key cheese") is a common, Norwegian name for kuminost ("cumin cheese"), a cheese flavored with cumin and cloves.[1] It is semi-hard, yellow, and made from cow's milk, in the shape of wheels or blocks, with a maturation period of three months.[2]
Nøkkelost cheese is similar to the Dutch cheese, Nagelkaas,[3] which is itself an unprotected name variant of kanterkaas. There are differing theories on the origin of the Norwegian name. The most likely is that it is a false cognate in Norwegian of the Dutch Nagelkaas, which translates to "nail cheese", owing to the nail-like shape of the cloves. Another theory is that as a factory-made variation of the Dutch Leyden cheese, which has its origins in the 17th century, the Norwegian nøkkel (meaning "key") is a reference to Leiden's coat of arms.[4]
There was a version of Nøkkelost manufactured and marketed in the US throughout the 1960s.[5] Kraft Foods first called it "Caraway" then later used "Kuminost Spiced Cheese" on the label.[6]