Flavor Bites: Indole

Gamalost (also: Gammelost) is an ancient Norwegian cheese with an incredibly ugly appearance. It is formed by the action of almost every conceivable bacteria and mold on coagulated cows’ milk. This “evil” cheese lasts forever and was undoubtedly created with long Viking sea voyages in mind. I have to confess that I love this odd cheese, and not surprisingly, I have rarely been able to fi nd it outside Scandinavia. Gamalost has a unique taste of almost pure indole set against a cheesy background—it is what could only be described politely as an acquired taste.