Fynbo

Fynbo is a semi-hard, washed-rind Danish cow's-milk cheese named after the inhabitants of the island of Fyn (Funen) in central Denmark. It is made from pasteurised cow's milk, often with a combination of mesophilic and thermophilic starter cultures, and is pressed into a small round or rectangular wheel of about two kilograms with a pale, slightly waxy rind and a soft ivory interior. The flavour is mild but distinctly savoury, with a hint of buckwheat and a gentle, slightly nutty finish that gets sharper as the cheese ages.

Fynbo sits in the everyday Danish lunch category alongside Danbo, Havarti and Samsø, sliced thick and laid on rugbrød with butter, a few sprigs of cress and a slice of roast beef or pork. It is also used melted on a traditional Danish open sandwich, in a cheese-topped rye smørrebrød with radish and chives. The cheese is produced mainly by the large Danish cooperatives such as Arla and smaller island dairies on Fyn, and is sold in wedges at supermarkets across Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. It is, perhaps most famously, the cheese that John Cleese's customer is trying to buy in the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch.