To celebrate 100 years of the Norwegian cheese slicer, grab some hearty wheat or rye bread and try out some of these open-faced sandwich toppings featuring Norwegian cheeses:

Norwegian internet radio show P4 Lyden av Norge asked listeners what they put in their matpakke, or lunchbox. Try some of these cheese-forward combinations suggested by real Norwegians, and consult our list of Norwegian cheeses to find out more!

  • Brunost, mayonnaise and cucumber (“sounds terrible, but is actually good”) 
  • Hvitost, mayo, crisp lettuce, turkey or chicken 
  • Gulost and salami 
  • Ham with cheese and cucumber or bell pepper 
  • Butter and brunost 
  • Kvitost with caviar 
  • Jarlsberg with tomato, cucumber and a dash of salt 
  • Ridderost 
  • Nøkkelost 
  • Pultost with mackerel 
  • Norvegia with caviar and cucumber 
  • Greddost, pickles 
  • Rugsprø with Ostavind ost 
  • Gulost, mayonnaise, kaviar 
  • Norvegia, tomato, bell pepper 
  • Brunost and Nugatti (chocolate hazelnut spread) 
  • Gulost, tomato 
  • Smøreost 
  • Jarlsberg with bell pepper 
  • Tubost with liverwurst

Types of cheese:


Brunost – smooth brown cheese made from the whey of cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or both. Not technically a cheese at all! Also called geitost or gjetost when made from goat’s milk. Tangy, with caramel and nutty notes.

Greddost / Gräddost – a mild and creamy Swedish semi-soft white cheese

Gulost – “yellow cheese.” See hvitost. One and the same as hvitost/kvitost, but the name gulost is used by Norwegians in southern and eastern Norway.

Hvitost/Kvitost – white semi-hard or hard cheese enjoyed daily in Norwegian households. One and the same as gulost, but the name hvitost or kvitost is used by Norwegians outside of southeastern Norway.

Jarlsberg – one of Norway’s most popular cheese exports, this is a smooth mild white cheese with distinctive large hole structure, similar to Swiss Emmentaler.

Norvegia – a semi-hard matured gulost produced by Tine.

Nøkkelost – a semi-hard white cheese spiced with cumin, caraway seeds and cloves. Modeled after similar Dutch cheeses. Also called kuminost.

Østavind – a white cheese with small hole structure, made by Tine from the milk of Northern Norway, giving it “more character and a rich, full, and aromatic taste.”

Pultost – a storied sour milk cheese dotted with caraway, made in Gudbrandsdalen. Packs a lot of flavor, but its crumbly texture makes it a challenge to spread.

Ridderost – a washed rind semi-firm cheese with annatto, which makes the rind yellow. Smooth and creamy.

Smøreost – spreadable cheese, often from a tube. Primula is a brand of shelf-stable tube cheese made by Kavli. Typically mixed with flavors like bacon, shrimp, ham and caviar.

Synnøve – a mild everyday gulost. Typically used on pizza and sandwiches.

Tubost – see smøreost (tubost is a Swedish term is used by one of the commenters)