Havarti

Key takeaways

Havarti belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Havarti to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Havarti from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Havarti (Danish pronunciation: [hæˈvɑːtsʰi]) or cream Havarti (Danish: flødehavarti) is a semisoft Danish cow's milk cheese. It can be sliced, grilled, or melted.

History Havarti was previously called "Danish Tilsiter" after the German cheese type tilsiter. Danish production began in 1921. In 1952, the cheese was named Havarti, after Havartigården near Holte, where the Danish cheese pioneer Hanne Nielsen worked in the 19th century. Among other cheeses, Nielsen created a Tilsit cheese with caraway for King Christian IX of Denmark. Some sources, such as The Oxford Companion to Cheese, say that Nielsen invented Havarti cheese, while the Dansk Biografisk Leksikon states that the current Havarti is not based on her cheesemaking. The original Havarti cheese is different from flødehavarti ("cream Havarti"), which is made from flash pasteurized milk, so that the whey proteins that would otherwise be eliminated during production remain in the curd. This raises yields, but alters the taste and texture. Cream Havarti usually ripens very little, since the remaining whey proteins cause problems (off-taste, odd appearance) during prolonged ripening.

Description Havarti is made, like most cheeses, by introducing rennet to milk to cause curdling. The curds are pressed into cheese molds which are drained, and then the cheese is aged. Havarti was traditionally a smear-ripened cheese, but modern flødehavarti is not. Havarti is a washed-curd cheese, which contributes to the subtle flavor of the cheese. Havarti is an interior-ripened cheese that is rindless, smooth, and slightly bright-surfaced with a cream to yellow color depending on type. It has very small and irregular openings called eyes distributed throughout. Havarti has a buttery aroma and can be somewhat sharp in the stronger varieties, much like Swiss-type cheeses. The taste is buttery, from somewhat to very sweet, and slightly acidic, similar in taste to mozzarella. It is typically aged about three months, though when the cheese is older, it becomes more salty and tastes like hazelnut. When left at room temperature, the cheese tends to soften quickly. Flavored variants of Havarti are available.

Production In 2013, 18,900 metric tons were produced in Denmark. As of 2019, 17,000 metric tons are produced annually in Denmark, of which 3,000 to 4,000 metric tons are consumed domestically. In 2015, 17,700 metric tons were produced in Wisconsin and 7,400 in Canada. In 2018, Wisconsin produced 18,400 metric tons and Canada 7,500 metric tons. Less than half of the world production is made in Denmark. Other major producers in the EU are Germany and Spain. Internationally, the main producers are the United States and Canada, with other producing countries including Finland, Poland, France, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, the main producing state by far is Wisconsin, with other producing states being California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington. The Danish multinational Arla Foods produces the cheese for the American market in Wisconsin from milk produced in Wisconsin. Havarti is one of twelve cheeses whose characteristics and manufacturing standards are registered in the Codex Alimentarius as of 2019.

Consumption It has become a staple foodstuff in Denmark.

Nutrition For one slice weighing 28 g:

Food energy: 500 kilojoules (120 kilocalories) Protein: 6.0 g Carbohydrate: 0.0 g Total fat: 11.0 g Fiber: 0.0 g Calcium: 150 mg

Controversy In October 2019, the EU granted exclusive Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) rights to Denmark after four years of lobbying by the Danish industry. It may now only be produced from Danish milk and at approved dairies for it to be sold in the EU and countries with which it has signed a trade agreement recognising EU PGI rules on cheese (specifically South Korea). There was vehement opposition and pressure from the United States against recognition; the EU was earlier compelled to postpone the planned PGI status for fear that it might be deemed too provocative amidst indications of political backlash from the US. The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN), an industry alliance based in Virginia, United States, representing exporting interests founded by the US Dairy Export Council to fight EU geographical indication guidelines expressed outrage over the 2019 EU decision to reserve the name for Denmark, claiming the PGI status is not "legitimate intellectual property protection, but instead for barely concealed protectionism for economic gain". The United States, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and Argentina have joined with the CCFN to overturn the decision. The CCFN has claimed that Havarti is a generic cheese, and that the EU is trying to "egregiously ... monopolise global trade" in this and many other traditional European products, and is disregarding "established international standards". The CCFN demands that EU PGIs be amended to include the name of the region where it is produced, such that only the name "Danish Havarti" is protected, a proposal to which Danish producers are amenable. Danish producers contend it is domestically well known as a Danish cheese and knowledge of the cheese outside Denmark is "extremely limited". The CCFN urged the Trump administration to sanction the EU for its "abuses".

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Havarti

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Havarti claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Havarti before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Havarti ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Havarti

In research: Havarti appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Havarti in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Havarti is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cheese with eyes, Cow's-milk cheeses, Danish cheeses, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Havarti outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Havarti in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Havarti means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Havarti out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Havarti in simple terms?

Havarti (Danish pronunciation: [hæˈvɑːtsʰi]) or cream Havarti (Danish: flødehavarti) is a semisoft Danish cow's milk cheese. It can be sliced, grilled, or melted.

Why does Havarti matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Havarti?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Havarti.