Havarti Delivery or Pickup

You can't go wrong with Havarti if you're looking for a versatile cheese to add to party-ready cheeseboards or everyday snacking. The semi-soft cow's milk cheese got its start in Denmark in the mid-1800s. That's when a Danish woman named Hanne Nielsen traveled to Europe to learn various cheesemaking techniques. When Nielsen returned to her farm in Denmark, she experimented with a process of washing curds in fresh spring water. Then, she pressed the curds into molds and drained them. The result was a creamy, soft new cheese named after her Havarthigaard farm just north of Copenhagen.

You'll find two main categories of Havarti still available today. The original version is made with whole pasteurized cow's milk. There is also a version of Havarti known as cream Havarti, made with added cream. Cream Havarti has more butterfat and is closer in texture to cheeses like brie.

Danish cheesemakers brought Havarti cheese to Wisconsin, where it has a storied tradition as well. In fact, various creameries in Wisconsin produce award-winning Havarti varieties. In the United States, original Havarti is more popular and more widely available than cream Havarti.

Havarti cheese boasts a creamy to pale yellow color and no rind. The cheese is smooth with a buttery aroma. Take a bite and enjoy a buttery, slightly acidic taste. You'll also find stronger varieties that taste nuttier and sharper, similar to Swiss cheese.

Havarti's overall smooth flavor inspires experimentation and various combinations. In addition to both the traditional and creamy versions of Havarti, you'll find Havarti flavored with herbs such as dill as well as caraway seeds, hot peppers, or horseradish. You can purchase Havarti in logs or pre-sliced, making it easy to find the exact right Havarti product for your taste and needs.

You'll want to keep Havarti refrigerated at all times. You can keep semi-soft cheeses like Havarti for a shorter time than harder cheeses, as semi-soft cheese has more moisture present. Generally, you can keep semi-soft cheese about two to four weeks beyond a sell-by or expiration date, but you'll need to use your judgment to make sure the cheese is still good.

Wait to open your packet of Havarti until you're ready to eat it to increase the product's shelf life. To store Havarti, once you've opened it, you can wrap it in breathable parchment paper and then place the wrapped cheese in a resealable plastic bag. This allows air flow (but not too much) and prevents the cheesy smell from transferring to the other food in your refrigerator.

Freeze any Havarti you can't consume before the cheese goes bad, especially if you plan to use that Havarti for cooking. Although frozen Havarti cheese will be safe to eat indefinitely, it will maintain its best quality for around two months when frozen. Once you have defrosted the Havarti in the refrigerator, you can keep it for an additional three to four days in the refrigerator. Because the frozen cheese can become crumbly or lose some flavor, thawed Havarti is best used in cooked dishes like casseroles, sauces, or soups.