Meet Parla, the root of Sweden’s PM & Vänner’s single cow cheese
Pärla may well be the most famous cow in all of Sweden. Seven years old, she is as white as the pearl she is named after, although her breed—the indigenous Fjäll, or Swedish Mountain cattle—often comes flecked with Pollack-esque black blotches. She is a timid creature, hesitant to meet your gaze from behind her long lashes, reluctant to explore far from home. But she does one thing exceedingly well: produce delicious milk. So delicious, in fact, that one restaurant serves cheese made only from hers.
Photo: Pärla on left; on white plate, two Pärla products: blue cheese topped with Comet plum and lightly heated with a torch and, at right, sorbet made of cottage cheese with salt-caramelized oats and lavender from PM & Vänner’s garden.
