IKEA Cheese

I had some plans for my birthday this year, but they had to be put on hold so that I could drive to Rockville, Maryland to see my parents.  I ended up spending my birthday driving from Raleigh, NC to Rockville, the second leg of my long trip.  I realized when I was almost to 495 that I would arrive in Rockville way too early, so I decided to stop at IKEA and fool around for a while.  Now, I love IKEA, I really do.  But I'd never before gone to IKEA by myself with a baby in a stroller on a very busy Saturday.  It was a not entirely unpleasant experience, but it wasn't entirely pleasant, either.  I grabbed the plastic cups my mother had requested and a picture frame and then realized after checking out that we hadn't purchased anything on a whim, which is the entire POINT of going to IKEA.  I thought to myself that I'd maybe get a weird snack, maybe some tiny jarred fish or whatever else those Swedes like to eat.  And lo and behold, there was a selection of fancy cheeses in the deli!!!
I purchased a block of what was labeled as "Scandic Vasterbotten."  I also purchased  these little crispy whole wheat bread/cracker halves to have with it.  It was firm and a little mealy, and reminded me of Manchego a little, probably due to the fruity aroma.  I would definitely eat this cheese all the time if I had an IKEA in town, and I'm going to keep my eyes open for a local purveyor of this lovely cheese.
The internet tells me that this kind of cheese is a traditional celebratory cheese for Sweden.  I love the idea of celebrating with cheese!

In the car after purchasing the cheese from IKEA, I turned on NPR to the Splendid Table, and the lady was interviewing the world champion cheese monger!  Serendipity, I think.