Anne Hov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anne Hov
Born	c. 1846 Oppland, Norway
Died	c. 1935 Oppland, Norway
Nationality	Norwegian
Spouse(s)	Tor Olsen Hov
Awards	King's Medal of Merit in silver

Anne Hov (born around 1846, died around 1935) was a clever farm wife from Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. She is famous for creating the modern version of a special Norwegian brown cheese called brunost. Her invention helped many people and even boosted the economy of her home region!

Anne Hov's Early Life

Anne Olsdatter was born to Ola Kvålen and Kari Olsdatter. She grew up on the Solbrå farm in Nord-Fron. This area is part of the beautiful Gudbrandsdalen valley in Oppland.

How Brunost Was Made Before

Traditionally, brunost was made on farms all over Norway. Farmers would boil a liquid called whey. Whey is what's left over after milk has been curdled and strained to make cheese. This old way of making brunost created a lean product. It was also very rich in sugar.

Anne's Big Idea for Cheese

In 1863, Anne Hov was working at a mountain farm near Gålå. She had a brilliant idea! She decided to add cream to cow's milk whey. Then, she boiled this mixture in an iron pot. She boiled it until most of the water was gone. This made a much firmer, fattier, and more cheese-like product.

She first called her new cheese Feitost, which means "Fat Cheese." People loved it right away! Soon, everyone in the area was making and eating it. Later, the name changed to Fløtemysost. This means "Cream Whey Cheese." It is still a very popular type of cheese today.

Helping Her Community

In the late 1800s, the Gudbrandsdalen region was facing tough times. Farmers were not earning much money from selling grain and butter. This made it hard for families to live.

When Anne married Tor Olsen Hov, she moved to a farm called Rusthage. There, she started making cheese on a much larger scale. She also invented a new kind of brunost. For this one, she added goat's milk to the mix. This gave the cheese an even stronger and more unique taste.

A local trader named Ole Kongsli really liked her new cheese. He thought it could be popular in Oslo, Norway's capital city. Ole Kongsli began selling it to his business friends in Oslo. He called it Gudbrandsdalsost, meaning "Gudbrandsdal Cheese."

This cheese became incredibly successful! It brought a lot of money into the region. Anne Hov's invention helped Gudbrandsdalen recover from its economic problems.

A Special Award

In 1933, Anne Hov was 87 years old. She received a very special award. It was the King's Medal of Merit (Kongens fortjenstmedalje) in silver. This award recognized her amazing contributions. She helped both Norwegian food and the country's economy.