Hanne Nielsen

Johanne (Hanne) Ane Margrethe Nielsen (née Jacobsdatter, 11 September 1829 – 15 June 1903) was a Danish farmer who may have invented Havarti cheese. In the 1800s, Nielsen traveled around Europe to learn about cheesemaking. Her farm was named Havarthigaard and was close to Copenhagen. After returning from her travels, she developed the technique to create a new type of cheese. She was also a teacher, writer, and an accountant for the profit made from her butter and cheese. Her butter and cheese were served to royal families, including a cheese made with cumin that was served to King Christian IX of Denmark. She was denied membership of the Royal Danish Agricultural Society although she had sought the assistance of dairy scientist Thomas Segelcke. Despite being skeptical of female accountants, Segelcke included her accounting method in a book he published.

Early life Nielsen was born on a farm in Søllerød near Copenhagen on 11 September 1829, In September 1902, it was reported that all of the then-current dairy instructors in Denmark had received at least part of their training from her.

She wrote press articles, held lectures, and published an 1886 Swedish manual on making butter. Nielsen won multiple prizes from the Royal Danish Agricultural Society, but the society did not allow her to become a member as they did not think it would be acceptable to have a woman at their meetings.

Nielsen was responsible for the keeping the farm accounts, which was common in Denmark. Segelcke was skeptical of accounting completed by women, but he based a book on Nielsen's accounting system that included a section about cheese.

Nielsen made goat milk into cheese along with milk from 14 cows. She created a Tilsit cheese with cumin for King Christian IX of Denmark. She was known by people in Scandinavian countries and by people that had an interest in dairy work within Europe.

Havarti cheese

Havarti was previously called "Danish Tilsiter" after the German cheese type tilsiter. In 1952, the cheese was named Havarti, after Havartigården near Holte, where the Danish cheese pioneer Hanne Nielsen worked in the 1800s. Among other cheeses, Nielsen created a Tilsit cheese with cumin for King Christian IX of Denmark. while the Dansk Biografisk Leksikon states that the current Havarti is not based on her cheesemaking.

Havarti cheese has a mild taste and is somewhat acidic. The cheese is now made in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Denmark exports Havarti cheese to various countries. It is semi-hard with small holes.