Brunost in the Scandinavian countries since time immemorial. An archeological find from September 2016 in central Jutland has determined that a cheese residue on pottery from circa 650 B.C. is a type of cheese probably brunost. However, the creation of the modern, firm, fatty brunost is commonly attributed to the milkmaid Anne Hov from the rural valley of Gudbrandsdalen. In the second half of the 1800s, Gudbrandsdalen was suffering economically due to falling profits from grain and butter sales. While working at the Valseter mountain farm near Gålå in 1863, Anne Hov (sometimes named Anne Haav) came up with the idea
Norwegian County Road 7 1890; construction began on it in 1903 and it was opened in 1907. Large parts of the road were carved out by hand while the workers hung on ropes against the sheer mountainside. This method was used because the road lacks any natural foundation. A new route with four tunnels was opened in the 1960s. These are the Snauhaugen Tunnel (), Hansagjel Tunnel (), Tokagjel Tunnel (), and Fossagjel Tunnel (). On December 21, 2009 the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage protected the road through the Toka Gorge along with 39 other routes as part of the National Protection Plan