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Say Cheese!
By Naomi Jackson (reprinted from the Dec 2000/Jan 2001 newsletter)I have a secret addiction: cheese. As a child I would cut up cubes of American cheese and eat them slowly in the privacy of my favorite reading hide-out. I'd rather make my own pizza than order out, because then I can add all the cheese I want. At work I eat my lunch while poring over The Pocket Guide to Cheese. I've even been scolded by a doctor for eating too much cheese.
If you are a cheese lover, this is a wonderful time of year to come to the co-op. In addition to our usual spread, we have a nice collection of specialty cheeses, including Creme Fraiche, Walnut Brie, Formagio Piave, and Pecorino Divino. Who needs sugar cookies and pfeffernusse when you can have a fine cheese accompanied by crackers, apples, smoked oysters, or a glass of wine?
According to the Pocket Guide, there is a legend about how cheese was invented: "Thousands of years ago...an Asian nomad set out on a journey by horse, transporting milk in a leather pouch made from a calfs stomach. After many hours of rhythmic jogging in the warm sun, the rider grew thirsty and when he looked inside his saddlebag, the milk had turned into curds. The substance was not bad, he must have decided, for from that moment on, cheese became an important way to preserve surplus milk." (p. vi)
The creation of cheese is a fine art. Unfortunately, between health concerns and technology, in many places the centuries-old art of cheese making is being lost.
The Pocket Guide offers some thoughts on health concerns: "Fat in cheese is a complicated and confusing subject. A figure of 45% fat IDM on a cheese label refers to the percentage of fat in dry matter only, that is, the dry solids excluding water. Most cheeses on average consist of 30 to 70 percent moisture (or water). Thus in certain instances high moisture cheeses such as Brie or Camembert may contain considerably less fat than the 45 percent figure would indicate." (p. 11)
Cheese is a very nutritious food. It is high in protein, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin A. Think of it as eating highly condensed milk. It takes 10 pounds (20 8-ounce glasses) of milk to make one pound of cheese.
Full fat cheese also contains conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid which may slow the progress of some cancer and heart disease.
And its good for your teeth. If you can't brush your teeth after a meal, eat a small piece of cheese. It helps wash away the harmful acids which promote tooth decay.
Cheese is good for you, but the best part is the amazing variety of cheeses made around the world. What if that variety was lost, and all we had left was American cheese?
The best route to preserving an ancient art is education, so Ill share some cheese stories with you in hopes that they will pique your curiosity. Most of these cheeses can be found in our co-op.
Jarlsberg comes from Norway. It's a type of swiss cheese, but the Norwegians insist they aren't playing copycat. Jarlsberg resembles the Swiss Emmentaler, but has a more delicate, buttery flavor.
We also carry Emmentaler, the "holey" cheese that has many imitators. It keeps so well that traditionally Swiss children were given a wheel at birth to be eaten at their christening, wedding, and funeral. There are over 100 varieties of swiss cheese, but only a dozen or so are exported.
Do you know how blue cheeses get blue? They are injected with spores of Penicillium glaucum. Yes, thats mold you see in those cheeses. Yum! We carry several types of blue cheese, including Maytag and Danish.
Gorgonzola has a scary-sounding name, but its considered one of the finest blue cheeses in the world. It is aged in caves outside the town of Gorgonzola in Italy. Today's Gorgonzola is milder than it used to be, as it isnt aged as long.
If you've never tasted Gjetost, you should, just to say you have. Like coffee, it's an acquired taste. Gjetost comes from Norway & Sweden, and is made from goat's and cow's milk. It's described as buttery rich, faintly sweet and caramel-like, with the color and consistency of smooth peanut butter. It's one of the oldest Scandinavian cheeses, and was originally made by cooking down the whey of goat's milk.
Neufchatel is a soft cheese which originated in France. Its creamy, mild, and somewhat salty. It's recommended as a mid-morning snack with black coffee.
Did you know that, in Italy, all sheep's milk cheeses are known as pecorino? We carry Pecorino Romano, a hard cheese which can be grated like parmesan, although it tends to be brittle. The Pocket Guide recommends eating it with sausages, cured olives, rough-textured bread, and robust red wines.
Feta cheese comes from Greece and is supposed to be made from sheep or goat milk. However, American feta is made from cow's milk, which gives it a sharp flavor. Feta is called the "pickled" cheese because it's cured and stored in brine. Its very crumbly, and is great in salads.
The Pocket Guide says that Camembert was invented by Marie Harel, a French farm woman, and named by Napolean. It is said that he stopped for lunch in the small town of Camembert, and when he had tasted the cheese, he leaped to his feet and kissed the maid who had brought it to him. It is very difficult to find a good Camembert in the United States, so make it a goal should you have the opportunity to visit France.
Edam is a firm Dutch cheese, the only one you can buy in a sphere rather than a wheel or brick. It keeps so well that it was used to feed sailors on long voyages. In an 1847 sea battle between Uruguay and Argentina, the Uruguayan fleet won by using balls of Edam cheese as cannonballs.
I've just scratched the surface of the amazing variety of cheeses you can try. Theres still Bryndza, a Romanian cheese that's one of the worlds oldest varieties; Queso de Serra, a Portuguese mountain cheese; Fontina, Danbo, Havarti, Ambrosia, Camembert, and of course Limburger, the "king of smelly cheeses."
Want to know more? I found a good website at www.cheese.com. Or, if you bring me a piece of cheese, Ill let you read over my shoulder next time Im perusing The Pocket Guide to Cheese.