Wheels of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano in a dairy’s maturation warehouse. Image credit: Shutterstock
The Old Masters
Delectable cheese platter. Image credit: Shutterstock
“Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made with essentially the same methods for over 1,000 years, with a recipe that has been handed down for generations”
Reblochon cheese from France. Image credit: Shutterstock
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Goat’s, cow’s, or sheep’s milk. Creamy, hard, crumbly, or blue. From centuries-old classics such as Comté and Stilton to newer varieties from experimental dairies, there’s great cheese out there — and it’s plenty of fun finding it.
A World of Cheese
BY KATY SALTER
Food & Drink
The pursuit of great cheese has taken me to unexpected places. I’ve conversed about feta with goat herders in the Greek mountains and dipped bread cubes into gooey fondue in the Alps; I’ve visited artisan dairies in Costa Rica, tasted funky blues at Parisian fromageries, and paid respects to regal wheels of cheddar maturing quietly in Dorset. I’ve sampled an incredible aged Gouda at the World Cheese Awards in Dublin — a tangy, butterscotch-colored cheese dotted with salt crystals that lives forever in my memory. Cheese is more than just a foodstuff — it’s a way of life.
Some cheeses aren’t merely delicious, they are world class. At the 2022 World Cheese Awards in Wales, Le Gruyère AOP surchoix was crowned champion. “The winning Le Gruyère has a wonderful nuttiness, great texture, and there’s a sweetness to it as well. It’s an amazing cheese,” explains John Farrand, Managing Director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the awards. This particular Le Gruyère was made by the Swiss cheesemaker Vorderfultigen, then “finished” by the affineur Gourmino.
“An affineur takes the cheese when it’s young and matures it to their own signature style. The humidity, how often they turn it, the rind wash, how long they age it for — it’s all part of the affineur’s skill set,” says Farrand. An experienced affineur is a talent spotter, able to identify a young cheese with great potential.
Le Gruyère has been made in Switzerland since the 1100s. True Le Gruyère has an AOP (l’appellation d’origine protégée), also known as a PDO (protected designation of origin). Cheeses with a PDO, including blockbusters like France’s Brie de Meaux and Comté, Spain’s Manchego, Italy’s Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Greek feta, can only be made to specific recipes, in designated regions. Think of PDO cheeses as the old guard. Italy and France lead the way, with more than 45 apiece.
In Italy, it’s all about tradition. Glorious straw-yellow, salty, sublimely rich Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the world’s oldest cheeses, and the authentic examples are made in a corner of northern Italy, using raw milk from cows raised in the region’s fertile meadows and the slopes of the Apennines. “Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made with essentially the same methods for over 1,000 years, with a recipe that has been handed down for generations,” says Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.
“Parmigiano-Reggiano has a strict production process. It must be aged for a minimum of 12 months, but can continue to 45 months and older. At 12 months, it has a delicate buttery flavor. As Parmigiano-Reggiano ages toward 24 months, expect flavors of fresh fruits and a hint of nuts with a grainier texture.”
In northern Italy, drop by a dairy where you can see the cheese being made and visit the maturation rooms, before tasting rugged chunks of deeply savory Parmigiano. The sight — and scent — of thousands of golden wheels of cheese stacked high on shelves, aging gently, is an unforgettable experience.
Elsewhere in Europe, fall’s cooler months are the perfect time for a road trip to artisan producers. In France, you can follow one of the routes du fromage trails around cheese-producing regions such as the Jura Mountains, where at the village dairies, called fruitières, you can buy buttery, hazelnutty Comté direct from the cheesemakers.
A selection of different cheeses. Image credit: Shutterstock
The Mavericks
Some countries are producing a dynamic mix of heritage cheeses and quirkier upstarts. Take the United Kingdom. At venerable London cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield (established in 1797), PDO farmhouse cheddars and pungent Stilton share counterspace with Stichelton (a creamy, raw-milk blue) and Baron Bigod. The latter is a gooey, fruity Brie-alike made at Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk, where visitors can buy rounds of the cheese direct from vending machines. Fen Farm also makes a truffled Bigod, incorporating a layer of farm-made mascarpone infused with black truffles.
“British cheese is undergoing a renaissance,” says Mathew Carver, who runs London’s Cheese Bar and Cheese Barge restaurants. Bigod is a must-try, he says, but he also recommends Corra Linn, a ewe’s milk cheese from the Scottish Borders, which is like a Scottish version of Manchego. “We’re also seeing some exciting blue cheeses coming through, like Beauvale. It’s based on a Gorgonzola style, but made in the U.K.”
“Over the past five years, we’ve seen producers become a bit more maverick about what they’re making,” says Farrand. “They often take inspiration from PDO cheeses, but with a fresh approach, or contemporary ingredients.”
This new generation of cheeses is earning plaudits. The World Champion Cheese of 2021, Olavidia Quesos y Besos, is the perfect example of this old-meets-new approach. “Quesos y Besos is made by a husband-and-wife team in Andalusia with milk from their own goats. It’s a soft cheese with a line of olive stone ash inspired by Morbier, the French cheese with a line of ash running through it,” says Farrand.
Dairy cows produce the milk in many types of cheese. Image credit: Shutterstock
American Artisans
In the United States, cheesemakers are free from the structure and restriction of traditional European cheesemaking. Vermont, best known for cheddars, produces more than 300 different cheeses. “You can find almost any style in Vermont: fresh chèvre, hand-stretched mozzarella, spreadable blues, and Alpine-style hard cheeses,” says Elizabeth Davis of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, held annually in August. Vermont’s charming small towns, dazzling foliage, and rolling farmland make it the ideal spot for a fall road trip, following the Vermont Cheese Trail to artisan dairies such as Boucher Family Farm, which produces Green Mountain Blue Cheese near the Canadian border.
Some of the most popular American cheeses are winning international acclaim, too. Rogue River Blue, a World Champion from Oregon, is a dense, fudgy blue wrapped in Syrah grape leaves and soaked in pear spirits. It is only made in fall, when the cow’s milk is at its richest. Then there’s Murray’s Greensward, a soft cow’s milk cheese with bacon notes. Originally created for the “Iconic New York” menu at Eleven Madison Park, it’s made in Vermont but aged in Murray’s cheese caves in Queens. Try it at Murray’s Cheese Bar in Manhattan.
Other countries are joining a joyful explosion of artisan cheesemaking. Keep an eye on Norway, India, and Japan, says Farrand, as well as Australia, South Africa, and the small-batch cheesemakers of Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
By John Brunton
PRague
72 Hours in...
Volume 22 2023
August 2023 (Volume 22)
London’s Paxton & Whitfield cheesemonger. Image credit: Shutterstock
Taste for Yourself
Where do you head for incredible cheese? Aficionados go to institutions like London’s Paxton & Whitfield or Paris’s Androuet. Alternatively, seek out newer cheese shops, such as the Cheese Boutique in Toronto, Taka & Vermo in Paris, or London’s Funk, all places to find upstart fromage sitting alongside the stalwarts.
Specialist cheese restaurants are another growing trend. Besides Murray’s Cheese Bar in Manhattan, try Monbleu in Paris, or for a unique cheese and travel experience, take a seat on the roof terrace of The Cheese Barge, moored on London’s Regent’s Canal, and order the Baked Bigod to share. It’s a hot, gooey dish of savory heaven, and one of those unforgettable moments that happen when you go in search of great cheese.
An assortment of French cheeses alongside local honey, walnuts, and grapes. Image credit: Shutterstock
How to create the perfect cheeseboard
Start with three options: a hard cheese, a soft, and a blue, advises Mathew Carver. Then, think about the milk types. “A good cheeseboard should always include a sheep’s, goat’s, and a cow’s milk cheese,” says John Farrand.
“Go for a mixture of textures – so, include a wonderful, soft goat’s cheese, a ewe’s milk cheese like Ossau-Iraty, and a blue – as well as a hard cheese, like a Pitchfork cheddar or a Le Gruyère.”
Once you’ve got your three or four key picks, add an extra “talking point” cheese, recommends Farrand. This could be an unexpected classic. “Parmigiano-Reggiano is a great addition to any cheeseboard,” says Nicola Bertinelli. “Younger ages pair well with sparkling wine, and older ages with a full-bodied red.”
Or your talking point could be a new-wave cheese like the vine-wrapped Rogue River Blue, or even a plant-based option. Try Kinda Co.’s pretty Summer Truffle Cashew Cheese, scattered with dried petals.
“There’s also a seasonal element to a great cheeseboard. Stilton is traditionally served at Christmas, because December is the best time of year to eat blue cheeses made with late summer milk,” says Farrand.
Finally, find something to pair with the cheese – and it doesn’t have to be crackers. “In Europe, they usually serve bread, not crackers – they’re typically a British or American addition,” advises Carver.
Farrand prefers honey and fresh fruit on a cheeseboard. In fall, a ripe pear to go with the salty Parmigiano is, he says, “a simple but excellent combination.”
In Italy, it’s all about tradition. Glorious straw-yellow, salty, sublimely rich Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the world’s oldest cheeses, and the authentic examples are made in a corner of northern Italy, using raw milk from cows raised in the region’s fertile meadows and the slopes of the Apennines. “Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made with essentially the same methods for over 1,000 years, with a recipe that has been handed down for generations,” says Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.
“Parmigiano-Reggiano has a strict production process. It must be aged for a minimum of 12 months, but can continue to 45 months and older. At 12 months, it has a delicate buttery flavor. As Parmigiano-Reggiano ages toward 24 months, expect flavors of fresh fruits and a hint of nuts with a grainier texture.”
In northern Italy, drop by a dairy where you can see the cheese being made and visit the maturation rooms, before tasting rugged chunks of deeply savory Parmigiano. The sight — and scent — of thousands of golden wheels of cheese stacked high on shelves, aging gently, is an unforgettable experience.
Elsewhere in Europe, fall’s cooler months are the perfect time for a road trip to artisan producers. In France, you can follow one of the routes du fromage trails around cheese-producing regions such as the Jura Mountains, where at the village dairies, called fruitières, you can buy buttery, hazelnutty Comté direct from the cheesemakers.
“Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made with essentially the same methods for over 1,000 years, with a recipe that has been handed down for generations”
The pursuit of great cheese has taken me to unexpected places. I’ve conversed about feta with goat herders in the Greek mountains and dipped bread cubes into gooey fondue in the Alps; I’ve visited artisan dairies in Costa Rica, tasted funky blues at Parisian fromageries, and paid respects to regal wheels of cheddar maturing quietly in Dorset. I’ve sampled an incredible aged Gouda at the World Cheese Awards in Dublin — a tangy, butterscotch-colored cheese dotted with salt crystals that lives forever in my memory. Cheese is more than just a foodstuff — it’s a way of life.
Some cheeses aren’t merely delicious, they are world class. At the 2022 World Cheese Awards in Wales, Le Gruyère AOP surchoix was crowned champion. “The winning Le Gruyère has a wonderful nuttiness, great texture, and there’s a sweetness to it as well. It’s an amazing cheese,” explains John Farrand, Managing Director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the awards. This particular Le Gruyère was made by the Swiss cheesemaker Vorderfultigen, then “finished” by the affineur Gourmino.
“An affineur takes the cheese when it’s young and matures it to their own signature style. The humidity, how often they turn it, the rind wash, how long they age it for — it’s all part of the affineur’s skill set,” says Farrand. An experienced affineur is a talent spotter, able to identify a young cheese with great potential.
Le Gruyère has been made in Switzerland since the 1100s. True Le Gruyère has an AOP (l’appellation d’origine protégée), also known as a PDO (protected designation of origin). Cheeses with a PDO, including blockbusters like France’s Brie de Meaux and Comté, Spain’s Manchego, Italy’s Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Greek feta, can only be made to specific recipes, in designated regions. Think of PDO cheeses as the old guard. Italy and France lead the way, with more than 45 apiece.
The Old Masters
Wheels of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano in a dairy’s maturation warehouse. Image credit: Shutterstock
In northern Italy, drop by a dairy where you can see the cheese being made and visit the maturation rooms, before tasting rugged chunks of deeply savory Parmigiano. The sight — and scent — of thousands of golden wheels of cheese stacked high on shelves, aging gently, is an unforgettable experience.
Elsewhere in Europe, fall’s cooler months are the perfect time for a road trip to artisan producers. In France, you can follow one of the routes du fromage trails around cheese-producing regions such as the Jura Mountains, where at the village dairies, called fruitières, you can buy buttery, hazelnutty Comté direct from the cheesemakers.
The Mavericks
A selection of different cheeses. Image credit: Shutterstock
Reblochon cheese from France. Image credit: Shutterstock
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