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Cheese is a nutritious food usually made from the
milk of cows. However, there are also many delicious varieties made
from the milk of other mammals including sheep, goats, buffalo, even
reindeer, camels and yaks!
Born approximately 4,000 years ago when people first began to process
the milk from their animals, cheeses are generally classified by the
type of milk used to make them (raw, skim or pasteurized), and by
the animal from which the milk came (cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, etc.).
Oftentimes though, a description of the taste or texture (sharp, mild,
sweet, creamy…) is the best way to identify cheeses.
Serving and Storage Tips
• Unpasteurized cheese with a range of flavors should not be
sliced until purchased, or it will start to lose its subtlety and
aroma.
• Wrap blue cheeses all over as mould spores spread readily not
only to other cheeses, but also to everything near.
• Chilled cheeses should be taken out of the refrigerator one
and a half or two hours before serving. This helps with softening
for ease of cutting or slicing.
• Cheeses contain living organisms that must not be cut off from
air, yet it is important not to let a cheese dry out. We suggest loosely
wrapping cheese in a breathable wrap like wax paper or cheesecloth.
• Do not store cheese with other strong-smelling foods. As a
cheese breathes, it will absorb other aromas and may spoil.
• Wrap soft cheeses loosely. Use waxed or greaseproof paper rather
than cling film.
Below are some of the popular varieties of cheese you’ll find
in the Cheese Shops at Crossridge, Joe's Market, Westpark and New
John Rolfe Commons.
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• Asiago- Made in Italy, in the region of Vicenza and
Trento. It is a traditional, farmhouse and creamery, unpasteurized,
hard cheese. Originally made of ewe's milk, it now is made entirely
of cow's milk. There are two types of Asiago: the first one (mistakenly
taken for Pressato) is a lightly pressed cheese made from whole milk
matured for 20-30 days. Another one (Asiago d'Allevo) is the more
mature cheese made with skimmed milk. A long and slow maturation process
creates fruity, slightly sharp cheese with a compact, granular interior
full of small holes. Matured over 2 years, it becomes intensely flavored.
Can be grated and used as a condiment.
• Brie Brie is the best-known French cheese and has a
nickname, "The Queen of Cheeses." Several hundred years
ago, Brie was one of the tributes that had to be paid to the French
kings. Brie, one of the great dessert cheeses, comes as either a 1
or 2 kilogram wheel and is packed in a wooden box. In order to enjoy
the taste fully, Brie must be served at room temperature.
• Blue Vein cheeses Blue Vein Cheeses have a strong, tangy
taste and pungent aroma with a smooth and creamy texture. They are
characterized by a network of green-blue veins of mold throughout
the body of the cheese. Most blue cheeses are great on salads or in
dressings.
• Chaumes One of the most popular cheeses in France, the
soft rind is bright tangerine-orange and the interior is smooth. The
nutty taste and aroma are mild and can be used as a table cheese or
for grilling.
• Cheddar The most widely purchased and eaten cheese in
the world. Cheddar cheeses were originally made in England, however
today they are manufactured in many countries all over the world.
Fully cured Cheddar is a hard, natural cheese. It is shaped like a
drum, 15 inches in diameter, with natural rind bound in cloth. Normally,
the color of Cheddar ranges from white to pale yellow. Some Cheddar
cheeses, however, have a color added, giving the cheese a yellow-orange
color. Cheddar is always made from cow's milk and has a slightly crumbly
texture if properly cured. If the cheese is too young, the texture
is smooth. Cheddar gets a sharper taste the longer it matures. It
is generally matured between 9 and 24 months. The important thing
in purchasing Cheddar is to consider the age of the cheese. Cheddar
is great plain, with crackers, as well as in cooked dishes such as
casseroles, sauces & soups.
• Chevre This is America’s most popular Goat Cheese.
Great served hot on your favorite dish or cold in a salad or sandwich,
perfect mild flavor for those who have never tried goat cheese.
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• Colby This traditional, creamery, semi-soft cheese is
made from cow's milk. The sizes vary, but they are generally block-shaped
and free of rind. Colby is named for the town in Wisconsin, USA, where
it was first made. It is a washed-curd cheese, which means that the
curds are thoroughly rinsed in fresh water to remove all excess whey
and any stray lactose. This prevents the acidity in the curd from
rising, so the cheese remains soft and springy, with a sweet and mild
flavor. Colby has a higher moisture content than Cheddar, and it feels
more elastic. It is also sweet rather than savory. This cheese ripens
in four months. It is made with a special procedure: when whey is
drained off, the curd cold water is poured on until the temperature
dips to 80 degrees F. Colby must be consumed shortly after purchase
or it will dry out and lose its flavor. Great plain, on sandwiches
or crackers, and for use in cooking.
• Crème Fraiche A cultured cream, Crème
Fraiche is a staple in French cooking. Crème Fraiche can be
boiled without curdling and is used to thicken sauces or soups. Delicious
spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as cobblers.
• Danablu (Danish Blue) Drum or block shaped creamery, blue
cheese made from cow's milk. Invented in the early twentieth century,
Danablu has a sharp, almost metallic taste, a salty bite, and feels
very creamy in the mouth. The white interior contrasts with blue-black
mould, which is rather gritty and salty. The cheese ripens in two
to three months, is used as a table cheese and is very good in salads.
Also excellent with dark breads and fruit. This cheese is also known
as Marmora.
• Double Gloucester This Cheddar style cheese has a rich
buttery taste and flaky texture. Slice or shred for your favorite
dishes. A versatile cheese, great with a meal or after it. Excellent
served with tart apples.
• Edam This is a pressed, semi-hard to hard cheese, made
from cow's milk. It comes in a shape of ball covered with distinctive
red wax. Edam is produced from skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. It is
usually consumed young, when the texture is elastic and supple and
the flavor is smooth, sweet and nutty. A black-wax coating means that
Edam has been matured for at least 17 weeks. This mellow, savory cheese
is an all-purpose favorite.
• Etorki This fine quality sheep’s milk cheese symbolizes
all of the strengths of the Basque region of France. Serve with olives,
proscuitto and salami, or use for grating or melting.
• Fol Epi This Swiss style cheese is coated with toasted
wheat flour. The pleasant flavor, both nutty and fruity, makes it
excellent for salads and snacking. It’s also great served with
fruit, warm French bread or on a cheese plate.
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• Gorgonzola A traditional, creamery blue cheese. The
greenish-blue penicillin mold imparts a sharp, spicy flavor and provides
an excellent contrast to the rich, creamy cheese. Gorgonzola is made
in the northern Italian village, for which the cheese is named, either
from unpasteurized or pasteurized milk to which the mold is added.
At about four weeks, the cheeses are pierced with thick needles to
encourage the spread of the mold. Gorgonzola ripens in three to six
months. The cheese is usually wrapped in foil to keep it moist. Its
color ranges from white to straw-yellow with an unmistakable marbled
green or bluish-green mold. The taste ranges from mild to sharp, depending
on age. Gorgonzola makes a great accompaniment for pears, apples and
peaches, and is also excellent melted over potatoes or crumbled in
salads and dips.
• Gjetost Gjetost is the most popular cheese in Norway.
Its honey brown color and sweetness result from slowly cooking the
milk until its sugars caramelize. Great to spread on toast and often
served as a dessert.
• Gouda Named after the Dutch town of Gouda, just outside
Rotterdam. It accounts for more than 60% of the cheese produced in
Holland and it has a very long history. Gouda is a traditional, creamery,
hard cheese. It is round with very smooth yellow, waxed rind. The
flavor is sweet and fruity. As time passes, the taste intensifies
and becomes more complex. Mature Gouda (18 months plus) is coated
in black wax, which provides a stark contrast to the deep yellow interior.
Gouda is considered to be one of the world's great cheeses. It is
both a table cheese and a dessert cheese, excellent with fruit. Also
makes a great fondue!
• Grana Padano A traditional, unpasteurized hard cheese.
The smooth, natural rind is extremely hard and thick. This cheese
is known to many of us as simply "Parmesan." The cheese
should taste fresh, fruity and sweet, with a hint of pineapple. The
pale, yellow interior should be hard, grainy and crumbly. Grana Padano
freezes very well. It ripens in 12 -48 months. Delicious grated over
pasta dishes, salads and more.
• Havarti A traditional, creamery and semi-soft cheese. It
is a simple, washed-rind cheese with irregular holes throughout. There
is an enriched version, with added cream, which is softer and feels
more luxurious in the mouth. There is also a version with caraway
seeds. Havarti is named after the farm in Denmark where it was developed.
Its mild yet tangy taste is versatile enough for breads, crackers
or elegant meals.
• Heart of England This great-looking cheese is actually
5 cheeses in one. Each layer is a cheese traditionally found in the
center of the heart of “England”: Gloucester, Wensleydale,
Cheshire, Stilton and Leicester. A great combination; try it on crackers
and experiment using it in recipes.
• Jarlsberg A traditional creamery, hard Norwegian cheese.
The world's most famous "Baby Swiss," Jarlsberg has the
consistency texture and hole formation of Swiss Emmental, but its
flavor is more nut-like and sweeter. The paste is golden yellow with
holes of various sizes. A full wheel of Jarlsberg weighs about 20
lbs., one-tenth the weight of a wheel of Emmental. Jarlsberg can be
used as a snack cheese, table cheese, dessert cheese or sandwich cheese.
A great deal of this cheese is exported all over the world, especially
to the U.S.A.
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• Manchego Named for the Spanish region of La Mancha,
also home of Don Quixote. This historic cheese is produced in the
La Mancha region from pasteurized sheep's milk. It has a black, gray
or buff colored rind with a crosshatch pattern, the interior ranges
from stark white to yellowish, depending on age. The aroma should
suggest lanolin and roast lamb. The final cheese is usually smeared
with olive oil and surface mould is removed. It has a number of holes
and a mild, slightly briny, nutty flavor. It is sold at various stages
of maturity: at the age of 13 weeks it is described as curado (cured)
and, when over three months old it is referred to as viejo (aged).
There is a peppery bite to cheeses that have reached a great age.
It is the best known of a series of sheep's cheeses and is similar
to Zamorano, Cadiz, Calahora or Castelleno. An excellent cheese for
snacking; melts beautifully.
• Maytag Blue Handmade, cave-cured cow’s milk domestic
blue cheese with a creamy texture. It’s best served at room temperature
over salads or on warm French bread.
• Monterey Jack Developed by a Californian, David Jacks in
1882 (some sources state 1916), Monterey Jack's consistency depends
on its maturity. Most softer varieties (common in American supermarkets)
are aged for one month, while grating Jack is aged for upwards of
6 months. Older Jacks are smeared with oil and pepper to maintain
softer rinds. Monterey Jack has a buttery, bland taste and melts easily.
Great for cooking or snacking.
• Morbier with Ash This cheese has a distinctive fruity
and slightly creamy taste. Distinguished by a line of vegetable ash
down the center, it is great served with breakfast, on sandwiches,
or on a cheese plate.
• Mozzarella The plastic, spun-curd buffalo milk cheese,
Mozzarella, originates from southern Italy. Pasteurized milk is curdled
at 90 degrees F. Extra time in the vat is allowed so that the curd
can sink to the bottom, and so that the lactic acids can soften the
curd to make it easier to knead. The curd is treated with extremely
hot water (200 degrees F) and is kneaded into a shiny lump. Bits of
the mass are taken off cooled salted and are soon ready to be marketed.
Fresh Mozzarella is usually packaged in water or in whey and is softer
with a sweeter flavor. It is great paired with tomatoes or in salads,
or over meat dishes such as chicken topped with prosciutto and fresh
Mozzarella. The more common variety of Mozzarella is a bit drier and
has a less delicate flavor. It is probably best known as the topping
on pizza, as it melts wonderfully.
• Munster This is a creamery, washed-rind cheese made from
cow's milk. It has a round shape with sticky, orange, washed skin.
The cheese is very smooth, fairly soft and has a mildly piquant flavor
that can become quite pungent with regular washings. Munster is dark
yellow with a strong flavor. Munster is made with pasteurized milk,
which is cooled to 90 degrees F, inoculated with starter cultures
and curdled with rennet. Cut curd is heated in whey for 30 minutes,
stirred often to accelerate whey run off. Curd is lightly salted,
molded and drained for half a day and soon thereafter is sent to market.
French Munster is one of the few cheeses that ripen from the inside
out. French Munster has nothing in common with Domestic Munster, which
is a white, mild cheese. In The U.S.A this cheese is known as Muenster.
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• Parmigiano Reggiano a traditional, unpasteurized, hard
cheese made from skimmed cow's milk. It has the shape of a drum with
a sticky, hard, yellow to orange rind. Parmigiano Reggiano weighs
75 lbs. and must be cut by a saw. The aroma is sweet and fruity, the
color fresh yellow, and the taste is almost fruity, similar to pineapple.
Parmigiano Reggiano's flavor is unmistakably piquant. Primarily a
grating cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano is a great topping for soups,
pasta dishes, veal, chicken or salads. In Italy, this cheese is sold
in large, grainy chunks, chiseled from the shiny drum that carries
its name emblazoned on the rind.
• Pecorino Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses
made from sheep's milk. Pecorino Romano is the name given to cheeses
from the Rome area, pecorino Sardo is from Sardinia, pecorino Siciliano
from Sicily. It is traditional creamery, hard drum-shaped cheese.
The smooth, hard rind is pale straw to dark brown in color. The cheese
is made between November and late June. Pecorino Romano is larger
than most cheeses of this type and must be pressed. It takes eight
to twelve months to mature, during which time it develops its characteristic
flavor-- salty, with a fruity tang that becomes steadily more robust.
The rind varies in color, depending on the age of the cheese, and
may have a protective coating of lard or oil. The compact interior
is white to pale yellow, with irregular, small holes. Pepato is a
variety spiced with peppercorns. A hard, dry cheese, which is good
for grating and used mainly in cooking, this cheese is a good replacement
for Parmesan. Note that pecorino has a sharper flavor than Parmesan.
• Provolone An all-purpose cheese used for sandwiches,
cooking, desserts and even grating. Made from cow’s milk, it
is a traditional creamery, stretched curd cheese originally from Southern
Italy. The flavor is mild and smoky and the texture firm. This cheese
appears in various shapes. The thin, hard rind is golden-yellow and
shiny. Sometimes it is waxed. Provolone cheese can be of various types.
Dolce (mild Provolone) is aged for two to three months, and it is
supple and smooth with a thin, waxed rind. It is generally used as
a table cheese. Aged for six months to two years, it is darker with
small holes and a spicy flavor.
• Roquefort From the caves of Cambalou, Roquefort, the
delicate blue has a long-standing tradition since 1411. Heavenly flavor
reminiscent of the cavern air, where the cheese ripens and mold grows
naturally, Roquefort has a distinct bouquet that combines the sweet
burnt caramel taste of sheep’s milk with the sharp tang of the
blue mold.
The flavor lends itself well to a salad, making a perfect dressing,
as well as an addition to a cheese plate.
• Somerset Brie This is probably the best selling British
vegetarian, soft-white cheese. It is usually produced in the shape
of a cylinder with velvety, smooth, white rind. The cheese's aroma
suggests mushrooms with a hint of green grass. Sometimes this cheese
is compared to French Brie, which is richer due to the differences
in climate, soil, production methods, etc. Great with crackers and
fruit or preserves!
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• St Albray Ripened for only two weeks, this double crème
cheese is washed in brine developing a moist texture. St. Albray’s
unique shape (round with a hole in the middle) makes it easy and elegant
to serve. A great addition to any cheese board.
• St. Andre Soft-ripened triple crème cheese made
with cow’s milk and vegetarian rennet. Mild and mousse-like cheese,its
rich, silky, buttery paste is enrobed in a satiny white rind. Perfect
to serve on a cheese board.
• Swiss Swiss has a firmer texture than baby Swiss, and
is known for being shiny, pale yellow with large holes. Its flavor
is mild, sweet and nut-like. It is an American imitation of the Swiss
Emmental. The process is specifically designed so that no rind forms
on the cheese (maturing takes place in vacuum-packed plastic wrapping)
for mass-production purposes. The taste of the cheese is very mild.
It can be eaten with apples, pears, grapes and thinly-sliced prosciutto
ham and salami, fruit juices, tomato or vegetable juice. Also delicious
on sandwiches or salads; melts well.
• Sweet Style Swiss Softer and milder than Swiss, firmer
and fuller in flavor than Baby Swiss. This cheese is used above all
for melting and is very good for parties.
• Baby Swiss Its appearance is ivory to pale yellow. It
is a creamy cheese with small holes and it melts well when shredded.
Baby Swiss has a buttery, slightly nutty and sweet flavor. It goes
well with sweet fruits and berries, croissants and muffins, juices
and even
ice-cold milk.
• White Stilton An English cheese that comes from Leicestershire.
It is a vegetarian cheese that is made from cow's milk. The cheese
is mild and crumbly with a lemon-fresh acidity. It is a table cheese,
especially suitable for salads. According to its texture, it ranks
among hard cheeses.
• White Wensleydale w/ Cranberries A smooth creamy texture
similar to Stilton but with a much more mellow flavor, this cheese
is sweetened by the addition of plump juicy cranberries. Perfect for
serving on a cheese plate with warm French bread or crumbled in a
salad.
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