I once read an article saying that the average North American is very boring when it comes to cutting the cheese. Foul pungent odor. Not quite. If it is not cheddar, mozzarella or Swiss it’s Cheese Whiz. Gee Whiz, how boring. How about if I attempt the buying and sampling of 25 types of cheeses from around the globe? Over the years since I have started this list I'm sure I have tried more than 25 cheeses, but cheese is the same with keeping of this list, it all takes time and the older the better.
1. Jarlsberg
Jarlsberg is the name of a very popular cheese in Norway and abroad. It is related to the Emmentaler cheese (from the Emme River valley (Emmental) in the canton of Bern, Switzerland), but Jarlsberg is a pure Norwegian invention. Its story goes back to 1815 and the big farm Jarlsberg outside Tønsberg. They had an overproduction of milk and started researching on cheese. . Complete ripening takes three to six months. It has a pungent, sweetish odor and is slightly salty when fresh, and pleasingly sharp when fully ripened. Its consistency is firm and elastic, and it is easy to slice; the interior is a uniform light yellow in color with holes about five-eighths in. This cheese made a great sauce for a chicken and mushroom dish.
2. Danish Spiced Gouda
The cheese was quite good with crackers and sandwiches
3. Danish Epson
Janet walked into the house carrying her shoes. At that point, I didn’t know what stunk worse, her shoes or the cheese. The cheese ended up in a Taco Salad and her shoes ended out on the back lawn. The cheese tasted very good. The only problem with this aromatic cheese is that you have to cut off your hands to get rid of the smell.
4. Smoked Gouda
I tried this one while visiting Marg on Sattural at Lake of the Woods. Smoked Gouda has become a favorite for our sandwiches on some of our outings.
5. Camembert (KAM-ehm-beh) a soft, thin, edible crust that’s gray-white in color with a creamy yellow interior. Similar to Brie, this wheel-shaped cheese has a mild to pungent flavor. This cheese was also tested at Lake of the Woods. It can be bought at any Safeway deli. I quite enjoyed this cheese.
6. Dill Havarti we tried this one with our chicken sandwiches on a Thanksgiving Cypress Hills camp trip.
7. Pepper Allegro This cheese is a low fat skim milk blend.
8. Smoked Gruyere Gruyere is named after a Swiss village. This cheese is right up with the Smoked Gouda . Chardonnay would be the wine of choice for this treat.
9. Oka Fromage de Oka
Made by Trappist monks. Semi-soft. Port-Salut Family. A nice soft Canadian cheese.
10. Provolone This cheese is an all-purpose cheese used for cooking, dessert purposes and even grating.
Wine Partners: Dolcetto d'Alba
11. Jalapeno Monterey Jack. Janet introduced me to this one. It is excellent
12. Muenster is a smooth textured cheese with an orange rind and a white interior. This washed-rind cheese is made from cows’ milk. The orange color is derived from vegetable coloring. It usually has a very mild flavor and smooth, soft texture. In some cases, when properly aged, it can develop a strong flavor with a pungent aroma. This cheese is commonly served as an appetizer. Because it melts well, it is also often used in dishes such as grilled cheese sandwiches,tuna melts, quesadillas and cheeseburgers.
13. Fontina A semifirm creamy cow's milk cheese. Fontina has a dark golden brown rind with a pale yellow interior dotted with tiny holes. A mild, nutty flavor with a hint of mild honey. Made in countries other than Italy, but those fontinas tend to be blander and softer than the Italian original. When melted, the flavor is earthy with a taste of mushrooms and a fresh acidity. Fontina is the primary ingredient of Italian fonduta and is a wonderful table or dessert cheese. Fontina takes approximately three months to ripen.
14. Double Gloucester Double Gloucester is a traditional, full fat, hard cheese made from pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's milk. The cheese, made from the milk of once nearly extinct Old Gloucester cows, traces its origins to 1498 in the City of Gloucester.
15. Haloumi I had this goat cheese at Wayne and Susan’s after an evening of hot tubbing and drinking. He fried it up and it was quite good.
16. Port Salut .A.F.R Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurized cow's milk cheese from Brittany with a distinctive orange crust and a mild flavor. The cheese is produced in disks approximately 23 cm (9 inches) in diameter, weighing approximately 2 kg (5 lb). Though Port Salut has a mild flavor, it sometimes has a strong smell because it is a mature cheese. The smell increases the longer the cheese is kept — this however does not affect its flavor. It can be refrigerated and is best eaten within two weeks of opening
17. Wensleydale - This cheese tastes like a mild feta. It is quite dry
18. Hickory Farms Smoked Cheddar Blend - Not really cheese but Mike's family could not stand it so I took it. Why not free and very smoky. Would be great with a good red.
19. Blueberry Fayre Stilton - White Stilton with Sweetened Dried Blueberries. This dessert like cheese was enjoyed at the base of Pinnacle Peak in Arizona on a picnic with an old friend that became a very good new friend..
20. Gorgonzola - A mild soft blue cheese that was enjoyed at the head of Indian Arm on a boat named Brie of all things. We enjoyed chicken, lamb sausage and plenty of beer with this cheese
21. Cheshire - This dry crumbly cheese has not alot of flavor, but when melted on a rice cracker.... very nice
22. Original Irish Porter - it sounds more like a beer but I must say it went well with beer. How about this for brown food.
23. Kootenay Alpindon – Nothing to write home about.
24. Blue Shropshire Cheese Combe Castle we will let you into a little secret, Shropshire Blue is a cheese with two names.....Ssshhhh. First made in Scotland in 1970, a fairly young cheese in England’s history, Shropshire Blue was first named ‘Inverness-shire Blue’. Not the kind of name that easily trips off your tongue! No one wanted to buy a cheese they could not even pronounce, which lead to the cheese being renamed to Shropshire Blue. As the name suggests, it is a blue cheese made in a similar way to Blue Stilton, but with an orange complexion from the addition of a natural food coloring, annatto. We like to eat it around 10 weeks old when its tangy aroma and slightly sharp but creamy taste is j
25. Coconut Cheese made with fresh, pasteurized cow’s milk and a healthy dash of coconut cream, added for extra flavor and creaminess. It’s a delightfully unique cheese with a nutty taste and a touch of refreshing sweetness. Enjoy it with fruit or thinly sliced with crisp crackers and chilled white wine or your favorite beverage. This one I did enjoy with pumpkin seed cranberry crackers and red wine.