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The Cheese thread.......
- Thread starter rhett7660
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If your nose reacts to the aromatics of feta cheese (which, to my jaundiced olfactory senses is a mild, inoffensive member of the august cheese family) try some of the real stars of the cheese world's aromatics:
Epoisses is the stand out star here (although I am reliably informed that a Dutch number - Limburger - may run it close), as are the washed rind cheeses - such as Munster, Regal du Brasseur, (aged) Gubbeen, Stinking Bishop and so on.
That is where you might find that seductive sock aroma.....
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Glad to see Snowdonia mentioned. Black Bomber and Red Devil are their best. Absolutely ensure I have some in the fridge... it doesn't last long.
Bit disappointed with the whiskey and the garlic offerings, but the herb was quite good.
Always willing to take a chance on a new one I see in the stores. They do a very good job.
Bit disappointed with the whiskey and the garlic offerings, but the herb was quite good.
Always willing to take a chance on a new one I see in the stores. They do a very good job.
Scepticalscribe,
I live in Japan and in general Japanese aren't big on cheese because it smells, which is funny as Japanese love natto (which is 100 times stinkier than any cheese known to man). I eat natto (fermented soy beans) now but when I first moved here I almost vomited smelling it (I recommend that you try it if you can). Now I eat natto all the time but it is an acquired taste.
I do have some friends who travel to Europe for business or holiday and often times they bring back cheese for their friends. Once my friend brought me some cheese from France or Italy (sorry I don't the name as my friend cut the wheel into quarters and the quarter I got didn't have a label on it) and it was the strongest smelling cheese that I have ever smelled. It was so smelly, I could barely eat it (but I did). I know Limburger as it is famous from Tom & Jerry cartoons but I don't know if I have ever eaten it.
For me Reblochon is incredible and I'm not normally a "soft-cheese" guy.
Mecha
I live in Japan and in general Japanese aren't big on cheese because it smells, which is funny as Japanese love natto (which is 100 times stinkier than any cheese known to man). I eat natto (fermented soy beans) now but when I first moved here I almost vomited smelling it (I recommend that you try it if you can). Now I eat natto all the time but it is an acquired taste.
I do have some friends who travel to Europe for business or holiday and often times they bring back cheese for their friends. Once my friend brought me some cheese from France or Italy (sorry I don't the name as my friend cut the wheel into quarters and the quarter I got didn't have a label on it) and it was the strongest smelling cheese that I have ever smelled. It was so smelly, I could barely eat it (but I did). I know Limburger as it is famous from Tom & Jerry cartoons but I don't know if I have ever eaten it.
For me Reblochon is incredible and I'm not normally a "soft-cheese" guy.
Mecha
Especially when it is dreaming of world domination, and oozing in an obscene and vaguely seductive way across the cheeseboard, with a mind to elbow other, less mobile, hard cheeses out of the way.
Then, there is nothing for it but to mop it with a suitable hunk of French bread. Yum.
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Zenithal,
The first whiff of natto is disgusting but they do offer (in Japan anyways) a kind that is less stinky. It still has a smell but it is much, much milder. I started eating that kind and eventually I moved up to the real stuff and now I can't even smell it (which scares the hell out of me that I've gotten used to something so rank). Natto is supposed to be healthy, most Japanese people swear by it. I love to eat curry (and rice) with natto and cheese! It is so good!
Mecha
The first whiff of natto is disgusting but they do offer (in Japan anyways) a kind that is less stinky. It still has a smell but it is much, much milder. I started eating that kind and eventually I moved up to the real stuff and now I can't even smell it (which scares the hell out of me that I've gotten used to something so rank). Natto is supposed to be healthy, most Japanese people swear by it. I love to eat curry (and rice) with natto and cheese! It is so good!
Mecha
Sometimes I wonder how you think the exact same things I do. Great minds do think alike.
The closest I've gotten to a food like it is called Mokrukha by the Russians. A species of mushroom. It's commonly consumed through the act of mushroom picking and then pickling, where it releases a gelatinous substance that you can see and feel in your mouth as your consume it. It's got a glutinous texture as you crush it between your teeth. Though to say crush it is to imply that it's crunchy. It's not; it more like a soft sponge like material that easily gives way to your teeth. The Russians have a very rich and strong tradition of appetizer like foods that can easily be made, and I use the word easy quite loosely. They have a glorious history of pickling and cooking with mushrooms commonly found in the country, from region to region.
I love natto..a person could survive on natto and rice alone... I also make my own natto recipe with hot peppers and okra.. if it stinks..might as well make it hot!
The Russians use the verb 'to hunt' (not 'to pick') when they seek out mushrooms; but yet again, I agree.
What a wonderfully descriptive account of how this particular style of mushroom preparation and preservation actually tastes like.
Anyway, agreed, their pickled mushrooms are quite glorious, and I well remember that soft gelatinous texture - wonderful! - of a pickled, or preserved, mushroom (usually preserved in some sort of liquid, if memory serves).
And I concur fully with your observation about their culinary traditions: They have a rich and glorious tradition of preserved, salted, smoked, pickled and preserved food (something to do with the need to preserve and prepare a sufficiently varied diet for their long and challenging winter).
One quality I appreciated of food culture during my time in Russia was that in the right crowds, vodka was enjoyed over time and food. Not drunk shot after shot. Though that's due to a class divide, IIRC. Unfortunately, during my youth and travels, I was not lucky enough to travel northern Europe. As you could imagine, I was puzzled when a glass with ice was presented to me, and vodka poured to one and a half to two fingers with ice presenting itself like an iceberg.
thewap,
Glad and surprised to hear that someone else here also enjoys natto. I also like okra with natto. I like to eat neba neba donburi (slimy and sticky vegetables served on top of rice)! I always put okra, natto, and yamaimo in my neba neba donburi (and of course topped with a raw egg). It is delicious!
Mecha
Glad and surprised to hear that someone else here also enjoys natto. I also like okra with natto. I like to eat neba neba donburi (slimy and sticky vegetables served on top of rice)! I always put okra, natto, and yamaimo in my neba neba donburi (and of course topped with a raw egg). It is delicious!
Mecha
Any recommendations of cheese stores to try some of the good cheese listed in the NE of the U.S?
I would recommend that you try a specialist cheesemonger, rather than a large store; failing that, occasionally, large stores have a dedicated area - one where, with luck, one may find that it is staffed by enthusiastic specialists - a place where cheese is sold, and where the management are prepared to allow for the importation, ageing and sale of good quality cheeses, carefully selected, and purchased from small high quality producers.
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Oooh, I love natto. Over rice with some tsukemono and green onion. Mmmmmmmm!
You learn something new every day.
While the thread was started to discuss cheese, I have made the acquaintance of other culinary delights.
Now, please do enlighten me, just what is natto (especially as so many on here seem to love it)? How is it prepared, and what does it taste like?
Well, just as cheese is rotting milk, natto is rotting soy beans (so, doesn't seem too out of place in a cheese thread). It's, ah, funky and slimy and 100% delicious. (If you can handle it!) I don't know the specifics of how to make it, I usually buy it at my local Japanese grocery.
Thanks for the graphic - and detailed - explanation!
Well, writing as someone who adores the most - ah, aromatic - cheeses imaginable (Epoisses, aged Gouda, mature Camembert, Stinking Bishop, Roquefort and Gorgonzola are all firm favourites of mine), and delights in strong flavours, - I tend to use garlic by the head, not by the clove - I rather imagine that it could well meet with my wholehearted approval.
Now I'm getting hungry and a definite urge to rush to the nearest store and buy up a bunch of fine cheeses! 
I always keep Feta cheese around, and cheddar, then buy other cheeses as needed/wanted. I also absolutely always have Kalamata olives on hand, too -- other types of olives as well, but Kalamatas are my favorite. I use them in salads and in some sauces, or sometimes just grab a quick snack of a handful. Also like LizKat, I am a fan of Pecorino Romano, and use that more frequently than Parmesan, although I do like shaved Parmesan on salads once in a while.
Stinky cheeses.....ah, there's always Limburger and its American variant, Liederkranz!
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We don't seem to have many dedicated cheesemongers in my area, but thankfully we do have a really good cheese section in a couple local supermarkets plus an excellent selection of fine cheeses at Whole Foods, which is more of a specialty market as opposed to a basic grocery store.
I always keep Feta cheese around, and cheddar, then buy other cheeses as needed/wanted. I also absolutely always have Kalamata olives on hand, too -- other types of olives as well, but Kalamatas are my favorite. I use them in salads and in some sauces, or sometimes just grab a quick snack of a handful. Also like LizKat, I am a fan of Pecorino Romano, and use that more frequently than Parmesan, although I do like shaved Parmesan on salads once in a while.Stinky cheeses.....ah, there's always Limburger and its American variant, Liederkranz!
[doublepost=1471624791][/doublepost]
We don't seem to have many dedicated cheesemongers in my area, but thankfully we do have a really good cheese section in a couple local supermarkets plus an excellent selection of fine cheeses at Whole Foods, which is more of a specialty market as opposed to a basic grocery store.
Having a plate of blue cheese, stuffed green olives and pickled asparagus.