Gourmet Cheese

So today you were probably moseying around the internet, looking for the latest news about when your favorite band is going on tour to promote its latest album (which you've already memorized), when suddenly you got a craving. An intense, all-consuming, must-be-satisfied-now craving. So what did you do? You decided to find a place online where you can get what you desperately need to satisfy your gastrointestinally-inspired (and probably also taste-but-inspired) urge.

And now you're here, looking at this page. You say to yourself, "Great. I have no life." Possibly, but at least you'll soon have what you really want: Cheese.

To satisfy that craving, you're probably not wanting any old cheese. You want real cheese. Gourmet cheese.

Gourmet cheese is on a whole different level than the cheese most people are used to. It is true that there can be a certain "eat at your own risk" element to gourmet cheese. While we aren't trying to scare you, and it isn't nearly as risky as say, trying to eat a puffer fish (one of the most highly poisonous fish out there), some of the best gourmet cheese from Europe actually comes unpasteurized. The argument behind not pasteurizing the cheese is that it ruins the flavor. Which then begs the question - what's more important to you as a cheese eater: great taste or avoiding food poisoning?

That said, most gourmet cheese ordered in a cheese gift basket or included as part of some other form of gourmet gift is going to be pasteurized. But it is a bit interesting that eating cheese does indeed involve consuming mold. Which then makes one also realize that number one - when going gourmet, a certain level of unconventionality (by design, actually) has to be involved, and number two, not all mold, just like not all bacteria, is bad for us.

Perhaps the top three countries known for their gourmet cheeses are France, Italy, and Germany. France has an interesting story in that they are known to have in the neighborhood of 1,000 different varieties of cheese. It has also been joked that there is a cheese for every day of the year and more, which is natural considering that outside of the more popular variety of cheeses, there is seemingly endless variation possible

n France, Comte cheese is the variety produced in largest quantity, but Roquefort and Cantal are also produced in large numbers as well. And believe it or not, France actually has legal rights over Emmental cheese, which is essentially the umbrella term for Swiss cheese (pale yellow variety with holes in it). So France alone could be a great source for a gourmet cheese collection.

Cheese from Italy for course is a must have for any gourmet cheese connoisseur, especially considering the fact that Italy is arguably the nation that has been systematically making cheese the longest. Beyond mozzarella there are literally hundreds of Italian cheeses to be sampled just like the wines that Italy is known for as well. It is almost mind boggling - to think of how much there is out there to sample. But if we have been given the gift of life, than why not expand our experiences to include more of the wonderful world of gourmet cheese?

Gorgonzola is as some of you know, a form of bleu cheese, and this is distinctly Italian. Parmesan cheese is an essential part of Caesar salad. But we're covering gourmet cheese. A lesser known (yet worth knowing) Italian cheese such as mascarpone can actually be used as a substitute for whip cream thanks to its creamy consistency. Also in this category would be Scamoza, made from unpasteurized cow's milk (buyer beware). It can be enjoyed with fruit at the conclusion of a meal.

And then there are the German cheeses. The most famous of the German variety of cheeses is Limburger. It is pasteurized and has a creamy, light taste. It does not have the fragrance that it is famous for until after three months, so it can be enjoyed without knocking anyone out, so to speak. Cambozola is another German cheese sometimes called blue brie. It is both creamy like camembert and sharp like gorgonzola. Go gourmet? Bon appétit!

(Check out that Monteillet Fromagerie! Bet you've never looked that closely before.)

Rome, one of the oldest cities in the modern world is a city that also takes it cheese - which many would consider to be gourmet cheese - very seriously. And given the history behind Rome and cheese, they certainly have a good case to do so. One of the oldest cheeses, Caciocavallo, is actually sold in pairs linked by a small piece of twine so that they end up looking like saddlebags. Apparently this is an homage to a theory on how cheese was originally created. Apparently, an Arab nomad in pre-BCE times had filled his saddlebags with milk, and the milk had curdled in the hot sun and separated from the liquid whey. In those days many food containers were made from animal sources, so the rennet in the bag reacted with the milk, permitting the cheese production to happen in the first place.

If you were not aware, the existence of cheese is said to have been around for at least 8,000 years - which doesn't sound that old when considering the age of the planet or the universe, but considering that we're only beginning the second millennium, and that this predates the Old Testament, it's pretty safe to say that if you didn't respect cheese before, you certainly should now! Gourmet cheese is just that - gourmet. There is nothing artificial or mundane about it; it is from the Old World, particularly the European world, and it gives us a peek into what dietary consumption was like before mass production, fast food, and microwaves. And there's always something intriguing, charming, or even romantic about discovering what the more pleasant side of life was like in the Old World.

Gourmet cheese also abounds in the form of Pecorino Romano, a sheep-based cheese that is salty and hard. It dates back to the Roman Empire as well, and is a far cry from the processed cheeses that many of us are used to today. If you are wondering how this kind of gourmet cheese (or really, any kind of specialty cheese) is meant to be enjoyed, either eating the cheese with fruit, vegetables, or bread is ideal. In Europe, cheese is often considered to be a desert - and so instead of breaking out the chocolate cake, you can now simply break out a healthier, and more gourmet alternative such as Pecorino Romano and some fruit, and enjoy the good life!

Some other Italian cheeses include Ricotta, which is also a sheep-based product. Ricotta is commonly used in cheesecake and in cannoli, and is considered a desert-cheese. Technically, it is also asserted that Ricotta isn't really a cheese at all, since it is made from whey (separated from the curd used to make Pecorino Romano). As a gourmet cheese ingredient, Ricotta can also be found in pizza, calzoni, ravioli, lasagna, and "Easter" pies.

Anyone who wants to learn more about gourmet cheese should consider making a trip to Italy, where as mentioned earlier, they take their cheeses seriously. It is a lifestyle to eat cheese, and to eat it often. There is even a saying that goes, "la boca I'e minga straca se le spuza de vaca," which translates to, "the mouth cannot be finished until it smells of cows." Now that might not sound too fancy, delectable, or even appetizing. But it does sound authentic, doesn't it?

But if making a trip to Europe isn't in the cards yet, it is hoped this article has given you some ideas for when it's time to send out gourmet gifts, or gourmet cheese gift baskets. Send your love in the form of gourmet cheese!