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Cheese has been with us since the dawn of civilization; the Sumerians of 4,000 B.C. ate it. The first cheese was probably made in the Middle East, when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked. The ancient Romans took cheesemaking to the next level, understanding the ripening process and the fact that various treatments and conditions under storage resulted in different flavors and characteristics. During the Middle Ages, monks became innovators and developers of many of the classic varieties of cheese consumed today.
Milk is the basic material of cheese, be it from cows, sheep, goats or buffaloes. All natural cheese is made by a process that separates milk into solids, called curds, and liquid, called whey. Unrefrigerated milk naturally sours and forms into an acid curd, which is the basis of nearly all cheesemaking, though some cheeses are made from the whey. The curdling process is initiated by the addition of a starter bacteria culture which produces lactic acid, and rennet, an animal substance containing a coagulating enzyme which speeds up the separation.
The rinds of the cheeses are formed during the ripening process, many naturally, some artificially. Rinds may be brushed, washed, oiled, treated with a covering of paraffin wax or not touched at all. The rind's basic function is to protect the interior of the cheese and allow it to ripen harmoniously. Salting plays an important role in rind formation. Heavily salted cheeses develop a thick, tough outer rind .
Cheese is one of the most varied and subtle foods in the world. The flavor can be bland, buttery, rich, creamy, pungent, sharp, salty or lightly delicate. Texture runs the gamut from hard enough to chip off in flake at one end, to so soft and runny that it needs to be eaten with a spoon at the other. The aroma can be rank and overpowering, delicately aromatic or virtually unnoticeable. Cheese can be served as the penultimate course to a gourmet meal, a nourishing foodstuff for family snacks, or the perfect companion for wines. Just as there is a wine to every taste, there is also a cheese. Pairing them can be a great adventure.
Blue veined cheeses, such as Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola pair well with rich, sweet wines, which offset their saltiness. Milder blues benefit from a fruity white, such as a dessert style Vouvray, while the more piquant blues pair well with Port or one of the super-sweet New World dessert wines. The classic pairing is Roquefort with Sauternes.
Extra-hard cheeses, such as Parmesan or Percorino Romano, are known for their sharp, piquant flavor. Serve with high acid red wines, such as Chianti, Barolo or Barberesco.
Double and Triple cremes: These cheeses have been heavily enriched with cream during their manufacturing process. The double cremes have a fat content of 60 per cent, and the triple cremes a 75 per cent fat content. While double and triple cremes can vary in flavor and style, they have in common a degree of richness and creaminess not present in other cheeses. Examples are St. Andre, Explorator, Boursin or Blue Castello. Serve with fruity wines with good balance and acidity, such as late harvest Riesling, Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris.
Cheddar-style cheeses Cheeses that are 'cheddared' undergo a step in the making process which involves them being cut into pieces and stacked and turned at the bottom of the cheese vat for a period. The archetypal Cheddar cheese is firm textured, yellow in color with a clean, mellow taste which develops a sharp and tangy bite the further it matures. English cheeses such as Gloucester, Cheshire, Leicester, Lancashire, Derby, Wensleydale and Caerphilly all belong to the Cheddar family. Vermont Cheddar is one of the best known American types. Serve with Cotes du Rhone, California Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel or Merlot.
Camembert and Brie types: These cheeses are known as bloomy or flowery-rind cheeses because of the light, downy white rind that grows on their surfaces, the result of their being treated with the Penioillium candidate spore. The interior paste of this sort of cheese is soft and straw yellow in color. If the cheese is at its peak, the paste bulges out from beneath the rind when the cheese is cut. Tangy, richly delicate and delicious in flavor, serve these cheeses with a fruity Pinot Noir or a rich white, such as Chardonnay.
Goat's milk cheeses: Distinctively different in taste to cow's milk cheeses, these cheeses come in a variety of shapes and sizes such as pyramids, cones and cylinders, all usually quite small. All have a characteristic barnyard or 'goaty' quality to their flavor, but whether this is mild or pronounced depends on how long the cheese has been aged. Some are quite delicate; others are ferociously pungent and rank. All French goat's milk cheeses are called Levees and today many are made from a mixture of goat's milk and cow's or sheep's milk. Serve with Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre.
The above pairings are guidelines, but feel free to experiment on your own. While both wine and cheese are enjoyable alone, when served together, you will always have the best of both worlds. Enjoy!
Copyright 2005 by Beth Sheligo |
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