Cheese

[KDodds]

Cheese. Because, why not?

What are some of your favorite cheeses?

Least favorite?

Most disgusting you've ever actually eaten?

I really like Gruyere (cave aged preferred), American (don't hate, Boar's Head Yellow only), Dubliner, Jarlsberg, Montefoner, Emmentaler, good Cheddar, Muenster, very Sharp Provolone, fresh Mozzarella, and well aged and ripened Parmesan and Romano.

I really don't like Bleu in any form (Gorgonzola, etc.), Fontina (bad pizza filler cheese is where it's most used), Brie, Camembert, anything soft really, or anything goaty because it all has that goat-barn undertone.

Most disgusting cheese I was crazy enough to put in my mouth would be Morbier. It actually smells like death. I'm not kidding. You know that pungent, something died smell. Yeah, that. Surprisingly I was able to actually get it in my mouth, but as soon as it hit my palate, I was done. I spit it out, drank wine, water, brushed my teeth and used Listerine and I could STILL taste it hours later. Nasty. Who even eats that?

 

[inspects]

Casu marzu...by far the best....

 

[KDodds]

LOL, yeah, I would not touch that, ever. It's not that I'm not brave, it's just that I prefer my food to NOT be infested by jumping maggots. They have a variant of it in Spain too that I was unfortunate enough to get a whiff of once. How anyone could smell that and think, "let's eat it," is well beyond my comprehension.

 

[inspects]

How anyone could smell that and think, "let's eat it," is well beyond my comprehension.

Beyond my comp too...!

 

[inspects]

Wiki--
Casu marzu (Sardinian pronunciation: [ˈkazu ˈmard͡zu], also called casu modde, casu cundídu and casu fràzigu in Sardinian language, or in Italian formaggio marcio), literally translating into English as "rotten/putrid cheese", is a traditional Sardiniansheep milk cheese, notable for containing live insect larvae (maggots). Although found in the island of Sardinia, a variety of this cheese is also found in the nearby Corsica, where it goes by the name of casgiu merzu.[1]

Derived from Pecorino, casu marzu goes above and beyond typical fermentation to a stage of decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called lagrima, Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, about 8 mm (0.3 in) long.[2]

When disturbed, the larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 cm (6 in). Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming while others do not.

The cheese, along with one of its Sardinian makers, Giovanni Gabbas, received attention on the US TV program Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Zimmern described the taste of the cheese as "so ammoniated" that "it scorches your tongue a bit." The cheese is known to leave an aftertaste for a duration of up to several hours.[3]

 

[AndriaD]

Sounds perfectly disgusting.

My favorite cheese is probably provolone; closely followed by Lorraine Swiss; it looks like lace, and the flavor is so delicate; it's not as dry as ordinary swiss cheese either; I do like regular swiss cheese too.

I also love feta, and some types of bleu cheese, though I don't know enough about cheese to know exactly what type of bleu cheese I like; I know it when I taste it!

Parmesan, magnificent! Romano also is pretty great, but it does have a strong odor, much stronger than Parmesan. Mozzarella, eh, it's ok, but a bit bland.

Sharp cheddar, I loved when I drank wine, but now that I don't drink, I really prefer medium cheddar.

Andria

 

[Severs]

I'm a fan of most cheeses that I've tried, though I'll admit to not being as big a connoisseur as some of you in here. As for my favorite, well I guess it depends on how I'm feeling at any point in time and what I need the cheese for. Provolone and Muenster cheeses are good for snacking on, Swiss is great on turkey or roast beef sandwiches, and no pasta salad is complete without Colby Jack, brick, or sharp cheddar. Now one cheese I don't care for, at least on it's own, is feta cheese. Very dry, very bland, but somehow is actually really good if you accent a white pizza with. You'll never catch me snacking on a piece of it though.

 

[Jimi D]

http://store.flavorah.com/concentrated-brie-cheese-flavor

I dare anyone Lol

 

[KDodds]

Uh.... no. Just no. But I might be getting some Pink in the Stink from Joe. I'm contemplating not even opening it... but you know... curiousity...

 

[Whitesoxfan2579]

Most favorites: aged swiss, aged cheddar, horseradish

Least favorite: bleu

 

[BigNasty]

I'm a fan of most cheeses that I've tried, though I'll admit to not being as big a connoisseur as some of you in here. As for my favorite, well I guess it depends on how I'm feeling at any point in time and what I need the cheese for. Provolone and Muenster cheeses are good for snacking on, Swiss is great on turkey or roast beef sandwiches, and no pasta salad is complete without Colby Jack, brick, or sharp cheddar. Now one cheese I don't care for, at least on it's own, is feta cheese. Very dry, very bland, but somehow is actually really good if you accent a white pizza with. You'll never catch me snacking on a piece of it though.

Store bought is garbage, overly salty but bland garbage.

Artisan Feta is mind blowing.

Full on sheep's milk and goat cheeses are preferred here.
Jack and colby, pass.

 

[celticluvr]

I can got to town on an extra sharp cheddar... yum yum yum!

 

[BigNasty]

I can got to town on an extra sharp cheddar... yum yum yum!

Treated myself for some 18 month extra sharp cheddar. Deli guy sliced it for me.

 

[KDodds]

Treated myself for some 18 month extra sharp cheddar. Deli guy sliced it for me.

There's a store on Austin St. in Forest Hills Queens called Cheeses of the World. Better selection of quality cheeses than any place I've been in Manhattan. Hope they're still around, it is/was a great place. Agree on the saltiness of store cheeses for the most part, but many supermarkets are bringing in some quality cheeses now. I just wish I could get some Montafoner, but because it's made from unpasteurized milk, I don't think you can get it in the US. I haven't seen it anyway.

 

[jimbodaddy74]

 

[Synphul]

I guess it depends what it's used on/with. Provolone, smoked edam, smoked gouda, chevre. I don't mind bleu cheese salad dressing but it's not really authentic or anything. Like the typical crap in a bottle you get at the grocery store. Got one of those buffalo bleu cheese burgers from Hardee's. Good lord I bit into it and got a massive mouthful of the stankest, nastiest gob of bleu cheese I've ever eaten and nearly hurled.

Most cheeses like the edam, gouda and chevre I like just spread on a ritz or something. The chevre is really good when it's mixed with herbs. One of the best cheeses I've had was kasseri at a local greek restaurant used in their saganaki dish. Made sure to order it every time I went there and it was worth the drive (a little over an hour). Safer to just let them do it than to try it at home, I'd probably set the kitchen on fire lol. They'd douse it with a little ouzo and light it up tableside then straight onto the plate. Awesome flavor.

 

[Lannie]

I make all of our cheese. It would be stupid not to, having milk cows and an unfettered supply of milk. Real, handmade cheese is not at all like mass-produced storebought cheese. And cheddar cheese isn't really yellow. My favorites are cheddar in all its different varieties, mozz, and monterey jack. Soft cheeses I like are yogurt cheese, clabber cheese, cottage cheese, and of course, cream cheese.

 

[celticluvr]

I make all of our cheese. It would be stupid not to, having milk cows and an unfettered supply of milk. Real, handmade cheese is not at all like mass-produced storebought cheese. And cheddar cheese isn't really yellow. My favorites are cheddar in all its different varieties, mozz, and monterey jack. Soft cheeses I like are yogurt cheese, clabber cheese, cottage cheese, and of course, cream cheese.

Dang, Lannie, I might just have to come visit you! I'd love to try fresh homemade cheese. *Drool*

 

[BigNasty]

There's a store on Austin St. in Forest Hills Queens called Cheeses of the World. Better selection of quality cheeses than any place I've been in Manhattan. Hope they're still around, it is/was a great place. Agree on the saltiness of store cheeses for the most part, but many supermarkets are bringing in some quality cheeses now. I just wish I could get some Montafoner, but because it's made from unpasteurized milk, I don't think you can get it in the US. I haven't seen it anyway.

Not a chance I would eat unpasteurized from the US. Unless I knew the farmer and practices, just to much risk.

 

[Lannie]

Not a chance I would eat unpasteurized from the US. Unless I knew the farmer and practices, just to much risk.

You could eat mine. I have two cows, and I'm fastidious about cleanliness. It's easy with only a few cows. It's those big dairy operations that have a hundred employees that don't care about (or just can't control) that stuff, and I wouldn't consume anything from them that wasn't pasteurized, either.

 

[BigNasty]

You could eat mine. I have two cows, and I'm fastidious about cleanliness. It's easy with only a few cows. It's those big dairy operations that have a hundred employees that don't care about (or just can't control) that stuff, and I wouldn't consume anything from them that wasn't pasteurized, either.

EXACTLY!

 

[KDodds]

Not a chance I would eat unpasteurized from the US. Unless I knew the farmer and practices, just to much risk.

Montafoner is, and must be, imported. It's a regional cheese.