Cheese Day

Today we had two visitors to class: Amy Reis from Art of the Table, a store owner from East Grand Rapids who sells cheeses, and Barbara, from the Dancing Goat Creamery, a local cheese production facility. We learned about the basic process of cheese making and then got to try twelve unique samples.

I was particularly interested in how easy cheese making is for a small scale farmer. Furthermore, being able to take care of the goats so well translates into better tasting cheese.

Only four ingredients go in to cheese making: milk, bacterial cultures, rennet, and salt. Variation in flavor comes also from the way the cheese is aged.

As so far all other products have been better when prepared by an expert with focus on the details (coffee, bread, and, based on smell, beer), I was excited for cheese day. it turns out, however, that I don't really appreciate cheeses very much. Out of the twelve samples we had, there was only one that I liked, and I'm not sure if I actually liked it, or if I only liked it in comparison to the other samples. Still, this was an educational experience, and now I can actually claim that I don't enjoy Blue cheese, as opposed to just guessing I don't like it based on the smell.

The twelve cheeses we tried included cow, goat, and sheep cheeses. The cow cheeses were my preferred cheeses today, although i had never tried goat or sheep cheese before.

I think part of what may have turned me off to the cheeses was the texture. Maybe I would have preferred them with something, but very soft cheeses by themselves have, to me, an uninviting texture.

Some highlights from todays cheeses included Merze Tate, Effie Mills, Buttermilk Blue, Cashel Blue, and Humboldt Fog.

Merze Tate came from Dancing Goat Creamery and was my preferred cheese of the day. It was a mild cheese that was dense enough not to warrant a spoon.

Effie Mills was another cow cheese from Dancing Goat Creamery. It smelled like mushrooms and tasted like the smell of stuff rotting in a forest on a wet day. Not awful, but kind of strange for a cheese.

Humboldt Fog, a goat cheese, smelled like dirty socks and had a very powerfully sour taste. I was most horrified by its texture, which was like a less chunky version of cottage cheese.

Buttermilk Blue was another cow cheese. This blue cheese smelled awful and strong, and I immediately regretted putting it in my mouth, as the flavor was not better than the smell. Still, my mind was blown by my new understanding of how strong cheese can be, as well as a newfound understanding of human's willingness to stretch the limit for what constitutes food.

Cashel Blue, disturbingly enough, managed to take Buttermilk Blue to the next level. It smelled exactly like a cow farm. My one hope was that it didn't taste the same way. Much to my horror, it did - the cheese tasted exactly like a cow farm smells. And it is at this point that my fundamental understanding of cheese breaks down. I heard discussion of the flavors of nuts and fruits in this, one of the best cheeses imaginable. I really like the concept of this cheese, but the reality was disappointing.

Well, in conclusion, today was a fun day. Barbara of the Dancing Goat Creamery was very knowledgeable and fun to listen to. I much more appreciate cheese as an art than I did before, and I'm glad I tried something new. But with that said, I'll keep eating half a pound of cheap Meijer cheese every week.