Friday
Jun042010
Life List #61: Taste 1,000 Kinds of Cheeses
Friday, June 4, 2010 at 03:44PM
While grocery shopping yesterday, I realized that Central Market, my favorite grocery store in town, will take me a long way in my desire to taste 1,000 kinds of cheeses. They have a fabulous sampling policy: if it's in the store and you want to try it, they'll open it for you. They also put out tons of samples during the day, including two types of cheese. This will help me do #61 without negating #40 (Pay off our credit card debt.).
Yesterday, I tried these three varieties: Argentine Gruyerito, Argentine Pategras Mar Del Plata, and Hennings Cheddar Cheese Curds.
To be honest, my cheese compulsion caused me to snarf down the first two varieties without paying much attention to their nuances. Cookie, meet Monster.
From what I can remember, the Argentine Gruyerito reminded me of a very subtle Swiss cheese (which makes sense, Gruyère being from Switzerland). The excellently-named Quesos Argentinos website tells me that this cheese comes from the Pampean region and differs from its European predecessor because of the weight of the mold and ripening time. It was good, though I prefer a much bolder taste.
The Argentine Pategras Mar Del Plata was even milder than the Gruyerito, also evocative of Swiss cheese. I ate two or three little pieces but it still barely left an impression on me.
Chris brought this one to me as something new, since neither of us had never tried cheese curds before. The Market employee refreshed my memory -- cheese curds are regular cheese before it's pressed and shaped into the forms we're used to seeing. They were delicious, like concentrated cheddar cheese into slightly airy little clumps that are dangerously snackable. They were also very salty, which I love.
I decided that the first two cheeses would still count toward my total, since I did register at least that I was eating something. I promise to pay more attention next time.
P.S. Dear Lord, please don't let me become lactose intolerant before I complete #61. I love cheese so much.
Yesterday, I tried these three varieties: Argentine Gruyerito, Argentine Pategras Mar Del Plata, and Hennings Cheddar Cheese Curds.
To be honest, my cheese compulsion caused me to snarf down the first two varieties without paying much attention to their nuances. Cookie, meet Monster.
From what I can remember, the Argentine Gruyerito reminded me of a very subtle Swiss cheese (which makes sense, Gruyère being from Switzerland). The excellently-named Quesos Argentinos website tells me that this cheese comes from the Pampean region and differs from its European predecessor because of the weight of the mold and ripening time. It was good, though I prefer a much bolder taste.
The Argentine Pategras Mar Del Plata was even milder than the Gruyerito, also evocative of Swiss cheese. I ate two or three little pieces but it still barely left an impression on me.
Chris brought this one to me as something new, since neither of us had never tried cheese curds before. The Market employee refreshed my memory -- cheese curds are regular cheese before it's pressed and shaped into the forms we're used to seeing. They were delicious, like concentrated cheddar cheese into slightly airy little clumps that are dangerously snackable. They were also very salty, which I love.
I decided that the first two cheeses would still count toward my total, since I did register at least that I was eating something. I promise to pay more attention next time.
P.S. Dear Lord, please don't let me become lactose intolerant before I complete #61. I love cheese so much.
Reader Comments (1)
Today at our Coop- where I will bring you one day, the taster tray in the cheese department had toothpicks full of Gould Farm Cheddar.
I love cheddar.
I love cheese.
And this local cheese is perfection.
I love Manchengo and all Goat- especially another local wonder called Monterey Chevre.
I love this thing where you toast walnuts, drizzle honey and bee pollen over a cheese called garoxta...or something like that. Aphrodisiac, supposedly...for obvious reasons.
G'night.
Cheesey dreams,
S