Dear ,
You probably don’t have this problem, but I’m confused!
Growing up, we ate cheddar. It wasn’t orange like the cheddar I now see in the shops around me. It was a normal, pale yellow 'cheese' colour.
There were two varieties — vintage (really old) and semi-matured (younger). The vintage cheddar had a very strong taste that we children didn’t like, so Mum and Dad usually bought semi-matured cheddar for us.
There were a few other varieties of cheese in the supermarket, like Edam and Gouda. However, if you wanted something special, you had to visit a delicatessen (1). And, of course, pay the higher prices…
When I had my own kitchen (flat!), I still just bought the cheddar we had eaten as children. The main reason was that it was a good all-rounder. You could use it in a sandwich, a salad, a quiche, and on pizza (although I’m sure cheese experts will be horrified (2) 😳).
Years later, some of our local cheese companies started to make good brie and Camembert. Although these cheeses were outside ‘normal’ for me, I purchased (and enjoyed!) them on special occasions.
Now, living in Germany, I see cheeses that I’ve never heard of before, let alone tasted! I’ve had to ask sales assistants which cheese they would recommend for what I want.
Everything from Mountain Cheese to Emmentaler is new. OK, if Emmentaler is classical ‘Swiss cheese’ (full of holes) then I knew about it, but I don't think I’d ever tried it. Then there’re Tilsiter, Limburger and the proudly promoted (3) ‘hand cheese’ of southern Hesse.
And that’s before you add in ones from neighbouring countries! Cheeses from the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and others are for sale alongside the German ones.
And I’m learning.
I’ve tried some cheeses that only age for a short time. However, I’m looking for something with a bit more taste.
It’s interesting, but I’ll also be happy when I find ‘my’ cheese. The one I can buy without thinking and use for (almost) anything.
Do you have a favourite cheese, ? Which one? Why?
Enjoy some sunshine,
Andrea
(1) delicatessen - shop that sells 'special' types of food
(2) horrified - really shocked
(3) promoted - talked about, advertised
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