| General Non-Fiction posted October 11, 2020 |
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A recent Freelance Article of mine for your enjoyment
Stinky Feet
by Brett Matthew West
(HEALTH WARNING!!! This article talks about Stinky Feet cheeses, not just moldy cheese. There is a significant difference between the two one really should know, because the wrong kind of moldy cheese can make a person extremely ill. This article is not about that type of moldy cheese.
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Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Brie, Camembert, Humboldt Fog, St. Andre, and Blue. Outside of being cheeses, some of the soft-ripened variety, what else do these food products have in common? Think stinky feet.
Did you know all Blue cheeses are moldy, but not all moldy cheeses are blue? No doubts about the truth of this statement: moldy cheeses are FUNKY! Mold is what provides these cheeses their characters, and producing them has become an art form.
Mold processes protect cheeses and allow their fermentation, making cheeses more complex and flavorful. But, don't worry. These molds are harmless to eat. By the way, are you aware October 9th is celebrated as National Moldy Cheese Day?
According to legend, a 7th Century French shepherd sought shelter in a cave outside Roquefort to eat his bread and cheese. However, for some unbeknownst reason, he became distracted, and in a hurry, left his cheese behind. As the story goes, several months later, the shepherd returned to the cave and found his cheese still intact, but full of blue veins of mold. However, the shepherd ate the cheese anyway.
The fungus penicillium roqueforti, found inside that cave, was identified as the culprit. Today, this culture that can be isolated from plants, decaying organic matter, and soil and Injected into punctures in blocks of Blue cheese. Then, air helps cultivate and marble the cheese from the inside out.
In 79AD, which was during the heyday of the Roman Empire, the author and philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as Pliny the Elder, made one of the earliest mentions of Blue cheese in literature. He addressed Blue cheese, and its rich flavor, in his Naturalis Historia (which translates into Natural History) encyclopedia.
For some, moldy cheese is an acquired taste. They have to overcome the aroma of the cheese to enjoy its flavor. These "feet" cheeses, as science occasionally refers to them, often require the process of backwards smelling. While the cheeses set off receptors in the nose, this mechanism allows these "sweaty sock" cheeses, and their sublime flavors, to be smelled from inside the mouth.
Some prime examples of award-winning stinky feet cheeses include Bloomsdale. Inspired by the ancient French cheese Valencay, this cheese is created in Bloomdale, Missouri. Rolled in pine ash and salt, then aged to a white mold, Bloomsdale won the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018 Super Gold World Cheese Award. The rind is the stinky feet portion of Bloomsdale. Omit the rind and the cheese will melt as it ages. NOTE: The longer a cheese ages inside a rind the funkier the cheese will become. Why? Because the cheese breaks down, gains more complexity, and becomes more flavorful.
Hailing from Berry, in Central France, Valencay cheeses are Classics made from unpasteurized goat's milk. They possess a truncated shape with their tops removed. This is emblematic of Napoleon's defeat in Egypt. Created with wood ash, Valencay Fermier is farm produced, and Valencay Laitier is created with vegetable ash then either industrial made or dairy made.
Blending goat, sheep, and cow milk, and typically ripened ten to fourteen days, La Tur contains a soft rind, an acidic tang, and a mousse-like interior. This cylinder-shaped cheese, from the Alta Lange region of Italy, has a light straw-yellow color and a cream cheese-like texture.
Created in Grants Pass, Oregon, Rogue River Blue cheese is blue-veined and buttery. This 2019 and 2020 World Champion Blue Cheese contains a texture with calcium lactate crystals that form as the cheese ferments. Brandy-soaked Syrah grape leaves, and pear spirits, make this Limited Edition, organic, handmade, and cave-aged cheese one of the most smelliest of the stinky feet. Rogue River Blue was also the first American Blue Cheese named World Champion.
While most people are afraid of what they don't know, stinky feet cheeses should not be one of those phobias.
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Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Brie, Camembert, Humboldt Fog, St. Andre, and Blue. Outside of being cheeses, some of the soft-ripened variety, what else do these food products have in common? Think stinky feet.
Did you know all Blue cheeses are moldy, but not all moldy cheeses are blue? No doubts about the truth of this statement: moldy cheeses are FUNKY! Mold is what provides these cheeses their characters, and producing them has become an art form.
Mold processes protect cheeses and allow their fermentation, making cheeses more complex and flavorful. But, don't worry. These molds are harmless to eat. By the way, are you aware October 9th is celebrated as National Moldy Cheese Day?
According to legend, a 7th Century French shepherd sought shelter in a cave outside Roquefort to eat his bread and cheese. However, for some unbeknownst reason, he became distracted, and in a hurry, left his cheese behind. As the story goes, several months later, the shepherd returned to the cave and found his cheese still intact, but full of blue veins of mold. However, the shepherd ate the cheese anyway.
The fungus penicillium roqueforti, found inside that cave, was identified as the culprit. Today, this culture that can be isolated from plants, decaying organic matter, and soil and Injected into punctures in blocks of Blue cheese. Then, air helps cultivate and marble the cheese from the inside out.
In 79AD, which was during the heyday of the Roman Empire, the author and philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as Pliny the Elder, made one of the earliest mentions of Blue cheese in literature. He addressed Blue cheese, and its rich flavor, in his Naturalis Historia (which translates into Natural History) encyclopedia.
For some, moldy cheese is an acquired taste. They have to overcome the aroma of the cheese to enjoy its flavor. These "feet" cheeses, as science occasionally refers to them, often require the process of backwards smelling. While the cheeses set off receptors in the nose, this mechanism allows these "sweaty sock" cheeses, and their sublime flavors, to be smelled from inside the mouth.
Some prime examples of award-winning stinky feet cheeses include Bloomsdale. Inspired by the ancient French cheese Valencay, this cheese is created in Bloomdale, Missouri. Rolled in pine ash and salt, then aged to a white mold, Bloomsdale won the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018 Super Gold World Cheese Award. The rind is the stinky feet portion of Bloomsdale. Omit the rind and the cheese will melt as it ages. NOTE: The longer a cheese ages inside a rind the funkier the cheese will become. Why? Because the cheese breaks down, gains more complexity, and becomes more flavorful.
Hailing from Berry, in Central France, Valencay cheeses are Classics made from unpasteurized goat's milk. They possess a truncated shape with their tops removed. This is emblematic of Napoleon's defeat in Egypt. Created with wood ash, Valencay Fermier is farm produced, and Valencay Laitier is created with vegetable ash then either industrial made or dairy made.
Blending goat, sheep, and cow milk, and typically ripened ten to fourteen days, La Tur contains a soft rind, an acidic tang, and a mousse-like interior. This cylinder-shaped cheese, from the Alta Lange region of Italy, has a light straw-yellow color and a cream cheese-like texture.
Created in Grants Pass, Oregon, Rogue River Blue cheese is blue-veined and buttery. This 2019 and 2020 World Champion Blue Cheese contains a texture with calcium lactate crystals that form as the cheese ferments. Brandy-soaked Syrah grape leaves, and pear spirits, make this Limited Edition, organic, handmade, and cave-aged cheese one of the most smelliest of the stinky feet. Rogue River Blue was also the first American Blue Cheese named World Champion.
While most people are afraid of what they don't know, stinky feet cheeses should not be one of those phobias.
This is one of my Freelance Writer articles. I thought I would post the article on FanStory for members to enjoy. I do that sort of thing from time to time.
Father and Son, by avmurray, selected to complement my article.
So, thanks avmurray, for the use of your picture. It goes so nicely with my article.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Father and Son, by avmurray, selected to complement my article.
So, thanks avmurray, for the use of your picture. It goes so nicely with my article.
Artwork by avmurray at FanArtReview.com
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