Cheese for the Culture: We’re Still Here
For my first draft of this column, I started off writing something that I thought would get approved by the editor. I was assertive but was careful to not fall into the “angry Black woman” trope by being too assertive. I told a charming anecdotal story about an incident that happened when I was five. […]
Cheese Styles: Traditional Swiss
In Switzerland, traditional cheesemaking serves many functions. Without the low-intensity, seasonal cow grazing that helps to regenerate and maintain them, these grasslands—hotspots of biodiversity— would begin to disappear.
Cheese Styles: American Cheddar
Before the 20th century advent of processed cheese food known as “American cheese,” cheddar was the national standard.
Cheese Styles: Blue
Centuries ago, blue cheeses were probably all mistakes. Modern cheesemakers prefer consistency and control, so they inoculate the milk or curds with the mold of their choosing.
Cheese Styles: Pecorino
As a class, pecorinos are relatively simple cheeses to make. Many recipes have changed little since Roman times.
Cheese Styles: French Goat
Photographed by Molly McDonough While giant cow’s milk wheels have taken center stage throughout history as the Savoie region’s most iconic cheeses, goat’s milk cheese has always been there, too, ducking the spotlight. Now, Savoyard goat cheese is coming into its own. A growing number of creative producers are turning out the firm and flavor-rich […]
Cheese Styles: Brie
Soft and curvy, with oozing, voluptuous love handles, Brie has enchanted poets and emperors for centuries.
Food and Wine Pairings: The Secret Ingredient
When we think of food and wine pairings, we think about the foods we want to eat, the wines we want to drink, and ideally, a resulting connection between the two that is so perfect that we are launched into a reverie that may no longer have do with what’s in our mouths. Integral to […]
Say Cheese! Perfect Pairings with Verdejo and Tempranillo
Red, white, Spain — and blue too. That’s almost all you need to remember when it comes to pairing cheese with its perfect Spanish wine partners. The “almost” part is the fact the wines are not just any Spanish red and white wines. Instead, we’re talking Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and Rueda’s premier white […]
A Cheese Journey in Spain
Culture editor recounts a whirlwind week in Spain, judging at the World Cheese Awards, visiting six cheesemakers, and making countless memories.
