2. Parmigiano Reggiano
Parma, Italy
•Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from
unpasteurized cow's milk. The whole milk
of the morning milking is mixed with the
naturally skimmed milk (which is made by
holding milk in large shallow tanks to allow
the cream to separate) of the previous
evening's milking, resulting in a part skim
mixture.
4. English Farmhouse Cheddar
Somerset, England
• A salvaged classic. Cheddar was almost relegated
to supermarket shelves-- bland and plastic
wrapped. Sure, some great cheddars were being
made in small Vermont creameries, but what
about real farmstead cheddar? Well, here it is. In
the west country of England, an EU protection
has been granted to the original cheddar. It's
rather different from the usual shrink-wrapped
variety. Meaty and salty with a faint sulphur note,
this is like the bacon and eggs of cheese.
6. Roquefort
Les Causses; France
• The great French blue, Roquefort rears its
massive head high above the other classic blues
of Europe. First, it is the senior, at least in terms
of recorded history. We know Charlemagne
feasted upon the cheese, loved it, and extended
a primitive patent on the cheese to the villagers
of Roquefort-sur-Salzon. It also reigns in terms
of flavor. The paste of the cheese alone is a
masterpiece; Sheep's milk expresses a lingering
richness, piquant fruit note, and a smelly,
gamey quality.
•
8. Brie de Melun
Ile-de-France, France
• Brie is perhaps one of the most popular cheeses
in the world, and is certainly the poster child for
soft ripened cheese. At least it has been ever
since Tallyrand locked a bunch of diplomats in a
room in Vienna and wouldn't let them out until
they declared Brie the "King of cheese". In spite
of the plethora of knock-offs, real, raw milk brie
The milk gives the cheese its rustic, lactic
backbone, and the molds add an earthy note of
mushrooms and garlic
10. Gruyère
Fribourg, Switzerland
• This is Swiss! Representing the host of great
cooked-curd alpine cheeses, Gruyère is probably
one of the most famous cheeses in the world. It
deserves every scrap of its fame. Gruyères, both
the select and the standard, exhibit a lovely
pliable texture coupled with the flavor intensity
of a drier cheese. It tastes nutty, fruity, buttery,
with a unique piquancy from propionic acid. The
more well aged examples will have tiny crunchy
bits in the sea of toothsome paste; these are
proteins slowly crystallizing over time
12. Roncal
Navarre, Spain
• The cheese is the peak of sheep's milk. It
smells like hot buttered popcorn, and tastes
perfectly full and meaty with a lightly nutty
character. The flavor lingers and builds in the
mouth long after the cheese is gone
14. Lake’s Edge
Salisbury, Vermont, USA
• Classic goat cheese, American style, this soft
and fluffy chevre from Vermont is the best of
the litter. It's still made in small batches on a
small family farm. The resulting cheese has
tart and milky flavors like any other goat
cheese, but it also has an earthy, vegetal
quality. Its complexity is simply astounding,
and it has a certain simple cheesy creaminess
which will appeal to the cheese novice.
16. Époisses
Burgundy, France
• The secret lover of stinky cheese fans
everywhere. Époisses was a nearly extinct
variety of cheese revived in the last century. It
is one of the smelliest cheeses on earth, yet its
flavor is not nearly as strong as you might
think. Instead, the paste is mellow, fruity and
elegant. The brand to seek is Berthaut
18. Stichelton
Nottinghamshire, England
• Real Stilton returns! Stilton is the great name-
protected blue of Britain, and well deserving
of its fame. However, Stilton made the old
way, with raw milk, pint starter, and animal
rennet had pretty much vanished-- until now.
Neal's Yard Dairy has embarked on a plan to
revive classic Stilton and this is the result. It
has all the nutty, rich glory of stilton, but it
also has an animally funk that can only come
from raw milk.
20. Mahon
Minorca, Spain
• Mahon is one of the most under-sung cheeses
in the world. The simple cow's milk cheese
may not be much to rave about during the
first few months of its life, but after a year
spent in the caves of the island's
ripener/gatherers, the cheese blossoms into a
full, fruity, sharp marvel
22. Oregon Blue Vein
Central Point, Oregon, USA
• This is the greatest blue in America, the rival
of all the other blues of the world. Tom Vella,
one of the luminaries in the aristocracy of
American cheese, invented this one. In the
1950's, While there, he stole some scrapings
from the caves to smear on the walls of his
own. The blue is perfectly balanced. Salty,
sweet, smelly, spicy, creamy, crumbly,
everything good about blue is in this cheese
24. Hooligan
Colchester Connecticut, USA
• Hooligan embodies the perfection of small
washed rind cheese. Firmer than your
standard washed rind, Hooligan is lower on
the fruity flavors, but long on classic milky,
rich, hearty cheese flavors. Just one taste of
this and you'll be wondering why you were so
afraid of the smell
26. Boerenkaas
Holland
• Whoever said gouda was a low rent cheese,
never had this. Gouda made on the farm is
aged for an extended period, till it develops a
flavor that makes it a special branch of cheese.
It tastes oily, nutty, and sharp. The texture is
dry, but firm and tight with those little
crunchy crystals. It feels bad in a way that is
oh, so good.
28. Tomme De Savoie
Savoie, France
• Tomme is proof that great cheese can be
humble. It's a very simple mountain style, sort
of a rustic little brother to the great gruyeres
of the Western Alps. The relatively simple
recipe results in a cheese with a host of
interesting flavors. It alternates between
creamy, beefy, mushroomy, buttery, and
occasionally vegetal.
30. Constant Bliss
Greensboro, Vermont, USA
• This is the darling of American Artisan cheese,
and for good reason. It embodies the
movement. Born of an Old World recipe, it has
morphed to become a cheese unlike any in
the world. Neither firm nor hard, the cheese
delivers what it promises . . . a constant, nutty,
mushroomy, salty bliss.
32. Gorgonzola
Lombardy, Italy
• If you like blue super creamy and sweet, this is
for you. Gorgonzola is Italy's contribution to
that great constellation of world class blues.
Its origins date back to the late middle ages,
when the cheese was a specialty of the
migration from the higher pastures.
36. Mozzarella di Bufala
Naples, Italy
• This is a rare and special treat. We all know
mozzarella; it's one of the most commonly
consumed cheeses in the United States. Of
course, fresh handmade mozzarella is a huge
jump up from the supermarket stuff, and di
Bufala a step farther still
38. Calcagno
Sardinia, Italy
• First, it exhibits the sophisticated fruity
nuances of grana cheese, and then proceeds
to a nutty, meaty finish that can only be
described as undeniably sheep. The multitude
of subtle aromas and tastes will shift and
change in your mouth for full minutes after
you eat the cheese. This is one for
contemplating till you get lost in the sheer
enjoyment
40. Camembert de Normandie
France
• A much abused name, Camembert deserves
its reputation, as long as we refer to the
original. Soft-ripened cheese is simple and
delicious stuff, and owes much of its flavor to
the quality of the milk, hence the pastureland
where it is made. In this regard, . As far as
flavor, look for the same you'd seek in any soft
ripened cheese: Mushrooms, garlic, green
peas, fresh mold, and milk
42. Feta
Greece
• True Greek Feta, made with sheep's milk, is a
delightful balance of milk and salt, and a great
way to spice up cuisine, or relax with some
olives and a beer.
44. Taleggio
Lombardy, Italy
• The great Italian washed rind, Taleggio is a
unique, though mellow, contribution to the style.
Think of it as stinky cheese with training wheels.
The pronounced aroma will announce its
presence; the hearty, buttery, beefy flavor will
win over even the cheese novice. Creamy
textured and salty, it is a perfect cheese to add to
risotto, melt on pizza, or lay on sandwiches, when
you want a more flavorful cooking cheese.
•
46. Selles-sur-Cher
Loire Valley, France
• The Loire Valley is the land of the goat. Each
little village is famous for at least one of the
several little chevres it manufactures. Selles-
sur-Cher is particularly wonderful because its
flat, disc like shape allows it to ripen quickly
48. Cabrales
Asturias, Spain
• The best versions are made with a blend of
goat, cow, and sheep's milk, and are so
extensively blued, that they seem to be more
mold than cheese. This is almost always the
final cheese in a given tasting order. Each bite
is an aromatic blast of salt and pepper
50. San Joaquin Gold
Modesto, CA, USA
• This is the great American Grana. The cheese
is salty and rich, with all the flavors of a good
Parmigianino, played off a well-aged cheddar.
The salty paste tastes almost like walnuts fried
in butter.