(6) Looking at you kid; or why do this cheese look not perfect.

You should get accustomed to my quirky titles. I like doing this, putting references that are outside the obvious but somewhat go back to the subject. I find it interesting and less boring, on the other side this might be just me anyway.

So, the first part of the title is in reference to a line in black and white films starring Humphrey Bogart, the last word of it can reference a young goat and this is essential for the mother to give milk to make cheese. The second part of the title is the subject of this article. I will try to explain the frustration resulting from many remarks made by customers who do not understand the many aspects possible when it comes to the look of cheese, and even more so when it concerns goat’s, or ewe’s, milk products.

Cheese selection made ready for service at The Greenhouse in 2007

Cheeses have a life of their own, and there are quite a few different kinds of cheese. A very important information for all of you at home: a cheese needs to be whole (uncut in any way, with the whole rind around) to keep maturing. Through its life our cheese changes of appearance and its shape can alter somewhat. This is a normal process, even if on rare occasion outside factors can make its presentation somewhat less desirable. This last point can be remedied quite easily in most cases by scrapping or using a lightly moist cloth to brush the rind. And you might need to trim products, I know that you will lose some of it but the cheese will be good and fresh, and still tasty and marvellous.

Our problem of the look of cheese is above all else psychological. This derives from education and habits of the person looking at the product. If She/He is shopping at supermarkets on a regular basis, the person will be used to young cheeses with spotless rinds, and a somewhat attenuated flavour and taste. When looking at traditional cheeses you should understand that care have been given to its aging and a certain amount of “uncleanliness” is expected. This is not to make it look good, this is the result of aging and transformation of the original product into a delicious tasting cheese.

There are quite a few things that make this transformation possible. Integrity of the cheese for a correct aging is to be maintained and correct temperature combined with control of the water content is essential; this is the environment requisite. Then the look of the cheese will change progressively with formation of the rind, and then spots might appear with formation of mushrooms depending on the environment. To be noted that this is more and more controlled, the look of cheese has been adapted from a few decencies back to reach a point when clean and spotless rind is the norm. This do not mean that our mushrooms are bad, they are a result of a natural event that have been proven over centuries to be beneficial to humans: a good, varied diet helps the immune system and facilitate digestion.

This explains why customers go for the young products, even if these are less tasty and expressive; you should note that when eating something with full flavour it is very easy to eat less of it…

Personal habits derive from personal experiences, and these can be expended to include foray into more expressive products. Thus, customers can discover cheeses that will bring them more pleasure eating them. If the seller is knowledgeable, he will find some argumentation, like the history or personal item about the producer, that will influence the customer to try something that do not like bland. Of course, this means that it is always good to have a good cheesemonger to talk to, that it is good to benefit from the diversity of the cheese offering in these delicious shop to try something different. Then the customer benefits from expending his basic taste and might find his new best cheese. He might even be tempted to open his mind and be convinced to explore more of the wonderful world that we live in.

Overall diversity is good, and choices abound, this is all a question of the right set of mind. Unfortunately, our modern world is based on speed. This should not stop people to think about what they will put into their body and the taste of it.

In conclusion I would like to say what I was told many times when working at the shop: “give a chance to the product”. This is good for anybody selling cheese, for this is equally good for anybody buying and tasting cheese. So, enjoy your cheese and have fun, we live in a wonderful tasty world.