Can You Handle the Stink?
One of the pitfalls of being a curd nerd in New York City is the brutal reality of having to transport your purchases home from your favorite cheese shop via the always crowded, chronically curmudgeonly subway system. Obviously I don't have the luxury of having a cheese shop anywhere near where I live, and since I never leave a cheese shop without at least one real stinker, this is a chronic issue for me. I have cleared out subway cars as if I haven't bathed for weeks. But I like my cheeses as stinky as they come, and I'm not going to let a little social awkwardness deter me from perfection.
What makes stinky cheese so stinky anyway? The stinkiest cheeses are those with washed-rinds, that is, rinds that have been washed throughout the aging process in brine, beer, wine, or some other liquid (oils don't count). This process encourages the growth of Brevibacteria linens, orange-colored microorganisms that also happen to grow on our skin. This is why stinky cheeses are orange, and this is also why they sometimes smell like day-old gym socks.
Thankfully, though, their bark is worse than their bite. Their pungent (understatement of the year?) aroma gives way to a uniquely earthy, mushroomy flavor that is not super strong, but is deeply satisfying in its complex savoriness. I once tasted hints of roasted brussels sprouts in Maroilles, a real stinker from Northern France. And Époisses, a Burgundian cheese that's washed in marc during its aging, sometimes tastes to me of roasted cauliflower.
In addition to the above, here is a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite washed-rinds that are worth trying if you haven't already. What are your favorites?
- Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk - California
- Langres - Champagne-Ardenne
- Cato Corner Hooligan - Connecticut
- Munster Fermier - Alsace (not to be confused with American Muenster
- Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson - Virginia
- Durrus - West Cork, Ireland
- Pleasant Ridge Reserve - Wisconsin
- Taleggio - Valtaleggio, near Lombardy
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.
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15 Comments:
My husband and I were newlyweds when we stopped in D&D (does anyone still go there?) for some treats. We ran a few other errands over the afternoon, and occasionally I'd get this whiff of horribleness and wonder what the hell was wrong with him. Then I got paranoid and feared that it was me.
Several hours later we got on the subway, and I couldn't make eye contact. People would come through the doors, take one look at us, crumple their faces in horror and walk as far away as they could. It wasn't until we were almost home that we remembered--simultaneously--the camembert he had been carrying in his backpack all day.
renzata at 11:30AM on 02/05/08
Strange coincidence!
I tried a washed-rind for the first time on Sunday night - the Durrus and also a calvados washed brie! It was part of one of the most amazing cheeseboards I have ever seen (about 30 gorgeous cheeses...). The Durrus was my favourite. The stink was potent; I couldn't believe I was even going to put it in my mouth... but when I did it suddenly transformed into this deep, smooth, creamy lushness.
I am a washed-rind convert, and look forward to stinking out public transport soon!
kittie at 12:26PM on 02/05/08
Thanks for the informative post on the cause of the stinkiness.
My son is a big stinky cheese fan. A favorite is U Bel fiuritu from Corsica.
http://izzyeats.blogspot.com/2007/02/stinky-cheese-fan.html
I am always purchasing foodstuffs with offensive odors (particularly cheese) and then taking public transportation. My fellow passengers eye us suspiciously so I need to announce the presence of stinky cheese.
http://izzyeats.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-york-city-on-odd-characters-and.html
izzy's mama at 12:31PM on 02/05/08
Forget about the subway (or people across the street keeling over, if the cheese is really bad). What I hate is bringing home a delightful stinky cheese and then getting looks from the people with whom I share the house, i.e. friends and family, along with suggestions that my cat may bave become incontinent somewhere nearby. It is all very embarassing.
annien at 12:39PM on 02/05/08
My Sad and I loooove the raw milk smelly cheeses in France and once we tried to bring one back to the US in his suitcase. We wrapped it in multiple layers of foil, plastic bags, etc. and it seemed OK. When we got off the plane it reeked up the whole baggage cart- I have no idea how the customs guys didn't notice it- and when we got home the clothes in the suitcase were never quite the same despite multiple washings and we had to throw the suitcase away because the smell wouldn't come out. My Mom was NOT amused. The cheese was amazing though.
karenita at 12:50PM on 02/05/08
Try bringing a nice ripe durian with you sometime.
Stiv61 at 1:12PM on 02/05/08
My boss opened up an Époisses at work on a hot summer day, an act we soon discovered was tantamount to creating a hostile work environment. I made him take it elsewhere. It's an awesome cheese, but yeah... powerful.
missginsu at 1:56PM on 02/05/08
I love the stinkies, especially Epoisses. I'll have to try some of the others on your list.
ride&cook at 2:22PM on 02/05/08
I brought a Durian on the subway in Singapore because I had bought it at a wet market not knowing it was against the rules to take one on the subway. When I came face-to-face with the sign of a Durian with a red slash through it at the station, I was not giving up my Durian. I kept swinging the bag back and forth hoping to dissipate the smell. I received a lot of looks and I expected to be outed any minute, much like a real human by a pod person in the movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
aharste at 3:23PM on 02/05/08
aharste: you're really lucky no one said anything! i've seen ANGRY chefs verbally abuse and expel durian-toting patrons in singapore...
having said that, i don't mind stinky cheeses when they reward you with flavor. it's the cheeses that offer no reward for the stink that i'm wary of. my russian housemate seems to have a penchant for bringing home exactly these...
onedaylingers at 3:59PM on 02/05/08
I went through this stage a couple of years ago where I felt the need to experiment with stinky cheeses, and had one similar to what you have pictured here that my friend brought home from Germany.
After my third go-round, I finally realized that it just wasn't for me. Cheese that smells and tastes like feet - not my thing. I tried the funky Belgian beers with Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces and couldn't handle those either.
philn at 4:02PM on 02/05/08
Cowgirl's Red Hawk was too strong for me, but I love their Mt. Tam - the three cream. I'd sort of written off stinky cheese as not for me, but reading your post makes me curious...maybe someday I will be ready!
And aharste, I thought durian wasn't allowed in Singapore at all! I'm glad you kept it though, I love it!
mballena at 5:15PM on 02/05/08
Speaking of Belgian beers, Chimay makes a nice stinky cheese that's washed in their Trappist beer during aging.
jamieforrest at 6:36PM on 02/05/08
I love many stinky cheeses. Love them.
So, it's Thanksgiving. I'm a guest at an apartment way downtown. I'm to bring the cheese tray. I take the cheese out of the fridge about an hour before I leave my house. I get the bus. It's a long trip. The bus is really warm. My cheeses really start to stink. I mean really. People around me start sniffing the air. Talking among themselves. What the heck was that smell? They're grumbling. I sit there all innocent-eyed, furtively looking around as though I would somehow find the culprit. I ended up getting off the bus a couple of stops early when it appeared that people were beginning to recognize where the smell was originating from.
That said, the cheeses were awesome. I don't think I'll ever go that route again though.
chisai at 6:44AM on 02/06/08
Pleasant Ridge Reserve is our "house" cheese. When it first appears in October it has a totally different smell, and taste than it does when it finally runs out...usually around April. As it has become more well known I fear the limited supply will be depleted sooner. Perhaps my genius husband deserves a wheel for Valentines Day...nothing says love quite like the stink of cheese.
Vanessa at 1:10PM on 02/06/08