Poll: Stinky cheese

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idnar7 Raclette cold is acceptable. Grilled or heated it turns into smelly socks.

Actually, Raclette is meant to be served warm. Traditionally, the cheese is placed in front of the fireplace and as it begins to melt it's scraped off onto potatoes or bread. Great stuff.

[tmm99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 One of Rick Steve's podcasts on French cheese explains that the bacteria that makes cheese stinky is the same bacteria that makes our armpits stinky.

Yikes! That is gross!!!

One tex-mex food - hot dogs with chili and chedder cheese - smells like stinky armpits to me...

[HFWR]

Can't say I've ever been fond of foods that have been aged/fermented to the "rotten sock" stage.

[nubill]

Not a big fan of fan of stinky cheeses, but I did have the opportunity to try one variety while stationed in Germany in the early 70’s. The cheese was called Handkase and was wrapped in cheesecloth. I believe it had an infinite shelf-life. There should have Hazmat labels on the cheesecloth and instructions not to consume with a popular German drink toxin called Underberg or you could end up in the Krankenhaus. I noticed on the menu that the price of Handkase and Handkase mit Musik were the same price. Being the frugal consumer, I asked why the same price. The waiter laughed and said that the music is free but comes later.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nubill The waiter laughed and said that the music is free but comes later.

Much to the dismay of whomever one is sharing a bed with that night.

[Fedup]

Growing up, I was told Camembert was one of the stingiest. I had them in Paris with cherries and wine. It didn't taste nor smell so bad. I eat Stilton cheese often, so that's not a biggie, smelly or not.but lately I must be allergic to cheese so I stopped eating them. But I will go to the cheese shop in London to try all the local cheese.

[Lcountz]

Does anyone remember a wonderful aromatic cheese called Leiderkranz? It's not made anymore....it was sold in a little cardboard box......

That was my favorite....now I settle for Limburger in the foil wrapper..room temperature..on crackers or rye toast with a slice of red onion.

My Mom and I used to enjoy Limburger before she passed away.....she and I were the only ones in our family who would eat it. I used to shock her by saying it made the kitchen smell as if someone had had a bowel movement in the room ( in different words!!!!)..

She liked that cheese, but in my family, only I like Limburger, sardines, caviar and anything smoked. ..like smoked whiting...Ummmm!!!!!! The smellier the better.

Strange how these foods smell SO BAD yet taste so good!!! I always wondered who first tasted Limburger cheese.

[Keim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I have not run across a cheese I cannot eat. Cheese too stinky, I just eat a small piece. My favorite type is the pedestrian cheddar, but not the typical cheddar. I like aged Kerrygold myself.

Get thee some Cougar Gold from Washington State University, stat!!!

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fedup Growing up, I was told Camembert was one of the stingiest. I had them in Paris with cherries and wine. It didn't taste nor smell so bad. I eat Stilton cheese often, so that's not a biggie, smelly or not.but lately I must be allergic to cheese so I stopped eating them. But I will go to the cheese shop in London to try all the local cheese.

I consider Camembert quite mild compared to the real stinkers.

I had some pretty good stinkers in France, but don't remember all the names.

[NW-Bound]

How one feels about or interprets a smell or aroma differs greatly between individuals, as we know. For example, take durian.

I am no fan of durian, and have had only a small piece of it and that was enough. The smell is strong, but I would not describe it as stinky. A high concentration of it would bother me, but I have the same reaction walking past the perfume counter in some department stores. At a lower level, durian does not bother me as much as smelly fish. Yet, a lot of people are bothered with durian as they would be with a smelly gas leak.

And I have seen durian lovers who describe the aroma as heavenly. Aye, aye, aye...

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keim Get thee some Cougar Gold from Washington State University, stat!!!

Looks like something I ought to try. Thanks.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lcountz ...My Mom and I used to enjoy Limburger before she passed away.....she and I were the only ones in our family who would eat it. I used to shock her by saying it made the kitchen smell as if someone had had a bowel movement in the room ( in different words!!!!)...

I have never had Limburger and this is the cheese most talked about here.

I was going to try it, but now you have killed my curiosity. Thanks.

[NW-Bound]

It would be fun to have a thread to make fun of some food, and each culture has something infamous to make fun of. We should also be aware that not everyone in that culture enjoys the same delicacy.

Andrew Zimmern in his TV show "Bizarre Foods" showed that in many southeast Asian countries, guests were not allowed to bring durian into hotels or on buses. In France, the cheese Epoisse is banned from public transport. So, one can see that these foods are not universally loved even at their origin. By the way, I just learned that the above cheese is banned in the US for fear of listeria.

Again, the reaction to these unique foods varies and it is funny to read the reviews. What do you think of a cheese that evokes these comments from tasters?

Smell: "seems to have been produced by a prankster trying to make his farmer mates gag... smells so incredibly strong that it could make your hair curl if you accidentally stood half a mile downwind... Smelly, really really smelly feet..."

Taste: "tastes like somebody buried my cheddar cheese in the compost and then dug it up again. I think I'm going to be sick."

Yummy? That's Rainbow Gold from England.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound In France, the cheese Epoisse is banned from public transport. So, one can see that these foods are not universally loved even at their origin. By the way, I just learned that the above cheese is banned in the US for fear of listeria.

I buy Epoisse regularly. The USDA has a rule against importing cheeses that are less than 60 days old, based on no science whatsoever.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister I buy Epoisse regularly. The USDA has a rule against importing cheeses that are less than 60 days old, based on no science whatsoever.

I'm sure it's based on the science of protecting the incumbent domestic producers of cheese from competition.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nubill ... I noticed on the menu that the price of Handkase and Handkase mit Musik were the same price. Being the frugal consumer, I asked why the same price. The waiter laughed and said that the music is free but comes later.

What kind of music? Do you have the choice of brass, woodwind, or strings?

[nubill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound What kind of music? Do you have the choice of brass, woodwind, or strings?

I think the only choice is the tuba.

[NW-Bound]

Speaking from experience?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset As a kid my friend's father travelled the world, so I got to try some of those smelly cheese, but currently I confess to being at best a blue cheese fan (if you consider that a smelly cheese).

I never dreamed that anyone would consider bleu/blue cheese to be a smelly cheese. What a surprise to see that it is referred to in this thread over a dozen times! All I can say is that some people are sure sensitive.

I have loved bleu cheese ever since I was a tiny tot, and also enjoy smelly cheeses.

[MichaelB]

When my Aunt was married her 5 brothers (including dad) decided to make their wedding celebration something to remember, so they spread a healthy amount of Limburger on the radiator of the groom's car. It apparently worked better than planned - by the time he figured out what had happened everything stunk. The couple, their clothes, the car. It took a couple of days for them to get the stink off each other and their clothes, but it never completely left the car.

As my uncles tell it, she thought it was funny, although I never heard her say that. When I was a yute tender young lad of 15 (20 years later) my uncle the groom was still barely talking with his brothers-in-law.

Not entirely sure it was Limburger but no doubt it was stinky cheese.