Rory Stamp - Cheese, Illustrated: Notes, Pairings, and Boards

Copyright 2021 by Chronicle Books.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stamp, Rory, author. | Exley, Holly, illustrator.
Title: Cheese, illustrated : notes, pairings, and boards / Rory Stamp ; illustrations by Holly Exley.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2021.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020047066 | ISBN 9781797205892 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781797208152 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Cheese--Varieties. | Cooking (Cheese)
Classification: LCC SF271 .S79 2021 | DDC 641.3/735--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020047066

Design by Rachel Harrell.

Illustrations by Holly Exley.

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In the ancient history of cheesemaking, countless recipes originated from the need to preserve a precious agricultural goodmilk. Over centuries, these traditions have distilled cultural identity and agricultural custom into ready-to-eat delicacies. Cheese is a window into this rich and often hidden world, a delicious entry point into the culture of dairy farming and the taste of a moment in time and place.

Welcome to Cheese, Illustrated: Notes, Pairings, and Boards, an illustrated guide to fifty icons of the Western cheese canon. From the pinnacle of the Swiss Alps to the caves of Combalou in Roquefort, the fertile Po River Valley of Northern Italy to the mountain huts of the Basque shepherds, and the verdant hills of the Green Mountain State to the cerulean waters of the Azores, this quick-start guide offers a small glimpse into the remarkable assortment of cheeses and the landscapes that shape their heritage. This text does not seek to identify a list of the fifty best cheeses (an impossible task) but, rather, to recognize classic examples of name-protected cheeses to help you identify your favorites and develop the vocabulary to explore new styles and flavors.

In this book youll find well-known and adored cheeses that you may have enjoyed for years alongside those you may never have heard of. In each entry, youll get a sense of why it made the cutits historical or cultural significance, how its produced, and what makes the cheese so extraordinarily delicious! There are also suggestions for beverage pairings, accoutrements to serve alongside, and how to incorporate the cheese into a larger dish or meal. In addition, illustrated cheese board guides provide techniques on how to plate, pair, and entertain with an assortment of compatible textures and flavors.

For the last decade Ive worked in the American artisan cheese industry, dipping my toes in every aspect of the cheese supply chain. From milking cows and training as a professional cheesemaker to competing in international cheesemonger competitions and serving on the boards of cheese guilds supporting our producers, Ive leveraged my love of cheese into a career and a lifestyle. Theres something so captivating about an edible culture that links us to both our history and our landscape. The world of cheese is as rich and diverse as the medium from which its crafted. Milk, bacteria, enzymes, and salt are modified by temperature, pressure, time, and environment. At the nexus of science and art, cheese offers us the distillation of a stroll in the wildflowers of high mountain pastures, a walk in a damp cave, or an invitation to a winters barn filled with sweet hay and warm cows breath. I hope you enjoy Cheese, Illustrated and find new joy in one of the worlds greatest and most transportive gustatory pleasures.

The name of a cheese can tell you more than you might think. From place of origin to form and function, each entry lists an exact name as well as a seal with the cheeses Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in the lower right of the entry. While PDO indicates that every part of the agricultural process (from milk to aging) takes place in a designated region, PGI, or Protected Geographical Indication (IGP when written in French), is a looser designation applied to goods with a strong linkage to a geography. These initials are clearly listed on cheese labels in the local language; for example, French cheeses list AOP, for Appellation dOrigine Protge, while Italian cheese is DOP, for Denominazione di Origine Protetta. These letters indicate that a cheese is made under strict regulation in a defined geographical zone in an effort to protect tradition and help you easily identify these cheeses in a market.

Is the milk heat-treated or raw? What characteristics should you expect from an animals milk? What style and texture of cheese do you like? All this terminology is used to help you easily recognize your favorites and identify cheeses that are more challenging or unfamiliar. Armed with this rich glossary, you can ask your friendly neighborhood cheesemonger for everything from a raw cows milk alpine-style Comt to a sheeps milk tomme with the confidence of a true turophile (cheese lover).

As agriculture modernizes and our favorite cheeses become more accessible than ever, its important to remember where these products originated. The town or region listed with each entry speaks to the historic origins of a recipe, though the current area of production may be more expansive. Whether youve visited already or need an excuse to satisfy your wanderlust, the origins of these edible artifacts are worth exploring!

As with wine tasting or financial planning, terminology can be intimidating. Theres no right or wrong way to describe your sensory experience, but Ive included simple tasting notes with each cheese to help you describe the texture, flavor, and aroma. From producer to producer, and batch to batch, there are delightful and sometimes surprising variations in these cheeses, so use these terms as a baseline to understand the typical characteristics of classic styles.

le de France

VELVETY | RICH | BUTTERY | VEGETAL

There are few symbols of French gastronomy as ubiquitous as Brie. With its iconic bloomy white rind, buttery interior, and disk shape, Brie is a gateway cheese like none other. The protected origin Brie de Meaux AOP is thought to have originated in the seventh century, when monks produced the cheese in the historic northern French region bearing the same name (Brie). In the early nineteenth century, this full-flavored, raw milk cheese was named Le Roi du Fromages (The King of Cheeses) at the Congress of Vienna, cementing its lofty status in French culture. While the tightly controlled, raw milk Brie de Meaux is pungent and complex, it bears little resemblance to the common Brie, an industrialized, pasteurized version that has become popular due to its approachable flavor and more stable texture. Traditionally made in a 4.4 pound [2 kg] round, Brie is available Stateside in a variety of formats, with cream often added for richness.