Vol. 4 No. 9
| Featured Cheese | Country |
| Edam | Holland |
| Aged Mimolette | France |
| Idiazábal | Spain |
Edam's
roots go back at least 600 years to the town Edam, North Holland,
which used to be the center of Dutch cheese exports. Today, Edam refers
to a style of cheese rather where it is from, and so Edam is produced
all over the Netherlands. In the United Sates, it's usually
consumed young, when its texture is elastic and supple, and the flavor
is smooth, mild and nutty. The aged Edam you have just received is
preferred by most cheese gourmands because it has a more robust, complex
flavor, making the tasting experience much more memorable. Here, you
will find aged Edam coated with black wax, but most of the Edam consumed
in the Netherlands is naked no wax.
When
Edam was first made it was traditional to skim off the fat from the
evening milkings which was used to make butter. The remaining skim
milk was mixed with the next morning's milking to make a cheese with
lower fat content (about 40%) and a sharper flavor. Another factor
that contributes to its distinctive flavor is the milk itself, known
the world over for its rich creaminess. Dutch cows have a uniquely
flavored grass to eat in the extremely lush grazing fields called
damp polders” - the Dutch name for drained land below sea level.
The characteristic round shape of this cheese is due to a rapid hardening at the beginning of the aging process. Edam and Gouda are sometimes considered to taste alike with the difference being in shape and the fat content - Edam is 8 - 10% lower. This is true in most cases, and can probably be attributed to the Dutch people's reverence for established tradition rather than experimentation, and the fact that all Dutch pastures are at the same altitude and latitude, and therefore, all black and white Dutch cows eat pretty much the same thing. Not so in France, Italy and other countries where many unique pasturelands offer the cows, sheep and goats many varieties of grasses and herbs which engender greater distinctions in taste. We think you will find that the genuine aged Edam we have selected is noticeably drier, lighter, and tarter than Gouda.
Note: It appears that Edam can age for many years - under certain conditions - and still taste good. The oldest Edam we know about was found at the South Pole in 1956. It had been left there 44 years ago by the unfortunate Scott expedition.
Across the Zuider Zee
The town of Edam is a few miles north of Amsterdam, facing East across the waters of the old Zuider Zee. Edam is a city with a rich history, dating back to the 12th century, when farmers and fishermen settled along the Ye river, and named their town “Yedam.” By the 17th century, this primitive settlement had developed into a prosperous town. Edam had a great number of shipyards that turned out many famous ships, like the Halve Maan (Half Moon) - the ship that Henry Hudson sailed in 1609, looking for a northern route to the East Indies, but ending up stranded on the island of Manhattan! When Peter the Great of Russia decided that Russia needed a navy, he took an entourage of several hundred men to Holland to learn ship building from the world renowned Dutch master-craftsmen. After more than a year of study, he was awarded an official degree of excellence. Some historians claim he was more proud of his “diploma,” than being a Czar. No doubt he enjoyed many a cheese from the village of Edam that tasted exactly like what you have just received.
Commerce was also a major contributor to the thriving development of Edam. Today, the Dutch are sixth in the world when it comes to cheese production, and sixty percent of what they make is Gouda. They are the world's largest exporter of cheese! The milk products they export pay for half of all their imports!
If you are interested in architecture, you would enjoy visiting Edam where canals and roads are bordered by narrow houses built of local dark red brick. Edam's authentic 17th century architecture - well preserved gables, squares, bridges and monuments - makes it easy to imagine what it must have looked like hundreds of years ago when Czar Peter learned to build ships. North of the town, and on dry ground,” a few feet higher than the surrounding fields, is the town's Great Church, Grote Kerk.” It's dedicated to St. Nicholas and one of the largest churches in the Netherlands, boasting an extraordinary collection of stained glass windows dating from the 17th century.
Choose a Friday to explore Edam because the town of Alkmaar, near Edam, has a fascinating cheese auction during the summer months. We recommend that you be there by 10 AM to see the porters use their long wooden sleds to carry 80 round Edam cheeses. (There are four Cheese Porter Guilds, each with distinctive colors.) The Professional buyers use a special tool to remove a core of cheese for tasting, and feel the cheeses to determine texture. Then the bidding begins!
Mimolette
is creamy, hard, cow's milk cheese produced in Normandy, Brittany,
Nord/Pas-de Calais, and other parts of France. It has been called
a French Edam, although there are definite differences between the
two. There is a little question as to its exact origin - some say
it comes from Lille, in France, while others think it was first made
in Holland. We believe that Mimolette took route in the 17th century,
specifically during rule of King Louis XIV, because his chief minister,
Colbert, had banned the import of many foreign goods and foods, including
Edam. The Dutch cheese was especially missed in Flanders, the northernmost
region of France, and as you might expect, the villagers had strong
cultural ties to Holland. Even today you will hear Dutch spoken as
a first language in this part of France.
Often we want what we can't easily have, and since Mimolette would have to be smuggled into France against the King's decree, the defiant French subjects began to make their own cheese from the same basic recipe. Of course, the French added a little panache. The first changes you will notice are the shape and color. Instead of Edam's ball shape, the artisans flattened the top and bottom, and then added Rocou, a natural coloring from red-Bordeaux grape seeds which originated in Vietnam. Today, the natural dye, annatto, is used to enhance the color, ranging from cantaloupe or carrot to a bright deep tangerine.
An important difference comes from the source of the milk. As you taste the cheese and compare it to Edam, you will see how diverse breeds of cows, and the grasses and herbs they feed on, alter the flavor. Intensely fruity and nutty, Mimolette is popular as a snack with a glass of beer… so be sure to visit monthlyclubs.com to check out all of the incredibly tasty microbrews that you could enjoy with your cheeses.
The name mi-mou, means half soft, and refers to the firm but quite oily texture. The natural rind ranges in color from yellow orange to light brown and is pitted, dry and hard. Mimolette can be eaten young, but unlike Edam, Mimolette is usually matured for a minimum of six months, and at that time it is called demi-étuvée or demi-vielle - half old. The Mimolette you have received has matured for twelve months. As it ages the pâte becomes hard and crumbly, the taste becomes salty and nutty with sweet aftertaste, and the color changes to an antiqued orange-brown. C'est un excellent choix, très bon!
Making Charles de Gaulle's Favorite CheeseAged Mimolette is very popular throughout France and is enjoyed by cheese novices as well as serious connoisseurs. Mimolette is also called Boule de Lille, because of the shape and the location of the cellars where the cheeses were first ripened the village of Lille. To make Mimolette, artisans brewed milk until it formed a consistent mass called a caillebotte. This mass was laid out in molds, and then pressed and turned over a few times so the cheese would take on a flattened form. Next the newborn cheeses were bathed in brine (salted water) for four or five days, and finally placed on boards to dry and begin the ripening process.
The young cheeses were stored in damp cellars and turned every week The Master Cavist made his first test at 8 and 12 weeks into the maturation process. Each cheese was brushed to remove cerons (microscopic cheese mites) which feast on the surface, and then struck with a wooden mallet to determine its density. The cerons play a very important role by creating tiny holes on the cheese surface to air the cheese, resulting in a pitted crust or rind. Today the process is much the same, but the milk is pasteurized and the cheeses are matured in cellars where the environment can be completely controlled.
Many
years ago, you would have found the village of Idiazába In
the heart of the Basque Region of northern Spain now the area
is called Ordicia. Idiazábal was a small rural community located
in the Goierri valley, and surrounded by the Aralar and Urbia mountain
ranges. Centuries ago, cheese was made during the summer in txabolas
(rural dwellings high in the mountains), and then stored near the
campfires. Farmers would descend from the mountain pastures with their
flocks at the first sign of snow, and go to the market to sell their
smoked ewe's milk cheese. The name Idiazábal became known in
the markets as being the quintessential shepherd's cheese, and
is considered a delicacy among cheese purists.
These
days the cheese is made in modern dairies that meet strict hygiene
guidelines - those “rural dwellings” are not quite up
to EU standards. But the cheese is still made using the traditional
recipe, and milk from sheep that have grazed in those same mountains.
The smoked versions still use traditional woods - beechwood, hawthorn,
and/or cherry wood. The Denomination of Origin for Idiazábal
was created in 1987, defining strict criteria that govern the ingredients
and the way it is made. Only unpasteurized milk from Latxa breed of
sheep can be used, although in some cases, the milk from the Carranzana
breed found in the town called Encartaciones is permitted.
Idiazabal, a robust Queso Vasco (Basque cheese), is recognized primarily by its rich, smoky, buttery flavor and a hard, dry texture that feels pleasantly oily when consumed. It's a pressed, dense, cooked-curd cheese, and it has a hard, orange to walnut-brown natural rind that is edible. The unsmoked cheeses, produced in the lower regions of the valley or in Navarra, have a yellow-beige paste, while smoked cheeses are brownish. Both have a proliferation of tiny holes throughout. The Idiazabal cheeses are usually cylindrical, although they are occasionally cone or octagonal-shaped. The rinds of highly artisanal cheeses may even be engraved with drawings or symbols characteristic of the Basque culture. You don't know whether to admire how they look or how they taste, but you can't do both!
Tasting Notes
All three are versatile cheeses that will complement barbequed or grilled meats melt them on your gourmet hamburgers. Cubed or grated they add interesting contrasts and vibrant colors to salads. Try them with roasted potatoes. Blend two or more in your sauces.
Aged Edam
Aged Edam is mild, slightly salty and nutty. It's great with
fruits peaches, melons, apricots, pears and cherries. Complement it
with fruity red and white wines, or sparkling cranberry juice
Aged
Mimolette
Aged Mimolette is often described as a sharp but mild cheese that
is intensely fruity and nutty, with subtle notes of caramel. As a
savory appetizer, serve it with Bordeaux, Burgundy, Fumé Blanc,
or strong beer. As an aperitif, try it with a sweet wine like Sherry,
Oporto, or Rivesaltes.
Idiazabal
Idiazabal is eaten as a tapa, and also as a dessert in Spain. With
a firm but supple texture, a buttery and nutty flavor and overtones
of smoke, Idiazabal pairs beautifully with the red Tempranillo of
northern Spain. The smoked version is somewhat dryer and stronger,
with a pleasant aroma. Its slightly salty flavor and buttery touch
are perfect for filling or breading blue fish or white meats. Match
it with a full-bodied wine.
