Peculiar Produce: Unknown Cheese Edition
/Today: another pair of items that is not, technically, produce. Look, I know what the title of the blog is, but it was the catchiest name I could think of. I mean, what would YOU have named it? Probably like “Weird Food” or something. That’s lame as hell. Actually come to think of it, a good name for it would be “Uncharted Aisles,” referring to aisles in a grocery store. Which is right there in the subheading, goddamnit. Why didn’t I go with that one?
OK, sorry. I’m rambling a bit here. Let’s move on.
I like cheese. I eat it often, and in large quantities. Not really a fan of blue cheese, but pretty much anything else is fair game. I’m a big fan of aged cheddar and feta cheese, in particular. So, I decided to find some weird cheeses, ones I hadn’t tried before, and give them a spin. I went down to The House of Cheese in the ByWard Market and picked out a couple of different kinds. Here’s how that went:
I tried out the Irish cheddar with Irish whiskey in it first. Now, I’ve had Irish cheddar before, and it’s pretty great, so I figured this one would be excellent as well. I did like it, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
The other Irish cheese I had was sharper, more crumbly. It had definitely been aged more. And in contrast, it contained exactly zero percent whiskey. This whiskey cheese was a lot less aged (I’m guessing for maybe only a few months, if at all) and still retained most of its softness. It was fairly mild as well. You could definitely taste the whiskey in the background. It was an interesting and unexpected combination of flavours that came together really nicely. I also enjoyed it on some crackers I bought for the occasion.
I really didn’t know what to expect with the Moroccan spiced cheese. I didn’t even know what they meant by “Moroccan spice” as there is no information on the cheese itself in regard to what goes in it. After a little research I have come to the conclusion that it is probably a mixture of spices known as “ras el hanout.” But I have no way to know for sure. I don’t even know what type of cheese makes up the base for this. It tasted a little like parmesan, but it could be goat cheese for all I know.
What I DO know is that it’s delicious. The cheese base on its own tastes great, but then the spices just add so much more depth. It tastes a bit like what a spice rack smells like; there’s a whole bunch of things happening inside your mouth with every bite. It was delicious on crackers and on its own. If you can deal with the steep price, definitely give this one a try.
