BOB BROWN The Complete Bookof Cheese _Illustrations by_ Eric Blegvad [Illustration] _Gramercy Publishing Company New York_1955 _Author of_ THE WINE COOK BOOK AMERICA COOKS 10, 000 SNACKS SALADS AND HERBS THE SOUTH AMERICAN COOK BOOK SOUPS, SAUCES AND GRAVIES THE VEGETABLE COOK BOOK LOOK BEFORE YOU COOK! THE EUROPEAN COOK BOOK THE WINING AND DINING QUIZ MOST FOR YOUR MONEY OUTDOOR COOKING FISH AND SEAFOOD COOK BOOK THE COUNTRY COOK BOOK _Co-author of Food and Drink Books by_ The Browns LET THERE BE BEER! HOMEMADE HILARITY [Illustration: TO] TO PHIL ALPERT _Turophile Extraordinary_ [Illustration: Contents] 1 I Remember Cheese 2 The Big Cheese 3 Foreign Greats 4 Native Americans 5 Sixty-five Sizzling Rabbits 6 The Fondue 7 Soufflés, Puffs and Ramekins 8 Pizzas, Blintzes, Pastes and Cheese Cake 9 Au Gratin, Soups, Salads and Sauces 10 Appetizers, Crackers, Sandwiches, Savories, Snacks, Spreads and Toasts 11 "Fit for Drink" 12 Lazy Lou APPENDIX--The A-B-Z of Cheese INDEX OF RECIPES [Illustration] _Chapter One_ I Remember Cheese Cheese market day in a town in the north of Holland. All thecheese-fanciers are out, thumping the cannon-ball Edams and themillstone Goudas with their bare red knuckles, plugging in with ahollow steel tool for samples. In Holland the business of judging acrumb of cheese has been taken with great seriousness for centuries. The abracadabra is comparable to that of the wine-taster ortea-taster. These Edamers have the trained ear of music-masters and, merely by knuckle-rapping, can tell down to an air pocket left by agas bubble just how mature the interior is. The connoisseurs use gingerbread as a mouth-freshener; and I, too, that sunny day among the Edams, kept my gingerbread handy and made myway from one fine cheese to another, trying out generous plugs fromthe heaped cannon balls that looked like the ammunition dump atAntietam. I remember another market day, this time in Lucerne. All morning Istocked up on good Schweizerkäse and better Gruyère. For lunch I hadcheese salad. All around me the farmers were rolling two-hundred-poundEmmentalers, bigger than oxcart wheels. I sat in a little café, absorbing cheese and cheese lore in equal quantities. I learned that aprize cheese must be chock-full of equal-sized eyes, the gas holesproduced during fermentation. They must glisten like polished barglass. The cheese itself must be of a light, lemonish yellow. Itsflavor must be nutlike. (Nuts and Swiss cheese complement each otheras subtly as Gorgonzola and a ripe banana. ) There are, I learned, "blind" Swiss cheeses as well, but the million-eyed ones are better. But I don't have to hark back to Switzerland and Holland for cheesememories. Here at home we have increasingly taken over the cheeses ofall nations, first importing them, then imitating them, from SwissEngadine to what we call Genuine Sprinz. We've naturalizedScandinavian Blues and smoked browns and baptized our own SaalandPfarr in native whiskey. Of fifty popular Italian types we duplicatemore than half, some fairly well, others badly. We have our own legitimate offspring too, beginning with thePineapple, supposed to have been first made about 1845 in LitchfieldCounty, Connecticut. We have our own creamy Neufchâtel, New York Coon, Vermont Sage, the delicious Liederkranz, California Jack, Nuworld, anddozens of others, not all quite so original. And, true to the American way, we've organized cheese-eating. There'san annual cheese week, and a cheese month (October). We even boast amail-order Cheese-of-the-Month Club. We haven't yet reached the pointof sophistication, however, attained by a Paris cheese club that meetsregularly. To qualify for membership you have to identify two hundredbasic cheeses, and you have to do it blindfolded. This is a test I'd prefer not to submit to, but in my amateur way Ihave during the past year or two been sharpening my cheese perceptionwith whatever varieties I could encounter around New York. I've runinto briny Caucasian Cossack, Corsican Gricotta, and exotics likeRarush Durmar, Travnik, and Karaghi La-la. Cheese-hunting is one ofthe greatest--and least competitively crowded--of sports. I hope thisbook may lead others to give it a try. [Illustration] _Chapter Two_ The Big Cheese One of the world's first outsize cheeses officially weighed in at fourtons in a fair at Toronto, Canada, seventy years ago. Anothermonstrous Cheddar tipped the scales at six tons in the New York StateFair at Syracuse in 1937. Before this, a one-thousand-pounder was fetched all the way from NewZealand to London to star in the Wembley Exposition of 1924. But, compared to the outsize Syracusan, it looked like a Baby Gouda. As amatter of fact, neither England nor any of her great dairying colonieshave gone in for mammoth jobs, except Canada, with that four-tonnershown at Toronto. We should mention two historic king-size Chesters. You can find outall about them in _Cheddar Gorge, _ edited by Sir John Squire. Thefirst of them weighed 149 pounds, and was the largest made, up to theyear 1825. It was proudly presented to H. R. H. The Duke of York. (Itsheft almost tied the 147-pound Green County wheel of Wisconsin Swisspresented by the makers to President Coolidge in 1928 in appreciationof his raising the protective tariff against genuine Swiss to 50percent. ) While the cheese itself weighed a mite under 150, His RoyalHighness, ruff, belly, knee breeches, doffed high hat and all, was ahundred-weight heavier, and thus almost dwarfed it. It was almost a century later that the second record-breaking Chesterweighed in, at only 200 pounds. Yet it won a Gold Medal and aChallenge Cup and was presented to the King, who graciously acceptedit. This was more than Queen Victoria had done with a bridal giftcheese that tipped the scales at 1, 100 pounds. It took a whole day'syield from 780 contented cows, and stood a foot and eight inches high, measuring nine feet, four inches around the middle. The assembleddonors of the cheese were so proud of it that they asked royalpermission to exhibit it on a round of country fairs. The Queenassented to this ambitious request, perhaps prompted by theexhibition-minded Albert. The publicity-seeking cheesemongers assuredHer Majesty that the gift would be returned to her just as soon as ithad been exhibited. But the Queen didn't want it back after it wasshow-worn. The donors began to quarrel among themselves about what todo with the remains, until finally it got into Chancery where so manylost causes end their days. The cheese was never heard of again. While it is generally true that the bigger the cheese the better, (much the same as a magnum bottle of champagne is better than a pint), there is a limit to the obesity of a block, ball or brick of almostany kinds of cheese. When they pass a certain limit, they lackhomogeneity and are not nearly so good as the smaller ones. Today agood magnum size for an exhibition Cheddar is 560 pounds; for a prizeProvolone, 280 pounds; while a Swiss wheel of only 210 will drawcrowds to any food-shop window. Yet by and large it's the monsters that get into the Cheese Hall ofFame and come down to us in song and story. For example, that four-tonToronto affair inspired a cheese poet, James McIntyre, who doubled asthe local undertaker. We have thee, mammoth cheese, Lying quietly at your ease; Gently fanned by evening breeze, Thy fair form no flies dare seize. All gaily dressed soon you'll go To the greatest provincial show, To be admired by many a beau In the city of Toronto. May you not receive a scar as We have heard that Mr. Harris Intends to send you off as far as The great world's show at Paris. Of the youth beware of these, For some of them might rudely squeeze And bite your cheek; then song or glees We could not sing, oh, Queen of Cheese. An ode to a one hundred percent American mammoth was inspired by "TheUltra-Democratic, Anti-Federalist Cheese of Cheshire. " This was in thesummer of 1801 when the patriotic people of Cheshire, Massachusetts, turned out en masse to concoct a mammoth cheese on the village greenfor presentation to their beloved President Jefferson. The uniquedemonstration occurred spontaneously in jubilant commemoration of thegreatest political triumph of a new country in a new century--thevictory of the Democrats over the Federalists. Its collective makingwas heralded in Boston's _Mercury and New England Palladium_, September 8, 1801: _The Mammoth Cheese_ AN EPICO-LYRICO BALLAD From meadows rich, with clover red, A thousand heifers come; The tinkling bells the tidings spread, The milkmaid muffles up her head, And wakes the village hum. In shining pans the snowy flood Through whitened canvas pours; The dyeing pots of otter good And rennet tinged with madder blood Are sought among their stores. The quivering curd, in panniers stowed, Is loaded on the jade, The stumbling beast supports the load, While trickling whey bedews the road Along the dusty glade. As Cairo's slaves, to bondage bred, The arid deserts roam, Through trackless sands undaunted tread, With skins of water on their head To cheer their masters home, So here full many a sturdy swain His precious baggage bore; Old misers e'en forgot their gain, And bed-rid cripples, free from pain, Now took the road before. The widow, with her dripping mite Upon her saddle horn, Rode up in haste to see the sight And aid a charity so right, A pauper so forlorn. The circling throng an opening drew Upon the verdant-grass To let the vast procession through To spread their rich repast in view, And Elder J. L. Pass. Then Elder J. With lifted eyes In musing posture stood, Invoked a blessing from the skies To save from vermin, mites and flies, And keep the bounty good. Now mellow strokes the yielding pile From polished steel receives, And shining nymphs stand still a while, Or mix the mass with salt and oil, With sage and savory leaves. Then sextonlike, the patriot troop, With naked arms and crown, Embraced, with hardy hands, the scoop, And filled the vast expanded hoop, While beetles smacked it down. Next girding screws the ponderous beam, With heft immense, drew down; The gushing whey from every seam Flowed through the streets a rapid stream, And shad came up to town. This spirited achievement of early democracy is commemorated today bya sign set up at the ancient and honorable town of Cheshire, locatedbetween Pittsfield and North Adams, on Route 8. Jefferson's speech of thanks to the democratic people of Cheshirerings out in history: "I look upon this cheese as a token of fidelityfrom the very heart of the people of this land to the great cause ofequal rights to all men. " This popular presentation started a tradition. When Van Burensucceeded to the Presidency, he received a similar mammoth cheese intoken of the high esteem in which he was held. A monstrous one, biggerthan the Jeffersonian, was made by New Englanders to show theirloyalty to President Jackson. For weeks this stood in state in thehall of the White House. At last the floor was a foot deep in thefragments remaining after the enthusiastic Democrats had eaten theirfill. [Illustration] _Chapter Three_ Foreign Greats _Ode to Cheese_ God of the country, bless today Thy cheese, For which we give Thee thanks on bended knees. Let them be fat or light, with onions blent, Shallots, brine, pepper, honey; whether scent Of sheep or fields is in them, in the yard Let them, good Lord, at dawn be beaten hard. And let their edges take on silvery shades Under the moist red hands of dairymaids; And, round and greenish, let them go to town Weighing the shepherd's folding mantle down; Whether from Parma or from Jura heights, Kneaded by august hands of Carmelites, Stamped with the mitre of a proud abbess. Flowered with the perfumes of the grass of Bresse, From hollow Holland, from the Vosges, from Brie, From Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Italy! Bless them, good Lord! Bless Stilton's royal fare, Red Cheshire, and the tearful cream Gruyère. FROM JETHRO BITHELL'S TRANSLATION OF A POEM BY M. Thomas Braun _Symphonie des Fromages_ A giant Cantal, seeming to have been chopped open with an ax, stood aside of a golden-hued Chester and a Swiss Gruyère resembling the wheel of a Roman chariot There were Dutch Edams, round and blood-red, and Port-Saluts lined up like soldiers on parade. Three Bries, side by side, suggested phases of the moon; two of them, very dry, were amber-colored and "full, " and the third, in its second quarter, was runny and creamy, with a "milky way" which no human barrier seemed able to restrain. And all the while majestic Roqueforts looked down with princely contempt upon the other, through the glass of their crystal covers. Emile Zola In 1953 the United States Department of Agriculture published HandbookNo. 54, entitled _Cheese Varieties and Descriptions, _ with thiscomment: "There probably are only about eighteen distinct types orkinds of natural cheese. " All the rest (more than 400 names) are oflocal origin, usually named after towns or communities. A list of thebest-known names applied to each of these distinct varieties or groupsis given: Brick Gouda Romano Camembert Hand Roquefort Cheddar Limburger Sapsago Cottage Neufchâtel Swiss Cream Parmesan Trappist Edam Provolone Whey cheeses (Mysost and Ricotta) May we nominate another dozen to form our own Cheese Hall of Fame? Webegin our list with a partial roll call of the big Blues family andend it with members of the monastic order of Port-Salut Trappist thatincludes Canadian Oka and our own Kentucky thoroughbred. The Blues that Are Green Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola form the triumvirate that rules aworld of lesser Blues. They are actually green, as green as themythical cheese the moon is made of. In almost every, land where cheese is made you can sample a handful oflesser Blues and imitations of the invincible three and try toclassify them, until you're blue in the face. The best we can do inthis slight summary is to mention a few of the most notable, asidefrom our own Blues of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon and other statesthat major in cheese. Danish Blues are popular and splendidly made, such as "Flower ofDenmark. " The Argentine competes with a pampas-grass Blue all its own. But France and England are the leaders in this line, France first witha sort of triple triumvirate within a triumvirate--Septmoncel, Gex, and Sassenage, all three made with three milks mixed together: cow, goat and sheep. Septmoncel is the leader of these, made in the Juramountains and considered by many French caseophiles to outrankRoquefort. This class of Blue or marbled cheese is called fromage persillé, aswell as fromage bleu and pate bleue. Similar mountain cheeses are madein Auvergne and Aubrac and have distinct qualities that have broughtthem fame, such as Cantal, bleu d'Auvergne Guiole or Laguiole, bleu deSalers, and St. Flour. Olivet and Queville come within the colorscheme, and sundry others such as Champoléon, Journiac, Queyras andSarraz. Of English Blues there are several celebrities beside Stilton andCheshire Stilton. Wensleydale was one in the early days, and stillis, together with Blue Dorset, the deepest green of them all, andesoteric Blue Vinny, a choosey cheese not liked by everybody, thefavorite of Thomas Hardy. Brie Sheila Hibben once wrote in _The New Yorker:_ I can't imagine any difference of opinion about Brie's being the queenof all cheeses, and if there is any such difference, I shall certainlyignore it. The very shape of Brie--so uncheese-like and so charminglyfragile--is exciting. Nine times out of ten a Brie will let youdown--will be all caked into layers, which shows it is too young, orat the over-runny stage, which means it is too old--but when you comeon the tenth Brie, _coulant_ to just the right, delicate creaminess, and the color of fresh, sweet butter, no other cheese can compare withit. The season of Brie, like that of oysters, is simple to remember: onlymonths with an "R, " beginning with September, which is the best, barnone. Caciocavallo From Bulgaria to Turkey the Italian "horse cheese, " as Caciocavallotranslates, is as universally popular as it is at home and in all theLittle Italics throughout the rest of the world. Flattering imitationsare made and named after it, as follows: BULGARIA: Kascaval GREECE: Kashcavallo and Caskcaval HUNGARY: Parenica RUMANIA: Pentele and Kascaval SERBIA: Katschkawalj SYRIA: Cashkavallo TRANSYLVANIA: Kascaval (as in Rumania) TURKEY: Cascaval Penir YUGOSLAVIA: Kackavalj A horse's head printed on the cheese gave rise to its popular name andto the myth that it is made of mare's milk. It is, however, curdedfrom cow's milk, whole or partly skimmed, and sometimes from waterbuffalo; hard, yellow and so buttery that the best of it, which comesfrom Sorrento, is called _Cacio burro, _ butter cheese. Slightly salty, with a spicy tang, it is eaten sliced when young and mild and used forgrating and seasoning when old, not only on the usual Italian pastesbut on sweets. Different from the many grating cheeses made from little balls of curdcalled _grana_, Caciocavallo is a _pasta fileta_, or drawn-curdproduct. Because of this it is sometimes drawn out in long thickthreads and braided. It is a cheese for skilled artists to makesculptures with, sometimes horses' heads, again bunches of grapes andother fruits, even as Provolone is shaped like apples and pears andoften worked into elaborate bas-relief designs. But ordinarily thehorse's head is a plain tenpin in shape or a squat bottle with a knobon the side by which it has been tied up, two cheeses at a time, onopposite sides of a rafter, while being smoked lightly golden andrubbed with olive oil and butter to make it all the more buttery. In Calabria and Sicily it is very popular, and although the best comesfrom Sorrento, there is keen competition from Abruzzi, ApulianProvince and Molise. It keeps well and doesn't spoil when shippedoverseas. In his _Little Book of Cheese_ Osbert Burdett recommends the high, horsy strength of this smoked Cacio over tobacco smoke after dinner: Only monsters smoke at meals, but a monster assured me that Gorgonzola best survives this malpractice. Clearly, some pungency is necessary, and confidence suggests rather Cacio which would survive anything, the monster said. Camembert Camembert is called "mold-matured" and all that is genuine is labeled_Syndicat du Vrai Camembert_. The name in full is _Syndicat desFabricants du Veritable Camembert de Normandie_ and we agree that thisis "a most useful association for the defense of one of the bestcheeses of France. " Its extremely delicate piquance cannot be matched, except perhaps by Brie. Napoleon is said to have named it and to have kissed the waitress whofirst served it to him in the tiny town of Camembert. And there astatue stands today in the market place to honor Marie Harel who madethe first Camembert. Camembert is equally good on thin slices of apple, pineapple, pear, French "flute" or pumpernickel. As-with Brie and with oysters, Camembert should be eaten only in the "R" months, and of theseSeptember is the best. Since Camembert rhymes with beware, if you can't get the _véritable_don't fall for a domestic imitation or any West German abominationsuch as one dressed like a valentine in a heart-shaped box and labeled"Camembert--Cheese Exquisite. " They are equally tasteless, chalky withyouth, or choking with ammoniacal gas when old and decrepit. Cheddar The English _Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery_ says: Cheddar cheese is one of the kings of cheese; it is pale coloured, mellow, salvy, and, when good, resembling a hazelnut in flavour. The Cheddar principle pervades the whole cheesemaking districts of America, Canada and New Zealand, but no cheese imported into England can equal the Cheddars of Somerset and the West of Scotland. Named for a village near Bristol where farmer Joseph Harding firstmanufactured it, the best is still called Farmhouse Cheddar, but inAmerica we have practically none of this. Farmhouse Cheddar must beripened at least nine months to a mellowness, and little of ourAmerican cheese gets as much as that. Back in 1695 John Houghton wrotethat it "contended in goodness (if kept from two to five years, according to magnitude) with any cheese in England. " Today it is called "England's second-best cheese, " second afterStilton, of course. In early days a large cheese sufficed for a year or two of familyfeeding, according to this old note: "A big Cheddar can be kept fortwo years in excellent condition if kept in a cool room and turnedover every other day. " But in old England some were harder to preserve: "In Bath... I askedone lady of the larder how she kept Cheddar cheese. Her eyes twinkled:'We don't keep cheese; we eats it. '" Cheshire A Cheshireman sailed into SpainTo trade for merchandise;When he arrived from the mainA Spaniard him espies. Who said, "You English rogue, look here!What fruits and spices fineOur land produces twice a year. Thou has not such in thine. " The Cheshireman ran to his holdAnd fetched a Cheshire cheese, And said, "Look here, you dog, behold!We have such fruits as these. Your fruits are ripe but twice a year, As you yourself do say, But such as I present you hereOur land brings twice a day. " Anonymous Let us pass on to cheese. We have some glorious cheeses, and far too few people glorying in them. The Cheddar of the inn, of the chophouse, of the average English home, is a libel on a thing which, when authentic, is worthy of great honor. Cheshire, divinely commanded into existence as to three parts to precede and as to one part to accompany certain Tawny Ports and some Late-Bottled Ports, can be a thing for which the British Navy ought to fire a salute on the principle on which Colonel Brisson made his regiment salute when passing the great Burgundian vineyard. T. Earle Welby, IN "THE DINNER KNELL" Cheshire is not only the most literary cheese in England, but theoldest. It was already manufactured when Caesar conquered Britain, andtradition is that the Romans built the walled city of Chester tocontrol the district where the precious cheese was made. Chester onthe River Dee was a stronghold against the Roman invasion. It came to fame with The Old Cheshire Cheese in Elizabethan times andwaxed great with Samuel Johnson presiding at the Fleet Street Innwhere White Cheshire was served "with radishes or watercress or celerywhen in season, " and Red Cheshire was served toasted or stewed in asort of Welsh Rabbit. (_See_ Chapter 5. ) The Blue variety is called Cheshire-Stilton, and Vyvyan Holland, in_Cheddar Gorge_ suggests that "it was no doubt a cheese of this sort, discovered and filched from the larder of the Queen of Hearts, thataccounted for the contented grin on the face of the Cheshire Cat inAlice in Wonderland. " All very English, as recorded in Victor Meusy's couplet: _Dans le Chester sec et rose A longues dents, l'Anglais mord. _ In the Chester dry and pink The long teeth of the English sink. Edam and Gouda _Edam in Peace and War_ There also coming into the river two Dutchmen, we sent a couple of menon board and brought three Holland cheeses, cost 4d. A piece, excellent cheeses. Pepys' _Diary_, March 2, 1663 Commodore Coe, of the Montevidian Navy, defeated Admiral Brown of the Buenos Ayrean Navy, in a naval battle, when he used Holland cheese for cannon balls. _The Harbinger_ (Vermont), December 11, 1847 The crimson cannon balls of Holland have been heard around the world. Known as "red balls" in England and _katzenkopf, _ "cat's head, " inGermany, they differ from Gouda chiefly in the shape, Gouda beinground but flattish and now chiefly imported as one-pound Baby Goudas. Edam when it is good is very, very good, but when it is bad it ishorrid. Sophisticated ones are sent over already scalloped for theultimate consumer to add port, and there are crocks of Holland cheesepotted with sauterne. Both Edam and Gouda should be well aged todevelop full-bodied quality, two years being the accepted standard forEdam. The best Edams result from a perfect combination of Breed(black-and-white Dutch Friesian) and Feed (the rich pasturage ofFriesland and Noord Holland). The Goudas, shaped like English Derby and Belgian Delft and Leyden, come from South Holland. Some are specially made for the Jewish tradeand called Kosher Gouda. Both Edam and Gouda are eaten at mealtimesthrice daily in Holland. A Dutch breakfast without one or the other onblack bread with butter and black coffee would be unthinkable. They'realso boon companions to plum bread and Dutch cocoa. "Eclair Edams" are those with soft insides. Emmentaler, Gruyère and Swiss When the working woman Takes her midday lunch, It is a piece of Gruyère Which for her takes the place of roast. Victor Meusy Whether an Emmentaler is eminently Schweizerkäse, grand Gruyère fromFrance, or lesser Swiss of the United States, the shape, size andglisten of the eyes indicate the stage of ripeness, skill of makingand quality of flavor. They must be uniform, roundish, about the sizeof a big cherry and, most important of all, must glisten like the eyeof a lass in love, dry but with the suggestion of a tear. Gruyère does not see eye to eye with the big-holed Swiss Saanencartwheel or American imitation. It has tiny holes, and many of them;let us say it is freckled with pinholes, rather than pock-marked. Thisvariety is technically called a _niszler_, while one without any holesat all is "blind. " Eyes or holes are also called vesicles. Gruyère Trauben (Grape Gruyère) is aged in Neuchâtel wine inSwitzerland, although most Gruyère has been made in France since itsintroduction there in 1722. The most famous is made in the Jura, andanother is called Comté from its origin in Franche-Comté. A blind Emmentaler was made in Switzerland for export to Italy whereit was hardened in caves to become a grating cheese called Raper, andnow it is largely imitated there. Emmentaler, in fact, because of itspiquant pecan-nut flavor and inimitable quality, is simulatedeverywhere, even in Switzerland. Besides phonies from Argentina and countries as far off as Finland, weget a flood of imported and domestic Swisses of all sad sorts, withall possible faults--from too many holes, that make a flabby, wobblycheese, to too few--cracked, dried-up, collapsed or utterly ruined bymolding inside. So it will pay you to buy only the kind already markedgenuine in Switzerland. For there cheese such as Saanen takes sixyears to ripen, improves with age, and keeps forever. Cartwheels well over a hundred years old are still kept in cheesecellars (as common in Switzerland as wine cellars are in France), andit is said that the rank of a family is determined by the age andquality of the cheese in its larder. Feta and Casere The Greeks have a name for it--Feta. Their neighbors call it Greekcheese. Feta is to cheese what Hymettus is to honey. The two togethermake ambrosial manna. Feta is soft and as blinding white as a plate offresh Ricotta smothered with sour cream. The whiteness is preserved byshipping the cheese all the way from Greece in kegs sloshing full ofmilk, the milk being renewed from time to time. Having been cured inbrine, this great sheep-milk curd is slightly salty and somewhatsharp, but superbly spicy. When first we tasted it fresh from the keg with salty milk drippingthrough our fingers, we gave it full marks. This was at the StaikosBrothers Greek-import store on West 23rd Street in Manhattan. We thencompared Feta with thin wisps of its grown-up brother, Casere. Thisgray and greasy, hard and brittle palate-tickler of sheep's milk madeus bleat for more Feta. Gorgonzola Gorgonzola, least pretentious of the Blues triumvirate (includingRoquefort and Stilton) is nonetheless by common consent monarch of allother Blues from Argentina to Denmark. In England, indeed, manyepicures consider Gorgonzola greater than Stilton, which is thehighest praise any cheese can get there. Like all great cheeses ithas been widely imitated, but never equaled. Imported Gorgonzola, whenfruity ripe, is still firm but creamy and golden inside with richgreen veins running through. Very pungent and highly flavored, it iseaten sliced or crumbled to flavor salad dressings, like Roquefort. Hablé Crème Chantilly The name Hablé Crème Chantilly sounds French, but the cheese isSwedish and actually lives up to the blurb in the imported package:"The overall characteristic is indescribable and delightfulfreshness. " This exclusive product of the Walk Gärd Creamery was hailed by SheilaHibben in _The New Yorker_ of May 6, 1950, as enthusiastically asBrillat-Savarin would have greeted a new dish, or the Planetarium anew star: Endeavoring to be as restrained as I can, I shall merely suggest that the arrival of Crème Chantilly is a historic event and that in reporting on it I feel something of the responsibility that the contemporaries of Madame Harel, the famous cheese-making lady of Normandy, must have felt when they were passing judgment on the first Camembert. Miss Hibben goes on to say that only a fromage à la crème made inQuebec had come anywhere near her impression of the new Swedishtriumph. She quotes the last word from the makers themselves: "This isa very special product that has never been made on this earth before, "and speaks of "the elusive flavor of mushrooms" before summing up, "the exquisitely textured curd and the unexpectedly fresh flavorcombine to make it one of the most subtly enjoyable foods that havecome my way in a long time. " And so say we--all of us. Hand Cheese Hand cheese has this niche in our Cheese Hall of Fame not because weconsider it great, but because it is usually included among theeighteen varieties on which the hundreds of others are based. It isnamed from having been molded into its final shape by hand. Universally popular with Germanic races, it is too strong for theothers. To our mind, Hand cheese never had anything that Allgäuer orLimburger hasn't improved upon. It is the only cheese that is commonly melted into steins of beer anddrunk instead of eaten. It is usually studded with caraway seeds, themost natural spice for curds. Limburger Limburger has always been popular in America, ever since it wasbrought over by German-American immigrants; but England never took toit. This is eloquently expressed in the following entry in the English_Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery_: Limburger cheese is chiefly famous for its pungently offensive odor. It is made from skimmed milk, and allowed to partially decompose before pressing. It is very little known in this country, and might be less so with advantage to consumers. But this is libel. Butter-soft and sapid, Limburger has broughtgustatory pleasure to millions of hardy gastronomes since it came tolight in the province of Lüttich in Belgium. It has been Americanizedfor almost a century and is by now one of the very few cheesessuccessfully imitated here, chiefly in New York and Wisconsin. Early Wisconsiners will never forget the Limburger Rebellion in GreenCounty, when the people rose in protest against the Limburger caravanthat was accustomed to park in the little town of Monroe where it wasmarketed. They threatened to stage a modern Boston Tea Party and dumpthe odoriferous bricks in the river, when five or six wagonloads wereleft ripening in the sun in front of the town bank. The Limburger wasfinally stored safely underground. Livarot Livarot has been described as decadent, "The very Verlaine of themall, " and Victor Meusy personifies it in a poem dedicated to all thegreat French cheeses, of which we give a free translation: In the dog days In its overflowing dish Livarot gesticulates Or weeps like a child. Münster At the diplomatic banquet One must choose his piece. All is politics, A cheese and a flag. You annoy the Russians If you take Chester; You irritate the Prussians In choosing Münster. Victor Meusy Like Limburger, this male cheese, often caraway-flavored, does notfare well in England. Although over here we consider Münster farmilder than Limburger, the English writer Eric Weir in _When MadameCooks_ will have none of it: I cannot think why this cheese was not thrown from the aeroplanesduring the war to spread panic amongst enemy troops. It would haveproved far more efficacious than those nasty deadly gases that killpeople permanently. Neufchâtel If the cream cheese be white Far fairer the hands that made them. Arthur Hugh Clough Although originally from Normandy, Neufchâtel, like Limburger, was solong ago welcomed to America and made so splendidly at home here thatwe may consider it our very own. All we have against it is that it hasserved as the model for too many processed abominations. Parmesan, Romano, Pecorino, Pecorino Romano Parmesan when young, soft and slightly crumbly is eaten on bread. Butwhen well aged, let us say up to a century, it becomes Rock ofGibraltar of cheeses and really suited for grating. It is easy tobelieve that the so-called "Spanish cheese" used as a barricade byAmericans in Nicaragua almost a century ago was none other than thealmost indestructible Grana, as Parmesan is called in Italy. The association between cheese and battling began in B. C. Days withthe Jews and Romans, who fed cheese to their soldiers not only for itsenergy value but as a convenient form of rations, since every armytravels on its stomach and can't go faster than its impedimenta. Thelast notable mention of cheese in war was the name of the _Monitor_:"A cheese box on a raft. " Romano is not as expensive as Parmesan, although it is as friable, sharp and tangy for flavoring, especially for soups such as onion andminestrone. It is brittle and just off-white when well aged. Although made of sheep's milk, Pecorino is classed with both Parmesanand Romano. All three are excellently imitated in Argentina. Romanoand Pecorino Romano are interchangeable names for the strong, medium-sharp and piquant Parmesan types that sell for considerablyless. Most of it is now shipped from Sardinia. There are severaldifferent kinds: Pecorino Dolce (sweet), Sardo Tuscano, and PecorinoRomano Cacio, which relates it to Caciocavallo. Kibitzers complain that some of the cheaper types of Pecorino aresoapy, but fans give it high praise. Gillian F. , in her "Letter fromItaly" in Osbert Burdett's delectable _Little Book of Cheese_, writes: Out in the orchard, my companion, I don't remember how, had provided the miracle: a flask of wine, a loaf of bread and a slab of fresh Pecorino cheese (there wasn't any "thou" for either) ... But that cheese was Paradise; and the flask was emptied, and a wood dove cooing made you think that the flask's contents were in a crystal goblet instead of an enamel cup ... One only ... And the cheese broken with the fingers ... A cheese of cheeses. Pont L'Evêque This semisoft, medium-strong, golden-tinted French classic made sincethe thirteenth century, is definitely a dessert cheese whoseexcellence is brought out best by a sound claret or tawny port. Port-Salut (_See_ Trappist) Provolone Within recent years Provolone has taken America by storm, asCamembert, Roquefort, Swiss, Limburger, Neufchâtel and such greatones did long before. But it has not been successfully imitated herebecause the original is made of rich water-buffalo milk unattainablein the Americas. With Caciocavallo, this mellow, smoky flavorsome delight is put up inall sorts of artistic forms, red-cellophaned apples, pears, bells, aregular zoo of animals, and in all sorts of sizes, up to a monumentalhundred-pound bas-relief imported for exhibition purposes by PhilAlpert. Roquefort Homage to this _fromage!_ Long hailed as _le roi_ Roquefort, it hasfilled books and booklets beyond count. By the miracle of _PenicilliumRoqueforti_ a new cheese was made. It is placed historically backaround the eighth century when Charlemagne was found picking out thegreen spots of Persillé with the point of his knife, thinking themdecay. But the monks of Saint-Gall, who were his hosts, recorded intheir annals that when they regaled him with Roquefort (because it wasFriday and they had no fish) they also made bold to tell him he waswasting the best part of the cheese. So he tasted again, found theadvice excellent and liked it so well he ordered two _caisses_ of itsent every year to his palace at Aix-la-Chapelle. He also suggestedthat it be cut in half first, to make sure it was well veined withblue, and then bound up with a wooden fastening. Perhaps he hoped the wood would protect the cheeses from mice andrats, for the good monks of Saint-Gall couldn't be expected to send anescort of cats from their chalky caves to guard them--even forCharlemagne. There is no telling how many cats were mustered out inthe caves, in those early days, but a recent census put the number atfive hundred. We can readily imagine the head handler in the cavesleading a night inspection with a candle, followed by his chief tasterand a regiment of cats. While the Dutch and other makers of cheesealso employ cats to patrol their storage caves, Roquefort holds therecord for number. An interesting point in this connection is that asrats and mice pick only the prime cheeses, a gnawed one is not thrownaway but greatly prized. Sapsago, Schabziger or Swiss Green Cheese The name Sapsago is a corruption of Schabziger, German for wheycheese. It's a hay cheese, flavored heavily with melilot, a kind ofclover that's also grown for hay. It comes from Switzerland in a hard, truncated cone wrapped in a piece of paper that says: To be used grated only Genuine Swiss Green Cheese Made of skimmed milk and herbs To the housewives! Do you want a change in your meals? Try the contents of this wrapper! Delicious as spreading mixed with butter, excellent for flavoring eggs, macaroni, spaghetti, potatoes, soup, etc. Can be used in place of any other cheese. _Do not take too much, you might spoil the flavor_. We put this wrapper among our papers, sealed it tight in an envelope, and to this day, six months later, the scent of Sapsago clings 'roundit still. Stilton _Honor for Cheeses_ Literary and munching circles in London are putting quite a lot of thought into a proposed memorial to Stilton cheese. There is a Stilton Memorial Committee, with Sir John Squire at the head, and already the boys are fighting. One side, led by Sir John, is all for a monument. This, presumably, would not be a replica of Stilton itself, although Mr. Epstein could probably hack out a pretty effective cheese-shaped figure and call it "Dolorosa. " The monument-boosters plan a figure of Mrs. Paulet, who first introduced Stilton to England. (Possibly a group showing Mrs. Paulet holding a young Stilton by the hand and introducing it, while the Stilton curtsies. ) T. S. Eliot does not think that anyone would look at a monument, but wants to establish a Foundation for the Preservation of Ancient Cheeses. The practicability of this plan would depend largely on the site selected for the treasure house and the cost of obtaining a curator who could, or would, give his whole time to the work. Mr. J. A. Symonds, who is secretary of the committee, agrees with Mr. Eliot that a simple statue is not the best form. "I should like, " he says, "something irrelevant--gargoyles, perhaps. " I think that Mr. Symonds has hit on something there. I would suggest, if we Americans can pitch into this great movement, some gargoyles designed by Mr. Rube Goldberg. If the memorial could be devised so as to take on an international scope, an exchange fellowship might be established between England and America, although the exchange, in the case of Stilton, would have to be all on England's side. We might be allowed to furnish the money, however, while England furnishes the cheese. There is a very good precedent for such a bargain between the two countries. Robert Benchley, in _After 1903--What?_ When all seems lost in England there is still Stilton, an endlessafter-dinner conversation piece to which England points with pride. For a sound appreciation of this cheese see Clifton Fadiman'sintroduction to this book. Taleggio and Bel Paese When the great Italian cheese-maker, Galbini, first exported Bel Paesesome years ago, it was an eloquent ambassador to America. But as theyears went on and imitations were made in many lands, Galbini deemedit wise to set up his own factory in _our_ beautiful country. However, the domestic Bel Paese and a minute one-pounder called Bel Paesinojust didn't have that old Alpine zest. They were no better than theGerman copy called Schönland, after the original, or the French Fleurdes Alpes. Mel Fino was a blend of Bel Paese and Gorgonzola. It perked up themarket for a full, fruity cheese with snap. Then Galbini hit thejackpot with his Taleggio that fills the need for the sharpest, mostsophisticated pungence of them all. Trappist, Port-Salut, or Port du Salut, and Oka In spite of its name Trappist is no rat-trap commoner. Always of theelect, and better known as Port-Salut or Port du Salut from theoriginal home of the Trappist monks in their chief French abbey, it isalso set apart from the ordinary Canadians under the name of Oka, fromthe Trappist monastery there. It is made by Trappist monks all overthe world, according to the original secret formula, and by TrappistCistercian monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani Trappist in Kentucky. This is a soft cheese, creamy and of superb flavor. You can't go wrongif you look for the monastery name stamped on, such as Harzé inBelgium, Mont-des-Cats in Flanders, Sainte Anne d'Auray in Brittany, and so forth. Last but not least, a commercial Port-Salut entirely without benefitof clergy or monastery is made in Milwaukee under the Lion Brand. Itis one of the finest American cheeses in which we have ever sunk afang. [Illustration] _Chapter Four_ Native Americans American Cheddars The first American Cheddar was made soon after 1620 around Plymouth byPilgrim fathers who brought along not only cheese from the homelandbut a live cow to continue the supply. Proof of our ability tomanufacture Cheddar of our own lies in the fact that by 1790 we wereexporting it back to England. It was called Cheddar after the English original named for the villageof Cheddar near Bristol. More than a century ago it made a new namefor itself, Herkimer County cheese, from the section of New York Statewhere it was first made best. Herkimer still equals its severaldistinguished competitors, Coon, Colorado Blackie, California Jack, Pineapple, Sage, Vermont Colby and Wisconsin Longhorn. The English called our imitation Yankee, or American, Cheddar, whilehere at home it was popularly known as yellow or store cheese from itsprominent position in every country store; also apple-pie cheesebecause of its affinity for the all-American dessert. The first Cheddar factory was founded by Jesse Williams in Rome, NewYork, just over a century ago and, with Herkimer County Cheddaralready widely known, this established "New York" as the preferred"store-boughten" cheese. An account of New York's cheese business in the pioneer Wooden NutmegEra is found in Ernest Elmo Calkins' interesting book, _They Broke thePrairies_. A Yankee named Silvanus Ferris, "the most successfuldairyman of Herkimer County, " in the first decades of the 1800'steamed up with Robert Nesbit, "the old Quaker Cheese Buyer. " Theybought from farmers in the region and sold in New York City. And"according to the business ethics of the times, " Nesbit went ahead tocheapen the cheese offered by deprecating its quality, hinting at abad market and departing without buying. Later when Ferris arrived ina more optimistic mood, offering a slightly better price, the seller, unaware they were partners, and ignorant of the market price, snappedup the offer. Similar sharp-trade tactics put too much green cheese on the market, so those honestly aged from a minimum of eight months up to two yearsfetched higher prices. They were called "old, " such as Old Herkimer, Old Wisconsin Longhorn, and Old California Jack. Although the established Cheddar ages are three, fresh, medium-cured, and cured or aged, commercially they are divided into two anddescribed as mild and sharp. The most popular are named for theirstates: Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Vermont andWisconsin. Two New York Staters are called and named separately, Coonand Herkimer County. Tillamook goes by its own name with no mention ofOregon. Pineapple, Monterey Jack and Sage are seldom listed asCheddars at all, although they are basically that. Brick Brick is the one and only cheese for which the whole world givesAmerica credit. Runners-up are Liederkranz, which rivals say is tooclose to Limburger, and Pineapple, which is only a Cheddar under itscrisscrossed, painted and flavored rind. Yet Brick is no moredistinguished than either of the hundred percent Americans, and in ouropinion is less worth bragging about. It is a medium-firm, mild-to-strong slicing cheese for sandwiches andmelting in hot dishes. Its texture is elastic but not rubbery, itstaste sweetish, and it is full of little round holes or eyes. All thishas inspired enthusiasts to liken it to Emmentaler. The mostappropriate name for it has long been "married man's Limburger. " Tomake up for the mildness caraway seed is sometimes added. About Civil War time, John Jossi, a dairyman of Dodge County, Wisconsin, came up with this novelty, a rennet cheese made of wholecow's milk. The curd is cut like Cheddar, heated, stirred and cookedfirm to put in a brick-shaped box without a bottom and with slits inthe sides to drain. When this is set on the draining table a couple ofbricks are also laid on the cooked curd for pressure. It is thisdouble use of bricks, for shaping and for pressing, that has led tothe confusion about which came first in originating the name. The formed "bricks" of cheese are rubbed with salt for three days andthey ripen slowly, taking up to two months. We eat several million pounds a year and 95 percent of that comes fromWisconsin, with a trickle from New York. Colorado Blackie Cheese A subtly different American Cheddar is putting Colorado on our cheesemap. It is called Blackie from the black-waxed rind and it resemblesVermont State cheese, although it is flatter. This is a proud newAmerican product, proving that although Papa Cheddar was born inEngland his American kinfolk have developed independent and valuablecharacters all on their own. Coon Cheese Coon cheese is full of flavor from being aged on shelves at a highertemperature than cold storage. Its rind is darker from the growth ofmold and this shade is sometimes painted on more ordinary Cheddars tomake them look like Coon, which always brings a 10 percent premiumabove the general run. Made at Lowville, New York, it has received high praise from a host ofadmirers, among them the French cook, Clementine, in Phineas Beck's_Kitchen_, who raised it to the par of French immortals by calling itFromage de Coon. Clementine used it "with scintillating success incountless French recipes which ended with the words _gratiner au fouret servir tres chaud_. She made _baguettes_ of it by soaking sticksthree-eights-inch square and one and a half inches long in lukewarmmilk, rolling them in flour, beaten egg and bread crumbs and browningthem instantaneously in boiling oil. " Herkimer County Cheese The standard method for making American Cheddar was established inHerkimer County, New York, in 1841 and has been rigidly maintaineddown to this day. Made with rennet and a bacterial "starter, " the curdis cut and pressed to squeeze out all of the whey and then aged incylindrical forms for a year or more. Herkimer leads the whole breed by being flaky, brittle, sharp andnutty, with a crumb that will crumble, and a soft, mouth-watering paleorange color when it is properly aged. Isigny Isigny is a native American cheese that came a cropper. It seems to beextinct now, and perhaps that is all to the good, for it never meantto be anything more than another Camembert, of which we have plenty ofimitation. Not long after the Civil War the attempt was made to perfect Isigny. The curd was carefully prepared according to an original formula, washed and rubbed and set aside to come of age. But when it did, alas, it was more like Limburger than Camembert, and since good domesticLimburger was then a dime a pound, obviously it wouldn't pay off. Yetin shape the newborn resembled Camembert, although it was much larger. So they cut it down and named it after the delicate French Cremed'lsigny. Jack, California Jack and Monterey Jack Jack was first known as Monterey cheese from the California countywhere it originated. Then it was called Jack for short, and only nowtakes its full name after sixty years of popularity on the West Coast. Because it is little known in the East and has to be shipped so far, it commands the top Cheddar price. Monterey Jack is a stirred curd Cheddar without any annatto coloring. It is sweeter than most and milder when young, but it gets sharperwith age and more expensive because of storage costs. Liederkranz No native American cheese has been so widely ballyhooed, and sodeservedly, as Liederkranz, which translates "Wreath of Song. " Back in the gay, inventive nineties, Emil Frey, a young delicatessenkeeper in New York, tried to please some bereft customers by making animitation of Bismarck Schlosskäse. This was imperative because theimported German cheese didn't stand up during the long sea trip andEmil's customers, mostly members of the famous Liederkranz singingsociety, didn't feel like singing without it. But Emil's attempts atimitation only added indigestion to their dejection, until oneday--_fabelhaft!_ One of those cheese dream castles in Spain cametrue. He turned out a tawny, altogether golden, tangy and mellowlittle marvel that actually was an improvement on Bismarck's oldSchlosskäse. Better than Brick, it was a deodorized Limburger, both aman's cheese and one that cheese-conscious women adored. Emil named it "Wreath of Song" for the Liederkranz customers. It soonbecame as internationally known as tabasco from Texas or ParisianCamembert which it slightly resembles. Borden's bought out Frey in1929 and they enjoy telling the story of a G. I. Who, to celebrate V-EDay in Paris, sent to his family in Indiana, only a few miles from thefactory at Van Wert, Ohio, a whole case of what he had learned was"the finest cheese France could make. " And when the family opened it, there was Liederkranz. Another deserved distinction is that of being sandwiched in betweentwo foreign immortals in the following recipe: Schnitzelbank Pot 1 ripe Camembert cheese1 Liederkranz1/8 pound imported Roquefort1/4 pound butter1 tablespoon flour1 cup cream1/2 cup finely chopped olives1/4 cup canned pimientoA sprinkling of cayenne Depending on whether or not you like the edible rind of Camembert and Liederkranz, you can leave it on, scrape any thick part off, or remove it all. Mash the soft creams together with the Roquefort, butter and flour, using a silver fork. Put the mix into an enameled pan, for anything with a metal surface will turn the cheese black in cooking. Stir in the cream and keep stirring until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Strain through sieve or cheesecloth, and mix in the olives and pimiento thoroughly. Sprinkle well with cayenne and put into a pot to mellow for a few days, or much longer. The name _Schnitzelbank_ comes from "school bench, " a game. Thissnappy-sweet pot is specially suited to a beer party and stein songs. It is also the affinity-spread with rye and pumpernickel, and may beserved in small sandwiches or on crackers, celery and such, to makeappetizing tidbits for cocktails, tea, or cider. Like the trinity of cheeses that make it, the mixture is eaten best atroom temperature, when its flavor is fullest. If kept in therefrigerator, it should be taken out a couple of hours before serving. Since it is a natural cheese mixture, which has gone through noprocess or doping with preservative, it will not keep more than twoweeks. This mellow-sharp mix is the sort of ideal the factoryprocessors shoot at with their olive-pimiento abominations. Onceyou've potted your own, you'll find it gives the same thrill asgarnishing your own Liptauer. Minnesota Blue The discovery of sandstone caves in the bluffs along the Mississippi, in and near the Twin Cities of Minnesota, has established adistinctive type of Blue cheese named for the state. Although theRoquefort process of France is followed and the cheese is inoculatedin the same way by mold from bread, it can never equal the genuineimported, marked with its red-sheep brand, because the milk used inMinnesota Blue is cow's milk, and the caves are sandstone instead oflimestone. Yet this is an excellent, Blue cheese in its own right. Pineapple Pineapple cheese is named after its shape rather than its flavor, although there are rumors that some pineapple flavor is noticeablenear the oiled rind. This flavor does not penetrate through to theCheddar center. Many makers of processed cheese have tampered with theoriginal, so today you can't be sure of anything except getting asmaller size every year or two, at a higher price. Originally sixpounds, the Pineapple has shrunk to nearly six ounces. The properbright-orange, oiled and shellacked surface is more apt to be a sicklylemon. Always an ornamental cheese, it once stood in state on the side-boardunder a silver bell also made to represent a pineapple. You cut a topslice off the cheese, just as you would off the fruit, and there was arose-colored, fine-tasting, mellow-hard cheese to spoon out with aspecial silver cheese spoon or scoop. Between meals the silver top wasput on the silver holder and the oiled and shellacked rind kept thecheese moist. Even when the Pineapple was eaten down to the rind theshell served as a dunking bowl to fill with some salubrious coldFondue or salad. Made in the same manner as Cheddar with the curd cooked harder, Pineapple's distinction lies in being hung in a net that makesdiamond-shaped corrugations on the surface, simulating the sections ofthe fruit. It is a pioneer American product with almost a century anda half of service since Lewis M. Norton conceived it in 1808 inLitchfield County, Connecticut. There in 1845 he built a factory andmade a deserved fortune out of his decorative ingenuity with whatbefore had been plain, unromantic yellow or store cheese. Perhaps his inspiration came from cone-shaped Cheshire in old England, also called Pineapple cheese, combined with the hanging up ofProvolones in Italy that leaves the looser pattern of the foursustaining strings. Sage, Vermont Sage and Vermont State The story of Sage cheese, or green cheese as it was called originally, shows the several phases most cheeses have gone through, from theirsimple, honest beginnings to commercialization, and sometimes back tothe real thing. The English _Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery_ has an early Sagerecipe: This is a species of cream cheese made by adding sage leaves and greening to the milk. A very good receipt for it is given thus: Bruise the tops of fresh young red sage leaves with an equal quantity of spinach leaves and squeeze out the juice. Add this to the extract of rennet and stir into the milk as much as your taste may deem sufficient. Break the curd when it comes, salt it, fill the vat high with it, press for a few hours, and then turn the cheese every day. _Fancy Cheese in America, lay_ Charles A. Publow, records thecommercialization of the cheese mentioned above, a century or twolater, in 1910: Sage cheese is another modified form of the Cheddar variety. Its distinguishing features are a mottled green color and a sage flavor. The usual method of manufacture is as follows: One-third of the total amount of milk is placed in a vat by itself and colored green by the addition of eight to twelve ounces of commercial sage color to each 1, 000 pounds of milk. If green corn leaves (unavailable in England) or other substances are used for coloring, the amounts will vary accordingly. The milk is then made up by the regular Cheddar method, as is also the remaining two-thirds, in a separate vat. At the time of removing the whey the green and white curds are mixed. Some prefer, however, to mix the curds at the time of milling, as a more distinct color is secured. After milling, the sage extract flavoring is sprayed over the curd with an atomizer. The curd is then salted and pressed into the regular Cheddar shapes and sizes. A very satisfactory Sage cheese is made at the New York State College of Agriculture by simply dropping green coloring, made from the leaves of corn and spinach, upon the curd, after milling. An even green mottling is thus easily secured without additional labor. Sage flavoring extract is sprayed over the curd by an atomizer. One-half ounce of flavoring is usually sufficient for a hundred pounds of curd and can be secured from dairy supply houses. A modern cheese authority reported on the current (1953) method: Instead of sage leaves, or tea prepared from them, at present the cheese is flavored with oil of Dalmatian wild sage because it has the sharpest flavor. This piny oil, thujone, is diluted with water, 250 parts to one, and either added to the milk or sprayed over the curds, one-eighth ounce for 500 quarts of milk. In scouting around for a possible maker of the real thing today, wewrote to Vrest Orton of Vermont, and got this reply: Sage cheese is one of the really indigenous and best native Vermont products. So far as I know, there is only one factory making it and that is my friend, George Crowley's. He makes a limited amount for my Vermont Country Store. It is the fine old-time full cream cheese, flavored with real sage. On this hangs a tale. Some years ago I couldn't get enough sage cheese (we never can) so I asked a Wisconsin cheesemaker if he would make some. Said he would but couldn't at that time--because the alfalfa wasn't ripe. I said, "What in hell has alfalfa got to do with sage cheese?" He said, "Well, we flavor the sage cheese with a synthetic sage flavor and then throw in some pieces of chopped-up alfalfa to make it look green. " So I said to hell with that and the next time I saw George Crowley I told him the story and George said, "We don't use synthetic flavor, alfalfa or anything like that. " "Then what do you use, George?" I inquired. "We use real sage. " "Why?" "Well, because it's cheaper than that synthetic stuff. " The genuine Vermont Sage arrived. Here are our notes on it: Oh, wilderness were Paradise enow! My taste buds come to full flower with the Sage. There's a slight burned savor recalling smoked cheese, although not related in any way. Mildly resinous like that Near East one packed in pine, suggesting the well-saged dressing of a turkey. A round mouthful of luscious mellowness, with a bouquet--a snapping reminder to the nose. And there's just a soupçon of new-mown hay above the green freckles of herb to delight the eye and set the fancy free. So this is the _véritable vert_, green cheese--the moon is made of it! _Vert véritable. _ A general favorite with everybody who ever tasted it, for generations of lusty crumblers. Old-Fashioned Vermont State Store Cheese We received from savant Vrest Orton another letter, together with someVermont store cheese and some crackers. This cheese is our regular old-fashioned store cheese--it's been in old country stores for generations and we have been pioneers in spreading the word about it. It is, of course, a natural aged cheese, no processing, no fussing, no fooling with it. It's made the same way it was back in 1870, by the old-time Colby method which makes a cheese which is not so dry as Cheddar and also has holes in it, something like Swiss. Also, it ages faster. Did you know that during the last part of the nineteenth century and part of the twentieth, Vermont was the leading cheesemaking state in the Union? When I was a lad, every town in Vermont had one or more cheese factories. Now there are only two left--not counting any that make process. Process isn't cheese! The crackers are the old-time store cracker--every Vermonter used to buy a big barrel once a year to set in the buttery and eat. A classic dish is crackers, broken up in a bowl of cold milk, with a hunk of Vermont cheese like this on the side. Grand snack, grand midnight supper, grand anything. These crackers are not sweet, not salt, and as such make a good base for anything--swell with clam chowder, also with toasted cheese.... Tillamook It takes two pocket-sized, but thick, yellow volumes to record thestory of Oregon's great Tillamook. _The Cheddar Box_, by Dean Collins, comes neatly boxed and bound in golden cloth stamped with a purpletitle, like the rind of a real Tillamook. Volume I is entitled _CheeseCheddar_, and Volume II is a two-pound Cheddar cheese labeledTillamook and molded to fit inside its book jacket. We borrowed VolumeI from a noted _littérateur_, and never could get him to come acrosswith Volume II. We guessed its fate, however, from a note on theflyleaf of the only tome available: "This is an excellent cheese, fullcream and medium sharp, and a unique set of books in which Volume IIsuggests Bacon's: 'Some books are to be tasted, others to beswallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. '" Wisconsin Longhorn Since we began this chapter with all-American Cheddars, it is onlyfitting to end with Wisconsin Longhorn, a sort of national standard, even though it's not nearly so fancy or high-priced as some of theregional natives that can't approach its enormous output. It's one ofthose all-purpose round cheeses that even taste round in your mouth. We are specially partial to it. Most Cheddars are named after their states. Yet, putting all of thesethirty-seven states together, they produce only about half as much asWisconsin alone. Besides Longhorn, in Wisconsin there are a dozen regional competitorsranging from White Twin Cheddar, to which no annatto coloring has beenadded, through Green Bay cheese to Wisconsin Redskin and MarthaWashington Aged, proudly set forth by P. H. Kasper of Bear Creek, whois said to have "won more prizes in forty years than any tencheesemakers put together. " To help guarantee a market for all this excellent apple-pie cheese, the Wisconsin State Legislature made a law about it, recognizing thetruth of Eugene Field's jingle: Apple pie without cheese Is like a kiss without a squeeze. Small matter in the Badger State when the affinity is made legal andthe couple lawfully wedded in Statute No. 160, 065. It's still inforce: _Butter and cheese to be served. _ Every person, firm or corporation duly licensed to operate a hotel or restaurant shall serve with each meal for which a charge of twenty-five cents or more is made, at least two-thirds of an ounce of Wisconsin butter and two-thirds of an ounce of Wisconsin cheese. Besides Longhorn, Wisconsin leads in Limburger. It produces so muchSwiss that the state is sometimes called Swissconsin. [Illustration] _Chapter Five_ Sixty-five Sizzling Rabbits That nice little smoky room at the "Salutation, " which is even now continually presenting itself to my recollection, with all its associated train of pipes, egg-hot, welsh-rabbits, metaphysics and poetry. Charles Lamb, IN A LETTER TO COLERIDGE Unlike the beginning of the classical Jugged Hare recipe: "First catchyour hare!" we modern Rabbit-hunters start off with "First catch yourCheddar!" And some of us go so far as to smuggle in formerly forbidden_fromages_ such as Gruyère, Neufchâtel, Parmesan, and mixturesthereof. We run the gamut of personal preferences in selecting theRabbit cheese itself, from old-time American, yellow or store cheese, to Coon and Canadian-smoked, though all of it is still Cheddar, nomatter how you slice it. Then, too, guests are made to run the gauntlet of all-Americantrimmings from pin-money pickles to peanut butter, succotash and maybemarshmallows; we add mustard, chill, curry, tabasco and sundry bottledred devils from the grocery store, to add pep and piquance to thetraditional cayenne and black pepper. This results in Rabbits that areout of focus, out of order and out of this world. Among modern sins of omission, the Worcestershire sauce is left out bybraggarts who aver that they can take it or leave it. And, in thesedegenerate days, when it comes to substitutions for the original beeror stale pale ale, we find the gratings of great Cheddars wet downwith mere California sherry or even ginger ale--yet so far, thankgoodness, no Cokes. And there's tomato juice out of a can into the RumTurn Tiddy, and sometimes celery soup in place of milk or cream. In view of all this, we can only look to the standard cookbooks forsalvation. These are mostly compiled by women, our thoughtful mothers, wives and sweethearts who have saved the twin Basic Rabbits for us. Ifit weren't for these Fanny Farmers, the making of a real aboriginalWelsh Rabbit would be a lost art--lost in sporting male attempts toimprove upon the original. The girls are still polite about the whole thing and protectivelypervert the original spelling of "Rabbit" to "Rarebit" in theirculinary guides. We have heard that once a club of ladies in highsociety tried to high-pressure the publishers of Mr. Webster'sdictionary to change the old spelling in their favor. Yet there is alot to be said for this more genteel and appetizing rendering of theword, for the Welsh masterpiece is, after all, a very rare bit ofcheesemongery, male or female. Yet in dealing with "Rarebits" the distaff side seldom sets down morethan the basic Adam and Eve in a whole Paradise of Rabbits: No. 1, the wild male type made with beer, and No. 2, the mild female madewith milk. Yet now that the chafing dish has come back to stay, there's a flurry in the Rabbit warren and the new cookingencyclopedias give up to a dozen variants. Actually there are easilyhalf a gross of valid ones in current esteem. The two basic recipes are differentiated by the liquid ingredient, butboth the beer and the milk are used only one way--warm, or anyway atroom temperature. And again for the two, there is but one traditionalcheese--Cheddar, ripe, old or merely aged from six months onward. Thisis also called American, store, sharp, Rabbit, yellow, beer, WisconsinLonghorn, mouse, and even rat. The seasoned, sapid Cheddar-type, so indispensable, includes dozens ofvarieties under different names, regional or commercial. These areeasily identified as sisters-under-the-rinds by all five senses: sight: Golden yellow and mellow to the eye. It's one of those round cheeses that also tastes round in the mouth. hearing: By thumping, a cheese-fancier, like a melon-picker, can tell if a Cheddar is rich, ripe and ready for the Rabbit. When you hear your dealer say, "It's six months old or more, " enough said. smell: A scent as fresh as that of the daisies and herbs the mother milk cow munched "will hang round it still. " Also a slight beery savor. touch: Crumbly--a caress to the fingers. taste: The quintessence of this fivefold test. Just cuddle a crumb with your tongue and if it tickles the taste buds it's prime. When it melts in your mouth, that's proof it will melt in the pan. Beyond all this (and in spite of the school that plumps for the No. 2temperance alternative) we must point out that beer has a specialaffinity for Cheddar. The French have clearly established this intheir names for Welsh Rabbit, _Fromage Fondue à la Bière_ and _Fondueà l'Anglaise_. To prepare such a cheese for the pan, each Rabbit hound may have apreference all his own, for here the question comes up of how it meltsbest. Do you shave, slice, dice, shred, mince, chop, cut, scrape orcrumble it in the fingers? This will vary according to one'stemperament and the condition of the cheese. Generally, for bestresults it is coarsely grated. When it comes to making all this into arare bit of Rabbit there is: The One and Only Method Use a double boiler, or preferably a chafing dish, avoiding aluminumand other soft metals. Heat the upper pan by simmering water in thelower one, but don't let the water boil up or touch the top pan. Most, but not all, Rabbits are begun by heating a bit of butter ormargarine in the pan in which one cup of roughly grated cheese, usually sharp Cheddar, is melted and mixed with one-half cup ofliquid, added gradually. (The butter isn't necessary for a cheese thatshould melt by itself. ) The two principal ingredients are melted smoothly together and keptfrom curdling by stirring steadily in one direction only, over an evenheat. The spoon used should be of hard wood, sterling silver orporcelain. Never use tin, aluminum or soft metal--the taste may comeoff to taint the job. Be sure the liquid is at room temperature, or warmer, and add itgradually, without interrupting the stirring. Do not let it come tothe bubbling point, and never let it boil. Add seasonings only when the cheese is melted, which will take two orthree minutes. Then continue to stir in the same direction without aninstant's letup, for maybe ten minutes or more, until the Rabbit issmooth. The consistency and velvety smoothness depend a good deal onwhether or not an egg, or a beaten yolk, is added. The hotter the Rabbit is served, the better. You can sizzle the topwith a salamander or other branding iron, but in any case set it forthas nearly sizzling as possible, on toast hellishly hot, whether it'sbrowned or buttered on one side or both. Give a thought to the sad case of the "little dog whose name wasRover, and when he was dead he was dead all over. " Something verysimilar happens with a Rabbit that's allowed to cool down--when it'scold it's cold all over, and you can't resuscitate it by heating. BASIC WELSH RABBIT No. 1 (with beer) 2 tablespoons butter3 cups grated old Cheddar1/2 teaspoon English dry mustard1/2 teaspoon saltA dash of cayenne1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with1/2 cup light beer or ale4 slices hot buttered toast Over boiling water melt butter and cheese together, stirring steadily with a wooden (or other tasteless) spoon in one direction only. Add seasonings and do not interrupt your rhythmic stirring, as you pour in a bit at a time of the beer-and-egg mixture until it's all used up. It may take many minutes of constant stirring to achieve the essential creamy thickness and then some more to slick it out as smooth as velvet. Keep it piping hot but don't let it bubble, for a boiled Rabbit is a spoiled Rabbit. Only unremitting stirring (and the best of cheese) will keep it from curdling, getting stringy or rubbery. Pour the Rabbit generously over crisp, freshly buttered toast and serve instantly on hot plates. Usually crusts are cut off the bread before toasting, and someaesthetes toast one side only, spreading the toasted side with coldbutter for taste contrast. Lay the toast on the hot plate, butteredside down, and pour the Rabbit over the porous untoasted side so itcan soak in. (This is recommended in Lady Llanover's recipe, whichappears on page 52 of this book. ) Although the original bread for Rabbit toast was white, there is nowno limit in choice among whole wheat, graham, rolls, muffins, buns, croutons and crackers, to infinity. No. 2 (with milk) For a rich milk Rabbit use 1/2 cup thin cream, evaporated milk, whole milk or buttermilk, instead of beer as in No. 1. Then, tokeep everything bland, cut down the mustard by half or leaveit out, and use paprika in place of cayenne. As in No. 1, theuse of Worcestershire sauce is optional, although our feeling isthat any spirited Rabbit would resent its being left out. Either of these basic recipes can be made without eggs, and morecheaply, although the beaten egg is a guarantee against stringiness. When the egg is missing, we are sad to record that a teaspoon or so ofcornstarch generally takes its place. Rabbiteers are of two minds about fast and slow heating and stirring, so you'll have to adjust that to your own experience and rhythm. As arule, the heat is reduced when the cheese is almost melted, and speedof stirring slows when the eggs and last ingredients go in. Many moderns who have found that monosodium glutamate steps up theflavor of natural cheese, put it in at the start, using one-halfteaspoon for each cup of grated Cheddar. When it comes to pepper youare fancy-free. As both black and white pepper are now held in almostequal esteem, you might equip your hutch with twin hand-mills to dothe grinding fresh, for this is always worth the trouble. Tabascosauce is little used and needs a cautious hand, but some addicts can'tleave it out any more than they can swear off the Worcestershire. The school that plumps for malty Rabbits and the other that goes formilky ones are equally emphatic in their choice. So let us considerthe compromise of our old friend Frederick Philip Stieff, theBaltimore _homme de bouche_, as he set it forth for us years ago in_10, 000 Snacks_: "The idea of cooking a Rabbit with beer is anexploded and dangerous theory. Tap your keg or open your case of aleor beer and serve _with_, not in your Rabbit. " The Stieff Recipe BASIC MILK RABBIT (_completelysurrounded by a lake of malt beverages_) 2 cups grated sharp cheese3 heaping tablespoons butter1-1/2 cups milk4 eggs1 heaping tablespoon mustard2 teaspoons Worcestershire saucePepper, salt and paprika to taste--then add more of each. Grease well with butter the interior of your double boiler so that no hard particles of cheese will form in the mixture later and contribute undesirable lumps. Put cheese, well-grated, into the double boiler and add butter and milk. From this point vigorous stirring should be indulged in until Rabbit is ready for serving. Prepare a mixture of Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, salt and paprika. These should be beaten until light and then slowly poured into the double boiler. Nothing now remains to be done except to stir and cook down to proper consistency over a fairly slow flame. The finale has not arrived until you can drip the rabbit from the spoon and spell the word _finis_ on the surface. Pour over two pieces of toast per plate and send anyone home who does not attack it at once. This is sufficient for six gourmets or four gourmands. _Nota bene_: A Welsh Rabbit, to be a success, should never be of theconsistency whereby it may be used to tie up bundles, nor yet shouldit bounce if inadvertently dropped on the kitchen floor. Lady Llanover's Toasted Welsh Rabbit Cut a slice of the real Welsh cheese made of sheep's and cow's milk; toast it at the fire on both sides, but not so much as to drop (melt). Toast on one side a piece of bread less than 1/4 inch thick, to be quite crisp, and spread it very thinly with fresh, cold butter on the toasted side. (It must not be saturated. ) Lay the toasted cheese upon the untoasted bread side and serve immediately on a very hot plate. The butter on the toast can, of course, be omitted. (It is more frequently eaten without butter. ) From this original toasting of the cheese many Englishmen still callWelsh Rabbit "Toasted Cheese, " but Lady Llanover goes on to point outthat the Toasted Rabbit of her Wales and the Melted or Stewed BuckRabbit of England (which has become our American standard) are asdifferent in the making as the regional cheeses used in them, and shesays that while doctors prescribed the toasted Welsh as salubrious forinvalids, the stewed cheese of Olde England was "only adapted tostrong digestions. " English literature rings with praise for the toasted cheese of Walesand England. There is Christopher North's eloquent "threads ofunbeaten gold, shining like gossamer filaments (that may be pulledfrom its tough and tenacious substance). " Yet not all of the references are complimentary. Thus Shakespeare in _King Lear_: Look, look a mouse! Peace, peace;--this piece of toasted cheese will do it. And Sydney Smith's: Old friendships are destroyed by toasted cheese, and hard salted meat has led to suicide. But Khys Davis in _My Wales_ makes up for such rudenesses: _The Welsh Enter Heaven_ The Lord had been complaining to St. Peter of the dearth of good singers in Heaven. "Yet, " He said testily, "I hear excellent singing outside the walls. Why are not those singers here with me?" St. Peter said, "They are the Welsh. They refuse to come in; they say they are happy enough outside, playing with a ball and boxing and singing such songs as '_Suspan Fach_'" The Lord said, "I wish them to come in here to sing Bach and Mendelssohn. See that they are in before sundown. " St. Peter went to the Welsh and gave them the commands of the Lord. But still they shook their heads. Harassed, St. Peter went to consult with St. David, who, with a smile, was reading the works of Caradoc Evans. St. David said, "Try toasted cheese. Build a fire just inside the gates and get a few angels to toast cheese in front of it" This St. Peter did. The heavenly aroma of the sizzling, browning cheese was wafted over the walls and, with loud shouts, a great concourse of the Welsh came sprinting in. When sufficient were inside to make up a male voice choir of a hundred, St Peter slammed the gates. However, it is said that these are the only Welsh in Heaven. And, lest we forget, the wonderful drink that made Alice grow and growto the ceiling of Wonderland contained not only strawberry jam buttoasted cheese. Then there's the frightening nursery rhyme: The Irishman loved usquebaugh, The Scot loved ale called Bluecap. The Welshman, he loved toasted cheese, And made his mouth like a mousetrap. The Irishman was drowned in usquebaugh, The Scot was drowned in ale, The Welshman he near swallowed a mouse But he pulled it out by the tail. And, perhaps worst of all, Shakespeare, no cheese-lover, this tune in_Merry Wives of Windsor_: 'Tis time I were choked by a bit of toasted cheese. An elaboration of the simple Welsh original went English with Dr. William Maginn, the London journalist whose facile pen enlivened the_Blackwoods Magazine_ era with _Ten Tales_: [Illustration] Dr. Maginn's Rabbit Much is to be said in favor of toasted cheese for supper. It is the cant to say that Welsh rabbit is heavy eating. I like it best in the genuine Welsh way, however--that is, the toasted bread buttered on both sides profusely, then a layer of cold roast beef with mustard and horseradish, and then, on the top of all, the superstratum, of Cheshire _thoroughly_ saturated, while, in the process of toasting, with genuine porter, black pepper, and shallot vinegar. I peril myself upon the assertion that this is not a heavy supper for a man who has been busy all day till dinner in reading, writing, walking or riding--who has occupied himself between dinner and supper in the discussion of a bottle or two of sound wine, or any equivalent--and who proposes to swallow at least three tumblers of something hot ere he resigns himself to the embrace of Somnus. With these provisos, I recommend toasted cheese for supper. The popularity of this has come down to us in the succinctsumming-up, "Toasted cheese hath no master. " The Welsh original became simple after Dr. Maginn's supper sandwichwas served, a century and a half ago; for it was served as a savory tosum up and help digest a dinner, in this form: After-Dinner Rabbit Remove all crusts from bread slices, toast on both sides and soak to saturation in hot beer. Melt thin slices of sharp old cheese in butter in an iron skillet, with an added spot of beer and dry English mustard. Stir steadily with a wooden spoon and, when velvety, serve a-sizzle on piping hot beer-soaked toast. While toasted cheese undoubtedly was the Number One dairy dish ofAnglo-Saxons, stewed cheese came along to rival it in ElizabethanLondon. This sophisticated, big-city dish, also called a Buck Rabbit, was the making of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street, where Dr. Johnson later presided. And it must have been the pick of the townback in the days when barrooms still had sawdust on the floor, for thelearned Doctor endorsed old Omar Khayyam's love of the pub with:"There is nothing which has been contrived by man by which so muchhappiness is produced as by a good tavern. " Yet he was no gourmet, asmay be judged by his likening of a succulent, golden-fried oyster to"a baby's ear dropped in sawdust. " Perhaps it is just as well that no description of the world's firstGolden Buck has come down from him. But we don't have to look far foron-the-spot pen pictures by other men of letters at "The Cheese, " asit was affectionately called. To a man they sang praises for thatpiping hot dish of preserved and beatified milk. Inspired by stewed cheese, Mark Lemon, the leading rhymester of_Punch_, wrote the following poem and dedicated it to the memory ofLovelace: Champagne will not a dinner make, Nor caviar a meal Men gluttonous and rich may take Those till they make them ill If I've potatoes to my chop, And after chop have cheese, Angels in Pond and Spiers's shop Know no such luxuries. All that's necessary is an old-time "cheese stewer" or a reasonablesubstitute. The base of this is what was once quaintly called a"hot-water bath. " This was a sort of miniature wash boiler just bigenough to fit in snugly half a dozen individual tins, made squarishand standing high enough above the bath water to keep any of it fromgetting into the stew. In these tins the cheese is melted. But sincesuch a tinsmith's contraption is hard to come by in these days offireproof cooking glass, we suggest muffin tins, ramekins or evensmall cups to crowd into the bottom of your double boiler or chafingdish. But beyond this we plump for a revival of the "cheese stewer" instainless steel, silver or glass. In the ritual at "The Cheese, " these dishes, brimming over, "bubblingand blistering with the stew, " followed a pudding that's still famous. Although down the centuries the recipe has been kept secret, theidentifiable ingredients have been itemized as follows: "Tender steak, savory oyster, seductive kidney, fascinating lark, rich gravy, ardentpepper and delicate paste"--not to mention mushrooms. And after thesecond or third helping of pudding, with a pint of stout, bitter, orthe mildest and mellowest brown October Ale in a dented pewter pot, "the stewed Cheshire cheese. " Cheese was the one and only other course prescribed by tradition andappetite from the time when Charles II aled and regaled Nell Gwyn at"The Cheese, " where Shakespeare is said to have sampled this "kind ofa glorified Welsh Rarebit, served piping hot in the square shallowtins in which it is cooked and garnished with sippets of delicatelycolored toast. " Among early records is this report of Addison's in _The Spectator_ ofSeptember 25, 1711: They yawn for a Cheshire cheese, and begin about midnight, when the whole company is disposed to be drowsy. He that yawns widest, and at the same time so naturally as to produce the most yawns amongst his spectators, carries home the cheese. Only a short time later, in 1725, the proprietor of Simpson's in theStrand inaugurated a daily guessing contest that drew crowds to hisfashionable eating and drinking place. He would set forth a hugeportion of cheese and wager champagne and cigars for the house that noone present could correctly estimate the weight, height and girth ofit. As late as 1795, when Boswell was accompanying Dr. Johnson to "TheCheese, " records of St. Dunstan's Club, which also met there, showedthat the current price of a Buck Rabbit was tuppence, and that thiswas also the amount of the usual tip. Ye Original Recipe 1-1/2 ounces butter1 cup cream1-1/2 cups grated Cheshire cheese (more pungent, snappier, richer, and more brightly colored than its first cousin, Cheddar) Heat butter and cream together, then stir in the cheese and let it stew. You dunk fingers of toast directly into your individual tin, or pour the Stewed Rabbit over toast and brown the top under a blistering salamander. The salamander is worth modernizing, too, so you can brand your own Rabbits with your monogram or the design of your own Rabbitry. Such a branding iron might be square, like the stew tin, and about the size of a piece of toast It is notable that there is no beer or ale in this recipe, but notlamentable, since all aboriginal cheese toasts were washed down intossing seas of ale, beer, porter, stout, and 'arf and 'arf. This creamy Stewed Buck, on which the literary greats of Johnson'stime supped while they smoked their church wardens, received itshighest praise from an American newspaper woman who rhapsodized in1891: "Then came stewed cheese, on the thin shaving of crisp, goldentoast in hot silver saucers--so hot that the cheese was the substanceof thick cream, the flavor of purple pansies and red raspberriescommingled. " This may seem a bit flowery, but in truth many fine cheeses hold atrace of the bouquet of the flowers that have enriched the milk. Alpine blooms and herbs haunt the Gruyère, Parmesan wafts the scent ofParma violets, the Flower Cheese of England is perfumed with thepetals of rose, violet, marigold and jasmine. Oven Rabbit (FROM AN OLD RECIPE) Chop small 1/2 pound of cooking cheese. Put it, with a piece of butter the size of a walnut, in a little saucepan, and as the butter melts and the cheese gets warm, mash them together, When softened add 2 yolks of eggs, 1/2 teacupful of ale, a little cayenne pepper and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon one way only, until it is creamy, but do not let it boil, for that would spoil it. Place some slices of buttered toast on a dish, pour the Rarebit upon them, and set inside-the oven about 2 minutes before serving. Yorkshire Rabbit _(originally called Gherkin Buck, from a pioneer recipe_) Put into a saucepan 1/2 pound of cheese, sprinkle with pepper (black, of course) to taste, pour over 1/2 teacup of ale, and convert the whole into a smooth, creamy mass, over the fire, stirring continually, for about 10 minutes. In 2 more minutes it should be done. (10 minutes altogether is the minimum. ) Pour it over slices of hot toast, place a piece of broiled bacon on the top of each and serve as hot as possible. Golden Buck A Golden Buck is simply the Basic Welsh Rabbit with beer (No. 1) plus a poached egg on top. The egg, sunny side up, gave it its shining name a couple of centuries ago. Nowadays some chafing dish show-offs try to gild the Golden Buck with dashes of ginger and spice. Golden Buck II This is only a Golden Buck with the addition of bacon strips. The Venerable Yorkshire Buck Spread 1/2-inch slices of bread with mustard and brown in hot oven. Then moisten each slice with 1/2 glass of ale, lay on top a slice of cheese 1/4-inch thick, and 2 slices of bacon on top of that. Put back in oven, cook till cheese is melted and the bacon crisp, and serve piping hot, with tankards of cold ale. Bacon is the thing that identifies any Yorkshire Rabbit. Yale College Welsh Rabbit (MORIARTY'S) 1 jigger of beer1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1/4 teaspoon mustard1-1/2 cups grated or shaved cheeseMore beer Pour the jigger of beer into "a low saucepan, " dash on the seasonings, add the cheese and stir unremittingly, moistening from time to time with more beer, a pony or two at a time. When creamy, pour over buttered toast (2 slices for this amount) and serve with still more beer. There are two schools of postgraduate Rabbit-hunters: Yale, as above, with beer both in the Rabbit and with it; and the other featured inthe Stieff Recipe, which prefers leaving it out of the Rabbit, buttaps a keg to drink with it. The ancient age of Moriarty's campus classic is registered by the useof pioneer black pepper in place of white, which is often used todayand is thought more sophisticated by some than the red cayenne ofRector's Naughty Nineties Chafing Dish Rabbit, which is precisely thesame as our Basic Recipe No. 1. Border-hopping Bunny, or Frijole Rabbit 1-1/2 tablespoons butter1-1/2 tablespoons chopped onion2 tablespoons chopped pepper, green or red, or both1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder1 small can kidney beans, drained1-1/2 tablespoons catsup1/2 teaspoon WorcestershireSalt2 cups grated cheese Cook onion and pepper lightly in butter with chili powder; add kidney beans and seasonings and stir in the cheese until melted. Serve this beany Bunny peppery hot on tortillas or crackers, toasted and buttered. In the whole hutch of kitchen Rabbitry the most popular modern onesare made with tomato, a little or lots. They hop in from everywhere, from Mexico to South Africa, and call for all kinds of quirks, down tomixing in some dried beef, and there is even a skimpy Tomato Rabbitfor reducers, made with farmer cheese and skimmed milk. Although the quaintly named Rum Tum Tiddy was doubtless thegreat-grandpappy of all Tomato Rabbits, a richer, more buttery andmore eggy one has taken its place as the standard today. The followingis a typical recipe for this, tried and true, since it has had asuccessful run through a score of the best modern cookbooks, with onlyslight personal changes to keep its juice a-flowing blood-red. Tomato Rabbit 2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons flour3/4 cup thin cream or evaporated milk3/4 cup canned tomato pulp, rubbed through a sieve to remove seedsA pinch of soda3 cups grated cheesePinches of dry mustard, salt and cayenne2 eggs, lightly beaten Blend flour in melted butter, add cream slowly, and when this white sauce is a little thick, stir in tomato sprinkled with soda. Keep stirring steadily while adding cheese and seasonings, and when cooked enough, stir in the eggs to make a creamy texture, smooth as silk. Serve on buttered whole wheat or graham bread for a change. Instead of soda, some antiquated recipes call for "a tablespoon ofbicarbonate of potash. " South African Tomato Rabbit This is the same as above, except that 1/2 teaspoon of sugar is used in place of the soda and the Rabbit is poured over baked pastry cut into squares and sprinkled with parsley, chopped fine, put in the oven and served immediately. Rum Tum Tiddy, Rink Tum Ditty, etc. (OLD BOSTONSTYLE) 1 tablespoon butter1 onion, minced1 teaspoon salt1 big pinch of pepper2 cups cooked tomatoes1 tablespoon sugar3 cups grated store cheese1 egg, lightly beaten Slowly fry onion bright golden in butter, season and add tomatoes with sugar. Heat just under the bubbling point. Don't let it boil, but keep adding cheese and shaking the pan until it melts. Then stir in egg gently and serve very hot Tomato Soup Rabbit 1 can condensed tomato soup2 cups grated cheese1/4 teaspoon English mustard1 egg, lightly beatenSalt and pepper Heat soup, stir in cheese until melted, add mustard and egg slowly, season and serve hot. This is a quickie Rum Tum Tiddy, without any onion, a poor, housebroken version of the original. It can be called a Celery Rabbitif you use a can of celery soup in place of the tomato. Onion Rum Tum Tiddy Prepare as in Rum Tum Tiddy, but use only 1-1/2 cups cooked tomatoes and add 1/2 cup of mashed boiled onions. Sherry Rum Tum Tiddy 1 tablespoon butter1 small onion, minced1 small green pepper, minced1 can tomato soup3/4 cup milk3 cups grated cheese1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauceSalt and pepper1 egg, lightly beaten1 jigger sherryCrackers Prepare as in Rum Tum Tiddy. Stir in sherry last to retain its flavor. Crumble crackers into a hot tureen until it's about 1/3 full and pour the hot Rum Tum Tiddy over them. Blushing Bunny This is a sister-under-the-skin to the old-fashioned Rum Tum Tiddy, except that her complexion is made a little rosier with a lot of paprika in place of plain pepper, and the paprika cooked in from the start, of course. Blushing Bunny is one of those playful English names for dishes, likePink Poodle, Scotch Woodcock (given below), Bubble and Squeak_(Bubblum Squeakum_), and Toad in the Hole. Scotch Woodcock Another variant of Rum Tum Tiddy. Make your Rum Tum Tiddy, but before finishing up with the beaten egg, stir in 2 heaping tablespoons of anchovy paste and prepare the buttered toast by laying on slices of hard-cooked eggs. American Woodchuck 1-1/2 cups tomato purée2 cups grated cheese1 egg, lightly beatenCayenne1 tablespoon brown sugarSalt and pepper Heat the tomato and stir in the cheese. When partly melted stir in the egg and, when almost cooked, add seasonings without ever interrupting the stirring. Pour over hot toasted crackers or bread. No doubt this all-American Tomato Rabbit with brown sugar was namedafter the native woodchuck, in playful imitation of the ScotchWoodcock above. It's the only Rabbit we know that's sweetened withbrown sugar. Running Rabbit (_as served at the Waldorf-Astoria, First Annual Cheeselers Field Day, November 12, 1937_) Cut finest old American cheese in very small pieces and melt in saucepan with a little good beer. Season and add Worcestershire sauce. Serve instantly with freshly made toast. This running cony can be poured over toast like any other Rabbit, orover crushed crackers in a hot tureen, as in Sherry Rum Tum Tiddy, orserved like Fondue, in the original cooking bowl or pan, with thespoon kept moving in it in one direction only and the Rabbit followingthe spoon, like a greyhound following the stuffed rabbit at the dograces. Mexican Chilaly 1 tablespoon butter3 tablespoons chopped green pepper 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped onion1 cup chopped and drained canned tomatoes, without seeds2-1/2 cups grated cheese3/4 teaspoon saltDash of cayenne1 egg, lightly beaten2 tablespoons canned tomato juiceWater cress Cook pepper and onion lightly in butter, add tomato pulp and cook 5 minutes before putting over boiling water and stirring steadily as you add cheese and seasonings. Moisten the egg with the tomato juice and stir in until the Rabbit is thick and velvety. Serve on toast and dress with water cress. This popular modern Rabbit seems to be a twin to Rum Tum Tiddy inspite of the centuries' difference in age. Fluffy, Eggy Rabbit Stir up a Chilaly as above, but use 2 well-beaten eggs to make it more fluffy, and leave out the watercress. Serve it hot over cold slices of hard-cooked eggs crowded flat on hot buttered toast, to make it extra eggy. Grilled Tomato Rabbit Slice big, red, juicy tomatoes 1/2-inch thick, season with salt, pepper and plenty of brown sugar. Dot both sides with all the butter that won't slip off. Heat in moderate oven, and when almost cooked, remove and broil on both sides. Put on hot plates in place of the usual toast and pour the Rabbit over them. (The Rabbit is made according to either Basic Recipe No. 1 or No. 2. ) Slices of crisp bacon on top of the tomato slices and a touch of horseradish help. Grilled Tomato and Onion Rabbit Slice 1/4-inch thick an equal number of tomato and onion rings. Season with salt, pepper, brown sugar and dots of butter. Heat in moderate oven, and when almost cooked remove and broil lightly. On hot plates lay first the onion rings, top with the tomato ones and pour the Rabbit over, as in the plain Grilled Tomato recipe above. For another onion-flavored Rabbit see Celery and Onion Rabbit. The Devil's Own (_a fresh tomato variant_) 2 tablespoons butter1 large peeled tomato in 4 thick slices2-1/2 cups grated cheese1/4 teaspoon English mustardA pinch of cayenneA dash of tabasco sauce2 tablespoons chili sauce1/2 cup ale or beer1 egg, lightly beaten Sauté tomato slices lightly on both sides in 1 tablespoon butter. Keep warm on hot platter while you make the toast and a Basic Rabbit, pepped up by the extra-hot seasonings listed above. Put hot tomato slices on hot toast on hot plates; pour the hot mixture over. Dried Beef or Chipped Beef Rabbit 1 tablespoon butter1 cup canned tomato, drained, chopped and de-seeded1/4 pound dried beef, shredded2 eggs, lightly beaten1/4 teaspoon pepper2 cups grated cheese Heat tomato in butter, add beef and eggs, stir until mixed well, then sprinkle with pepper, stir in the grated cheese until smooth and creamy. Serve on toast. No salt is needed on this jerked steer meat that is called both driedbeef and chipped beef on this side of the border, _tasajo_ on theother side, and _xarque_ when you get all the way down to Brazil. Kansas Jack Rabbit 1 cup milk3 tablespoons butter3 tablespoons flour2 cups grated cheese1 cup cream-style cornSalt and pepper Make a white sauce of milk, butter and flour and stir in cheese steadily and gradually until melted. Add corn and season to taste. Serve on hot buttered toast. Kansas has plenty of the makings for this, yet the dish must have beeneasier to make on Baron Münchhausen's "Island of Cheese, " where thecornstalks produced loaves of bread, ready-made, instead of ears, andwere no doubt crossed with long-eared jacks to produce Corn Rabbitsquite as miraculous. After tomatoes, in popularity, come onions and then green peppers orcanned pimientos as vegetable ingredients in modern, AmericanizedRabbits. And after that, corn, as in the following recipe whichappeals to all Latin-Americans from Mexico to Chile because it haseverything. Latin-American Corn Rabbit 2 tablespoons butter1 green pepper, chopped1 large onion, chopped1/2 cup condensed tomato soup3 cups grated cheese1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 cup canned corn1 egg, lightly beaten Fry pepper and onion 5 minutes in butter; add soup, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Put over boiling water; add cheese with seasonings and stir steadily, slowly adding the corn, and when thoroughly blended and creamy, moisten the egg with a little of the liquid, stir in until thickened and then pour over hot toast or crackers. Mushroom-Tomato Rabbit In one pan commence frying in butter 1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms, and in another make a Rabbit by melting over boiling water 2 cups of grated cheese with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir steadily and, when partially melted, stir in a can of condensed tomato soup, previously heated. Then add the fried mushrooms slowly, stir until creamy and pour over hot toast or crackers. Celery and Onion Rabbit 1/2 cup chopped hearts of celery1 small onion, chopped1 tablespoon butter1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheeseSalt and pepper In a separate pan boil celery and onion until tender. Meanwhile, melt cheese with butter and seasonings and stir steadily. When nearly done stir the celery and onion in gradually, until smooth and creamy. Pour over buttered toast and brown with a salamander or under the grill. Asparagus Rabbit Make as above, substituting a cupful of tender sliced asparagus tops for the celery and onion. Oyster Rabbit 2 dozen oysters and their liquor1 teaspoon butter2 eggs, lightly beaten1 large pinch of salt1 small pinch of cayenne3 cups grated cheese Heat oysters until edges curl and put aside to keep warm while you proceed to stir up a Rabbit. When cheese is melted add the eggs with some of the oyster liquor and keep stirring. When the Rabbit has thickened to a smooth cream, drop in the warm oysters to heat a little more, and serve on hot buttered toast. Sea-food Rabbits _(crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, abalone, squid, octopi; anything that swims in the sea or crawls on the bottom of the ocean)_ Shred, flake or mince a cupful of any freshly cooked or canned sea food and save some of the liquor, if any. Make according to Oyster Rabbit recipe above. Instead of using only one kind of sea food, try several, mixed according to taste. Spike this succulent Sea Rabbit with horseradish or a dollop of sherry, for a change. "Bouquet of the Sea" Rabbit The seafaring Portuguese set the style for this lush bouquet of as many different kinds of cooked fish (tuna, cod, salmon, etc. ) as can be sardined together in the whirlpool of melted cheese in the chafing dish. They also accent it with tidbits of sea food as above. Other Fish Rabbit, Fresh or Dried Any cooked fresh fish, flaked or shredded, from the alewife to the whale, or cooked dried herring, finnan haddie, mackerel, cod, and so on, can be stirred in to make a basic Rabbit more tasty. Happy combinations are hit upon in mixing leftovers of several kinds by the cupful. So the odd old cookbook direction, "Add a cup of fish, " takes on new meaning. Grilled Sardine Rabbit Make a Basic Rabbit and pour it over sardines, skinned, boned, halved and grilled, on buttered toast. Similarly cooked fillets of any small fish will make as succulent a grilled Rabbit. Roe Rabbits Slice cooked roe of shad or toothsome eggs of other fish, grill on toast, butter well and pour a Basic Rabbit over. Although shad roe is esteemed the finest, there are many other sapid ones of salmon, herring, flounder, cod, etc. Plain Sardine Rabbit Make Basic Rabbit with only 2 cups of cheese, and in place of the egg yolks and beer, stir in a large tin of sardines, skinned, boned and flaked. Anchovy Rabbit Make Basic Rabbit, add 1 tablespoon of imported East Indian chutney with the egg yolks and beer at the finish, spread toast thickly with anchovy paste and butter, and pour the Rabbit over. Smoked sturgeon, whiting, eel, smoked salmon, and the like Lay cold slices or flakes of any fine smoked fish (and all of them are fine) on hot buttered toast and pour a Basic Rabbit over the fish. The best combination we ever tasted is made by laying a thin slice of smoked salmon over a thick one of smoked sturgeon. Smoked Cheddar Rabbit With or without smoked fish, Rabbit-hunters whose palates crave the savor of a wisp of smoke go for a Basic Rabbit made with smoked Cheddar in place of the usual aged, but unsmoked, Cheddar. We use a two-year-old that Phil Alpert, Mr. Cheese himself, brings down from Canada and has specially smoked in the same savory room where sturgeon is getting the works. So his Cheddar absorbs the de luxe flavor of six-dollar-per-pound sturgeon and is sold for a fraction of that. And just in case you are fishing around for something extra special, serve this smoky Rabbit on oven-browned Bombay ducks, those crunchy flat toasts of East Indian fish. Or go Oriental by accompanying this with cups of smoky Lapsang Soochong China tea. Crumby Rabbit 1 tablespoon butter2 cups grated cheese1 cup stale bread crumbs soaked with1 cup milk1 egg, lightly beatenSaltCayenneToasted crackers Melt cheese in butter, stir in the soaked crumbs and seasonings. When cooked smooth and creamy, stir in the egg to thicken the mixture and serve on toasted crackers, dry or buttered, for contrast with the bread. Some Rabbiteers monkey with this, lacing it with half a cup of catsup, making a sort of pink baboon out of what should be a white monkey. There is a cult for Crumby Rabbits variations on which extend all the way to a deep casserole dish called Baked Rabbit and consisting of alternate layers of stale bread crumbs and grated-cheese crumbs. This illegitimate three-layer Rabbit is moistened with eggs beaten up with milk, and seasoned with salt and paprika. Crumby Tomato Rabbit 2 teaspoons butter2 cups grated cheese1/2 cup soft bread crumbs1 cup tomato soupSalt and pepper1 egg, lightly beaten Melt cheese in butter, moisten bread crumbs with the tomato soup and stir in; season, add egg and keep stirring until velvety. Serve on toasted crackers, as a contrast to the bread crumbs. Gherkin or Irish Rabbit 2 tablespoons butter2 cups grated cheese1/2 cup milk (or beer)A dash of vinegar1/2 teaspoon mustardSalt and pepper1/2 cup chopped gherkin pickles Melt cheese in butter, steadily stir in liquid and seasonings. Keep stirring until smooth, then add the pickles and serve. This may have been called Irish after the green of the pickle. Dutch Rabbit Melt thin slices of any good cooking cheese in a heavy skillet with a little butter, prepared mustard, and a splash of beer. Have ready some slices of toast soaked in hot beer or ale and pour the Rabbit over them. The temperance version of this substitutes milk for beer and delicately soaks the toast in hot water instead. Proof that there is no Anglo-Saxon influence here lies in the use ofprepared mustard. The English, who still do a lot of things the hardway, mix their biting dry mustard fresh with water before every meal, while the Germans and French bottle theirs, as we do. Pumpernickel Rabbit This German deviation is made exactly the same as the Dutch Rabbit above, but its ingredients are the opposite in color. Black bread (pumpernickel) slices are soaked in heated dark beer (porter or stout) and the yellow cheese melted in the skillet is also stirred up with brunette beer. Since beer is a kind of liquid bread, it is natural for the two tocommingle in Rabbits whether they are blond Dutch or blackpumpernickel. And since cheese is only solid milk, and the Cheddar isnoted for its beery smell, there is further affinity here. An oldEnglish proverb sums it up neatly: "Bread and cheese are the twotargets against death. " By the way, the word pumpernickel is said to have been coined whenNapoleon tasted his first black bread in Germany. Contemptuously hespat it out with: "This would be good for my horse, Nicole. " "_Bonpour Nicole_" in French. Gruyère Welsh Rabbit _au gratin_ Cut crusts from a half-dozen slices of bread. Toast them lightly, lay in a roasting pan and top each with a matching slice of imported Gruyère 3/8-inch thick. Pepper to taste and cover with bread crumbs. Put in oven 10 minutes and rush to the ultimate consumer. To our American ears anything _au gratin_ suggests "with cheese, " sothis Rabbit _au gratin_ may sound redundant. To a Frenchman, however, it means a dish covered with bread crumbs. Swiss Cheese Rabbit 1/2 cup white wine, preferably Neufchâtel1/2 cup grated Gruyère1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1/2 saltspoon paprika2 egg yolks Stir wine and seasonings together with the cheese until it melts, then thicken with the egg yolks, stirring at least 3 more minutes until smooth. Sherry Rabbit 3 cups grated cheese1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk1/2 cup sherry1/4 teaspoon English mustard1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauceA dash of paprika Heat cheese over hot water, with or without a bit of butter, and when it begins to melt, stir in the cream. Keep stirring until almost all of the cheese is melted, then add sherry. When smooth and creamy, stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and after pouring over buttered toast dash with paprika for color. Spanish Sherry Rabbit 3 tablespoons butter3 tablespoons flour1 bouillon cube, mashed1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon dry mustard1-1/2 cups milk1-1/2 cups grated cheese1 jigger sherry Make a smooth paste of butter, flour, bouillon cube and seasonings, and add milk slowly. When well-heated stir in the cheese gradually. Continue stirring at least 10 minutes, and when well-blended stir in the sherry and serve on hot, buttered toast. Pink Poodle 2 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon chopped onion1 tablespoon flour1 jigger California claret1 cup cream of tomato soupA pinch of soda1/2 teaspoon dry mustard1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon paprikaA dash of powdered cloves3 cups grated cheese1 egg, lightly beaten Cook onion in butter until light golden, then blend in flour, wine and soup with the soda and all seasonings. Stir in cheese slowly until melted and finish off by thickening with the egg and stirring until smooth and velvety. Serve on crisp, buttered toast with a dry red wine. Although wine Rabbits, red or white, are as unusual as Swiss ones withGruyère in place of Cheddar, wine is commonly drunk with anything froma Golden Buck to a Blushing Bunny. But for most of us, a deep draughtof beer or ale goes best with an even deeper draught of the mellowscent of a Cheddar golden-yellow. Savory Eggy Dry Rabbit 1/8 pound butter2 cups grated Gruyère4 eggs, well-beatenSaltPepperMustard Melt butter and cheese together with the beaten eggs, stirring steadily with wooden spoon until soft and smooth. Season and pour over dry toast. This "dry" Rabbit, in which the volume of the eggs makes up for anylacking liquid, is still served as a savory after the sweets to finisha fine meal in some old-fashioned English homes and hostelries. Cream Cheese Rabbit This Rabbit, made with a package of cream cheese, is more scrambled hen fruit than Rabbit food, for you simply scramble a half-dozen eggs with butter, milk, salt, pepper and cayenne, and just before the finish work in the cheese until smooth and serve on crackers--water crackers for a change. Reducing Rarebit (Tomato Rarebit)[A] YIELD: 2 servings. 235 calories per serving. 1/2 pound farmer cheese2 eggs1 level tablespoon powdered milk1 level teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon gelatin or agar powder4 egg tomatoes, quartered, or2 tomatoes, quartered1 teaspoon caraway seeds1/4 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon parsley flakes1/2 head lettuce and/or 1 cucumber1/4 cup wine vinegarSalt and pepper to taste [Footnote A: (from _The Low-Calory Cookbook_ by Bernard Koten, published by Random House)] Fill bottom of double boiler with water to 3/4 mark. Sprinkle salt in upper part of double boiler. Boil over medium flame. When upper part is hot, put in cheese, powdered milk, baking powder, gelatin, caraway seeds and pepper and garlic powder to taste. Mix. Break eggs into this mixture, cook over low flame, continually stirring. Add tomatoes when mixture bubbles and continue cooking and stirring until tomatoes have been cooked soft. Remove to lettuce and/or cucumber (sliced thin) which has been slightly marinated in wine vinegar and sprinkle the parsley flakes over the top of the mixture. Curry Rabbit 1 tablespoon cornstarch2 cups milk2-1/2 cups grated cheese1 tablespoon minced chives2 green onions, minced2 shallots, minced1/4 teaspoon imported curry powder1 tablespoon chutney sauce Dissolve cornstarch in a little of the milk and scald the rest over hot water. Thicken with cornstarch mixture and stir in the cheese, chives, onions, shallots, curry and chutney while wooden-spooning steadily until smooth and sizzling enough to pour over buttered toast. People who can't let well enough alone put cornstarch in Rabbits, justas they add soda to spoil the cooking of vegetables. Ginger Ale Rabbit Simply substitute ginger ale for the real thing in the No. 1 Rabbit of all time. Buttermilk Rabbit Substitute buttermilk for plain milk in the No. 2 Rabbit. To be consistent, use fresh-cured Buttermilk Cheese, instead of the usual Cheddar of fresh cow's milk. This is milder. Eggnog Rabbit 2 tablespoons sweet butter2 cups grated mellow Cheddar1-1/3 cups eggnogDashes of spice to taste. After melting the cheese in butter, stir in the eggnog and keep stirring until smooth and thickened. Season or not, depending on taste and the quality of eggnog employed. Ever since the innovation of bottled eggnogs fresh from the milkman inholiday season, such supremely creamy and flavorful Rabbits have beenmultiplying as fast as guinea pigs. All-American Succotash Rabbit 1 cup milk3 tablespoons butter3 tablespoons flour3 cups grated cheese1 cup creamed succotash, strainedSalt and pepper Make a white sauce of milk, butter and flour and stir in the cheese steadily and gradually until melted. Add the creamed succotash and season to taste. Serve on toasted, buttered corn bread. Danish Rabbit 1 quart warm milk2 cups grated cheese Stir together to boiling point and pour over piping-hot toast in heated bowl. This is an esteemed breakfast dish in north Denmark. As in all Rabbits, more or less cheese may be used, to taste. Easy English Rabbit Soak bread slices in hot beer. Melt thin slices of cheese with butter in iron frying pan, stir in a few spoonfuls of beer and a bit of prepared mustard. When smoothly melted, pour over the piping-hot, beer-soaked toast. [Illustration] _Chapter Six_ The Fondue There is a conspiracy among the dictionary makers to take the heartout of the Fondue. Webster makes it seem no better than a collapsedsoufflé, with his definition: Fondue. Also, erroneously, _fondu_. A dish made of melted cheese, butter, eggs, and, often, milk and bread crumbs. Thorndike-Barnhart further demotes this dish, that for centuries hasbeen one of the world's greatest, to "a combination of melted cheese, eggs and butter" and explains that the name comes from the French_fondre_, meaning melt. The latest snub is delivered by the up-to-date_Cook's Quiz_ compiled by TV culinary experts: A baked dish with eggs, cheese, butter, milk and bread crumbs. A baked dish, indeed! Yet the Fondue has added to the gaiety andinebriety of nations, if not of dictionaries. It has commanded therespect of the culinary great. Savarin, Boulestin, André Simon, allhave hailed its heavenly consistency, all have been regaled with itscreamy, nay velvety, smoothness. A touch of garlic, a dash of kirsch, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg, black pearl truffles of Bugey, red cayenne pepper, theluscious gravy of roast turkey--such little matters help to make anauthentic dunking Fondue, not a baked Fondue, mind you. Jean-AnthelmeBrillat-Savarin a century and a half ago brought the original"receipt" with him and spread it around with characteristic generosityduring the two years of his exile in New York after the FrenchRevolution. In his monumental _Physiologie du Goût_ he records anincident that occurred in 1795: Whilst passing through Boston ... I taught the restaurant-keeper Julien to make a _Fondue_, or eggs cooked with cheese. This dish, a novelty to the Americans, became so much the rage, that he (Julien) felt himself obliged, by way of thanks, to send me to New York the rump of one of those pretty little roebucks that are brought from Canada in winter, and which was declared exquisite by the chosen committee whom I convoked for the occasion. As the great French gourmet, Savarin was born on the Swiss border (atBelley, in the fertile Province of Bugey, where Gertrude Stein laterhad a summer home), he no doubt ate Gruyère three times a day, as isthe custom in Switzerland and adjacent parts. He sets down the recipejust as he got it from its Swiss source, the papers of MonsieurTrolliet, in the neighboring Canton of Berne: Take as many eggs as you wish to use, according to the number of your guests. Then take a lump of good Gruyère cheese, weighing about a third of the eggs, and a nut of butter about half the weight of the cheese. (Since today's eggs in America weigh about 1-1/2 ounces apiece, if you start the Fondue with 8. Your lump of good Gruyère would come to 1/4 pound and your butter to 1/8 pound. ) Break and beat the eggs well in a flat pan, then add the butter and the cheese, grated or cut in small pieces. Place the pan on a good fire and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is fairly thick and soft; put in a little or no salt, according to the age of the cheese, and a good deal of pepper, for this is one of the special attributes of this ancient dish. Let it be placed on the table in a hot dish, and if some of the best wines be produced, and the bottle passed quite freely, a marvelous effect will be beheld. This has long been quoted as the proper way to make the national dishof Switzerland. Savarin tells of hearing oldsters in his districtlaugh over the Bishop of Belley eating his Fondue with a spoon insteadof the traditional fork, in the first decade of the 1700's. He tells, too, of a Fondue party he threw for a couple of his septuagenariancousins in Paris "about the year 1801. " The party was the result of much friendly taunting of the master: "ByJove, Jean, you have been bragging for such a long time about yourFondues, you have continually made our mouths water. It is high timeto put a stop to all this. We will come and breakfast with you someday and see what sort of thing this dish is. " Savarin invited them for ten o'clock next day, started them off withthe table laid on a "snow white cloth, and in each one's place twodozen oysters with a bright golden lemon. At each end of the tablestood a bottle of sauterne, carefully wiped, excepting the cork, whichshowed distinctly that it had been in the cellar for a long while.... After the oysters, which were quite fresh, came some broiled kidneys, a _terrine_ of _foie gras_, a pie with truffles, and finally theFondue. The different ingredients had all been assembled in a stewpan, which was placed on the table over a chafing dish, heated with spiritsof wine. "Then, " Savarin is quoted, "I commenced operations on the field ofbattle, and my cousins did not lose a single one of my movements. They were loud in the praise of this preparation, and asked me to letthem have the receipt, which I promised them.... " This Fondue breakfast party that gave the nineteenth century such agood start was polished off with "fruits in season and sweets, a cupof genuine mocha, ... And finally two sorts of liqueurs, one a spiritfor cleansing, and the other an oil for softening. " This primitive Swiss Cheese Fondue is now prepared more elaborately inwhat is called: Neufchâtel Style 2-1/2 cups grated imported Swiss1-1/2 tablespoons flour1 clove of garlic1 cup dry white wineCrusty French "flute" or hard rolls cut into big mouthfuls, handy for dunking1 jigger kirschSaltPepperNutmeg The cheese should be shredded or grated coarsely and mixed well with the flour. Use a chafing dish for cooking and a small heated casserole for serving. Hub the bottom and sides of the blazer well with garlic, pour in the wine and heat to bubbling, just under boiling. Add cheese slowly, half a cup at a time, and stir steadily in one direction only, as in making Welsh Rabbit. Use a silver fork. Season with very little salt, always depending on how salty the cheese is, but use plenty of black pepper, freshly ground, and a touch of nutmeg. Then pour in the kirsch, stir steadily and invite guests to dunk their forked bread in the dish or in a smaller preheated casserole over a low electric or alcohol burner on the dining table. The trick is to keep the bubbling melted cheese in rhythmic motion with the fork, both up and down and around and around. The dunkers stab the hunks of crusty French bread through the softpart to secure a firm hold in the crust, for if your bread comes offin dunking you pay a forfeit, often a bottle of wine. The dunking is done as rhythmically as the stirring, guests takingregular turns at twirling the fork to keep the cheese swirling. Whenthis "chafing dish cheese custard, " as it has been called in England, is ready for eating, each in turn thrusts in his fork, sops up amouthful with the bread for a sponge and gives the Fondue a finalstir, to keep it always moving in the same direction. All the whilethe heat beneath the dish keeps it gently bubbling. Such a Neufchâtel party was a favorite of King Edward VII, especiallywhen he was stepping out as the Prince of Wales. He was as fond ofFondue as most of the great gourmets of his day and preferred it toWelsh Rabbit, perhaps because of the wine and kirsch that went intoit. At such a party a little heated wine is added if the Fondue gets toothick. When finally it has cooked down to a crust in the bottom of thedish, this is forked out by the host and divided among the guests as avery special dividend. Any dry white wine will serve in a pinch, and the Switzerland CheeseAssociation, in broadcasting this classical recipe, points out thatany dry rum, slivovitz, or brandy, including applejack, will be avalid substitute for the kirsch. To us, applejack seems speciallysuited, when we stop to consider our native taste that has marriedapple pie to cheese since pioneer times. In culinary usage fondue means "melting to an edible consistency" andthis, of course, doesn't refer to cheese alone, although we use itchiefly for that. In France Fondue is also the common name for a simple dish of eggsscrambled with grated cheese and butter and served very hot on toastedbread, or filled into fancy paper cases, quickly browned on top andserved at once. The reason for this is that all baked Fondues fall aseasily and as far as Soufflés, although the latter are more noted forthis failing. There is a similarity in the soft fluffiness of both, although the Fondues are always more moist. For there is a stiff, stuffed-shirt buildup around any Soufflé, suggesting a dressy dinner, while Fondue started as a self-service dunking bowl. Our modern tendency is to try to make over the original French Fondueon the Welsh Rabbit model--to turn it into a sort of French Rabbit. Although we know that both Gruyère and Emmentaler are what we callSwiss and that it is impossible in America to duplicate the richAlpine flavor given by the mountain herbs, we are inclined to try allsorts of domestic cheeses and mixtures thereof. But it's best to stickto Savarin's "lump of Gruyère" just as the neighboring French andItalians do. It is interesting to note that this Swiss Alpine cookinghas become so international that it is credited to Italy in thefollowing description we reprint from _When Madame Cooks_, by anEnglishman, Eric Weir: Fondue à l'Italienne This is one of those egg dishes that makes one feel really grateful to hens. From its name it originated probably in Italy, but it has crossed the Alps. I have often met it in France, but only once in Italy. First of all, make a very stiff white sauce with butter, flour and milk. The sauce should be stiff enough to allow the wooden spoon to stand upright or almost. Off the fire, add yolks of eggs and 4 ounces of grated Gruyère cheese. Mix this in well with the white sauce and season with salt, pepper and some grated nutmeg. Beat whites of egg firm. Add the whites to the preparation, stir in, and pour into a pudding basin. Take a large saucepan and fill half full of water. Bring to a boil, and then place the pudding basin so that the top of the basin is well out of the water. Allow to boil gently for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Renew the boiling water from time to time, as it evaporates, and take care that the water, in boiling, does not bubble over the mixture. Test with a knife, as for a cake, to see if it is cooked. When the knife comes out clean, take the basin out of the water and turn the Fondue out on a dish. It should be fairly firm and keep the shape of the basin. Sprinkle with some finely chopped ham and serve hot. The imported Swiss sometimes is cubed instead of grated, thenmarinated for four or five hours in dry white wine, before beingmelted and liquored with the schnapps. This can be pleasantly adoptedhere in: All-American Fondue 1 pound imported Swiss cheese, cubed3/4 cup scuppernong or other American white wine1-1/2 jiggers applejack After marinating the Swiss cubes in the wine, simply melt together over hot water, stir until soft and creamy, add the applejack and dunk with fingers of toast or your own to a chorus of "All Bound Round with a Woolen String. " Of course, this can be treated as a mere vinous Welsh Rabbit and poured over toast, to be accompanied by beer. But wine is the thing, for the French Fondue is to dry wine what the Rabbit is to stale ale or fresh beer. We say French instead of Swiss because the French took over the dishso eagerly, together with the great Gruyère that makes it distinctive. They internationalized it, sent it around the world with bouillabaisseand onion soup, that celestial _soupe à l'oignon_ on which snowyshowers of grated Gruyère descend. To put the Welsh Rabbit in its place they called it Fondue àl'Anglaise, which also points up the twinlike relationship of theworld's two favorite dishes of melted cheese. But to differentiate andshow they are not identical twins, the No. 1 dish remained FromageFondue while the second was baptized Fromage Fondue à la Bière. Beginning with Savarin the French whisked up more rapturous, rhapsodic writing about Gruyère and its offspring, the Fondue, together with the puffed Soufflé, than about any other imported cheeseexcept Parmesan. Parmesan and Gruyère were praised as the two greatest culinarycheeses. A variant Fondue was made of the Italian cheese. Parmesan Fondue 3 tablespoons butter1 cup grated Parmesan cheese4 eggs, lightly beatenSaltPepper Over boiling water melt butter and cheese slowly, stir in the eggs, season to taste and stir steadily in one direction only, until smooth. Pour over fingers of buttered toast. Or spoon it up, as the ancients did, before there were any forks. It's beaten with a fork but eaten catch-as-catch-can, like chicken-in-the-rough. Sapsago Swiss Fondue 2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons flour1/2 teaspoon salt1-1/2 cups milk2-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese2-1/2 tablespoons grated Sapsago1/2 cup dry white winePepper, black and red, freshly groundFingers of toast Over boiling water stir the first four ingredients into a smooth, fairly thick cream sauce. Then stir in Swiss cheese until well melted. After that add the Sapsago, finely grated, and wine in small splashes. Stir steadily, in one direction only, until velvety. Season sharply with the contrasting peppers and serve over fingers of toast. This is also nice when served bubbling in individual, preheatedpastry shells, casseroles or ramekins, although this way most of thefun of the dunking party is left out. To make up for it, however, cooked slices of mushrooms are sometimes added. At the Cheese Cellar in the New York World's Fair Swiss Pavilion, where a continual dunking party was in progress, thousands of amateurslearned such basic things as not to overcook the Fondue lest it becomestringy, and the protocol of dunking in turn and keeping the mass incontinual motion until the next on the Fondue line dips in his cube ofbread. The success of the dish depends on making it quickly, keepingit gently a-bubble and never letting it stand still for a splitsecond. The Swiss, who consume three or four times as much cheese per capitaas we, and almost twice as much as the French, are willing to shareFondue honors with the French Alpine province of Savoy, a naturalcheese cellar with almost two dozen distinctive types of its very own, such as Fat cheese, also called Death's Head; La Grande Bornand, aluscious half-dried sheep's milker; Chevrotins, small, dry goat milkcheeses; and Le Vacherin. The latter, made in both Savoy andSwitzerland, boasts two interesting variants: 1. _Vacherin Fondue or Spiced Fondue:_ Made about the same as Emmentaler, ripened to sharp age, and then melted, spices added and the cheese re-formed. It is also called Spiced Fondue and sells for about two dollars a pound. Named Fondue from being melted, though it's really recooked, 2. _Vacherin à la Main:_ This is a curiosity in cheeses, resembling a cold, uncooked Fondue. Made of cow's milk, it is round, a foot in diameter and half a foot high. It is salted and aged until the rind is hard and the inside more runny than the ripest Camembert, so it can be eaten with a spoon (like the cooked Fondue) as well as spread on bread. The local name for it is _Tome de Montagne_. Here is a good assortment of Fondues: Vacherin-Fribourg Fondue 2 tablespoons butter1 clove garlic, crushed2 cups shredded Vacherin cheese2 tablespoons hot water This authentic quickie is started by cooking the garlic in butter until the butter is melted. Then remove garlic and reduce heat. Add the soft cheese and stir with silver fork until smooth and velvety. Add the water in little splashes, stirring constantly in one direction. Dunk! (In this melted Swiss a little water takes the place of a lot of wine. ) La Fondue Comtois This regional specialty of Franche-Comté is made with white wine. Sauterne, Chablis, Riesling or any Rhenish type will serve splendidly. Also use butter, grated Gruyère, beaten eggs and that touch of garlic. Chives Fondue 3 cups grated Swiss cheese3 tablespoons flour2 tablespoons butter1 garlic clove, crushed3 tablespoons finely chopped chives1 cup dry white wineSaltFreshly ground pepperA pinch of nutmeg1/4 cup kirsch Mix cheese and flour. Melt butter in chafing-dish blazer rubbed with garlic. Cook chives in butter 1 minute. Add wine and heat just under boiling. Keep simmering as you add cheese-and-flour mix gradually, stirring always in one direction. Salt according to age and sharpness of cheese; add plenty of freshly ground pepper and the pinch of nutmeg. When everything is stirred smooth and bubbling, toss in the kirsch without missing a stroke of the fork and get to dunking. Large, crisp, hot potato chips make a pleasant change for dunking purposes. Or try assorted crackers alternating with the absorbent bread, or hard rolls. Tomato Fondue 2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil1 clove garlic2 tablespoons butter1/2 cup dry white wine2 cups grated Cheddar cheesePaprika Mix basil with chopped tomatoes. Rub chafing dish with garlic, melt butter, add tomatoes and much paprika. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, add wine, stir steadily to boiling point. Then add cheese, half a cup at a time, and keep stirring until everything is smooth. Serve on hot toast, like Welsh Rabbit. Here the two most popular melted-cheese dishes tangle, but they'reheld together with the common ingredient, tomato. Fondue also appears as a sauce to pour over baked tomatoes. Stalebread crumbs are soaked in tomato juice to make: Tomato Baked Fondue 1 cup tomato juice1 cup stale bread crumbs1 cup grated sharp American cheese1 tablespoon melted butterSalt4 eggs, separated and well beaten Soak crumbs in tomato juice, stir cheese in butter until melted, season with a little or no salt, depending on saltiness of the cheese. Mix in the beaten yolks, fold in the white and bake about 50 minutes in moderate oven. BAKED FONDUES Although Savarin's dunking Fondue was first to make a sensation onthese shores and is still in highest esteem among epicures, the FondueAmerica took to its bosom was baked. The original recipe came from thesuper-caseous province of Savoy under the explicit title, _La Fondueau Fromage_. La Fondue au Fromage Make the usual creamy mixture of butter, flour, milk, yolks of eggs and Gruyère, in thin slices for a change. Use red pepper instead of black, splash in a jigger of kirsch but no white wine. Finally fold in the egg whites and bake in a mold for 45 minutes. We adapted this to our national taste which had already based thewhole business of melted cheese on the Welsh Rabbit with stale ale ormilk instead of white wine and Worcestershire, mustard and hotpeppers. Today we have come up with this: 100% American Fondue 2 cups scalded milk2 cups stale bread crumbs1/2 teaspoon dry English mustardSaltDash of nutmegDash of pepper2 cups American cheese (Cheddar)2 egg yolks, well beaten2 egg whites, beaten stiff Soak crumbs in milk, season and stir in the cheese until melted. Add the beaten egg yolks and stir until you have a smooth mixture. Let this cool while beating the whites stiff, leaving them slightly moist. Fold the whites into the cool, custardy mix and bake in a buttered dish until firm. (About 50 minutes in a moderate oven. ) This is more of a baked cheese job than a true Fondue, to our way ofthinking, and the scalded milk doesn't exactly take the place of thewine or kirsch. It is characteristic of our bland cookery. OTHER FONDUES PLAIN AND FANCY, BAKED AND NOT Quickie Catsup Tummy Fondiddy 3/4 pound sharp cheese, diced1 can condensed tomato soup1/2 cup catsup1/2 teaspoon mustard1 egg, lightly beaten In double boiler melt cheese in soup. Blend thoroughly by constant stirring. Remove from heat, lightly whip or fold in the catsup and mustard mixed with egg. Serve on Melba toast or rusks. This might be suggested as a novel midnight snack, with a cup ofcocoa, for a change. Cheese and Rice Fondue 1 cup cooked rice2 cups milk4 eggs, separated and well beaten1/2 cup grated cheese1/2 teaspoon saltCayenne, Worcestershire sauce or tabasco sauce, or all three Heat rice (instead of bread crumbs) in milk, stir in cheese until melted, add egg yolks beaten lemon-yellow, season, fold in stiff egg whites. Serve hot on toast. Corn and Cheese Fondue 1 cup bread crumbs1 large can creamed corn1 small onion, chopped1/2 green pepper, chopped2 cups cottage cheese1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup milk2 eggs, well beaten Mix all ingredients together and bake in buttered casserole set in pan of hot water. Bake about 1 hour in moderate oven, or until set. Cheese Fondue 1 cup grated Cheddar1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort1 cup pimento cheese3 tablespoons cream3 tablespoons butter1 teaspoon Worcestershire Stir everything together over hot water until smooth and creamy. Then whisk until fluffy, moistening with more cream or mayonnaise if too stiff. Serve on Melba toast, or assorted thin toasted crackers. Brick Fondue 1/2 cup butter2 cups grated Brick cheese1/2 cup warm milk1/2 teaspoon salt2 eggs Melt butter and cheese together, use wire whisk to whip in the warm milk. Season. Take from fire and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Please note that Fondue protocol calls for each egg to be beaten separately in cases like this. Serve over hot toast or crackers. Cheddar Dunk Bowl 3/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese3 tablespoons cream2/3 teaspoon dry mustard1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Grate the cheese powdery fine and mash it together with the cream until fluffy. Season and serve in a beautiful bowl for dunking in the original style of Savarin, although this is a static imitation of the real thing. All kinds of crackers and colorful dips can be used, from celery stalks and potato chips to thin paddles cut from Bombay duck. [Illustration] _Chapter Seven_ Soufflés, Puffs and Ramekins There isn't much difference between Cheese Soufflés, Puffs andRamekins. The _English Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery_, the oldest, biggest and best of such works in English, lumps Cheese Puffs andRamekins together, giving the same recipes for both, although ittreats each extensively under its own name when not made with cheese. Cheese was the basis of the original French Ramequin, cheese and breadcrumbs or puff paste, baked in a mold, (with puff again the principalfactor in Soufflé, from the French _souffler_, puff up). Basic Soufflé 3 tablespoons butter or margarine4 tablespoons flour1-1/4 cups hot milk, scalded1 teaspoon saltA dash of cayenne1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese, sharp2 egg yolks, beaten lemon-yellow2 egg whites, beaten stiff Melt butter, stir in flour and milk gradually until thick and smooth. Season and add the cheese, continuing the cooking and slow stirring until velvety. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat; then stir in the egg yolks with a light hand and an upward motion. Fold in the stiff whites and when evenly mixed pour into a big, round baking dish. (Some butter it and some don't. ) To make sure the top will be even when baked, run a spoon or knife around the surface, about 1 inch from the edge of the dish, before baking slowly in a moderate oven until puffed high and beautifully browned. Serve instantly for fear the Soufflé may fall. The baking takes up to an hour and the egg whites shouldn't be beaten so stiff they are hard to fold in and contain no air to expand and puff up the dish. To perk up the seasonings, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, nutmeg and even garlic are often used to taste, especially in England. While Cheddar is the preferred cheese, Parmesan runs it a closesecond. Then comes Swiss. You may use any two or all three of thesetogether. Sometimes Roquefort is added, as in the Ramekin recipesbelow. Parmesan Soufflé Make the same as Basic Soufflé, with these small modifications in the ingredients: 1 full cup of grated Parmesan1 extra egg in place of the 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheeseA little more butterBlack pepper, not cayenne Swiss Soufflé Make the same as Basic Soufflé, with these slight changes: 1-1/4 cups grated Swiss cheese instead of the Cheddar cheeseNutmeg in place of the cayenne Parmesan-Swiss Soufflé Make the same as Basic Soufflé, with these little differences: 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan in place ofthe Cheddar cheese1/4 teaspoon each of sugar and black pepper for seasoning. Any of these makes a light, lovely luncheon or a proper climax to agrand dinner. Cheese-Corn Soufflé Make as Basic Soufflé, substituting for the scalded milk 1 cup of sieved and strained juice from cream-style canned corn. Cheese-Spinach Soufflé Sauté 1-1/2 cups of finely chopped, drained spinach in butter with 1 teaspoon finely grated onion, and then whip it until light and fluffy. Mix well into the white sauce of the Basic Soufflé before adding the cheese and following the rest of the recipe. Cheese-Tomato Soufflé Substitute hot tomato juice for the scalded milk. Cheese-Sea-food Soufflé Add 1-1/2 cups finely chopped or ground lobster, crab, shrimp, other sea food or mixture thereof, with any preferred seasoning added. Cheese-Mushroom Soufflé 1-1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar1 cup cream of mushroom soupPaprika, to tasteSalt2 egg yolks, well beaten2 egg whites, beaten stiff2 tablespoons chopped, cooked bacon2 tablespoons sliced, blanched almonds Heat cheese with soup and paprika, adding the cheese gradually and stirring until smooth. Add salt and thicken the sauce with egg yolks, still stirring steadily, and finally fold in the whites. Sprinkle with bacon and almonds and bake until golden brown and puffed high (about 1 hour). Cheese-Potato Soufflé (Potato Puff) 6 potatoes2 onions1 tablespoon butter or margarine1 cup hot milk3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese1 teaspoon saltA dash of pepper2 egg yolks, well beaten2 egg whites, beaten stiff1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese Cook potatoes and onions together until tender and put through a ricer. Mix with all the other ingredients except the egg whites and the Cheddar. Fold in the egg whites, mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of Cheddar on top and bake in moderate oven about 1/2 hour, until golden-brown and well puffed. Serve instantly. Variations of this popular Soufflé leave out the onion and simplify matters by using 2 cups of mashed potatoes. Sometimes 1 tablespoon of catsup and another of minced parsley is added to the mixture. Or onion juice alone, to take the place of the cooked onions--about a tablespoon, full or scant. The English, in concocting such a Potato Puff or Soufflé, are inclinedto make it extra peppery, as they do most of their Cheese Soufflés, with not only "a dust of black pepper" but "as much cayenne as may bestood on the face of a sixpence. " Cheese Fritter Soufflés These combine ham with Parmesan cheese and are even more delicately handled in the making than crêpes suzette. PUFFS Three-in-One Puffs 1 cup grated Swiss1 cup grated Parmesan1 cup cream cheese5 eggs, lightly beatensalt and pepper Mix the cheeses into one mass moistened with the beaten eggs, splashed on at intervals. When thoroughly incorporated, put in ramekins, tiny tins, cups, or any sort of little mold of any shape. Bake in hot oven about 10 minutes, until richly browned. Such miniature Soufflés serve as liaison officers for this entiresection, since they are baked in ramekins, or ramequins, from theFrench word for the small baking dish that holds only one portion. These may be paper boxes, usually round, earthenware, china, Pyrex, of any attractive shape in which to bake or serve the Puffs. More commonly, in America at least, Puffs are made without ramekindishes, as follows: Fried Puffs 2 egg whites, beaten stiff1/2 cup grated cheese1 tablespoon flourSaltPaprika Into the stiff egg whites fold the cheese, flour and seasonings. When thoroughly mixed pat into shape desired, roll in crumbs and fry. Roquefort Puffs 1/8 pound genuine French Roquefort1 egg white, beaten stiff8 crackers or 2-inch bread rounds Cream the Roquefort, fold in the egg white, pile on crackers and bake 15 minutes in slow oven. The constant repetition of "beaten stiff" in these recipes may givethe impression that the whites are badly beaten up, but such is notthe case. They are simply whipped to peaks and left moist andglistening as a teardrop, with a slight sad droop to them that showsthere is still room for the air to expand and puff things up incooking. Parmesan Puffs Make a spread of mayonnaise or other salad dressing with equal parts of imported Parmesan, grated fine. Spread on a score or more of crackers in a roomy pan and broil a couple of minutes till they puff up golden-brown. Use only the best Parmesan, imported from Italy; or, second best, from Argentina where the rich pampas grass and Italian settlers get together on excellent Parmesan and Romano. Never buy Parmesan already grated; it quickly loses its flavor. Breakfast Puffs 1 cup flour1 cup milk1/4 cup finely grated cheese1 egg, lightly beaten1/2 teaspoon salt Mix all together to a smooth, light batter and fill ramekins or cups half full; then bake in quick oven until they are puffing over the top and golden-brown. Danish Fondue Puffs 1 stale roll1/2 cup boiling hot milkSaltPepper2 cups freshly grated Cheddar cheese4 egg yolks, beaten lemon-yellow4 egg whites, beaten stiff Soak roll in boiling milk and beat to a paste. Mix with cheese and egg yolks. When smooth and thickened fold in the egg whites and fill ramekins, tins, cups or paper forms and slowly bake until puffed up and golden-brown. New England Cheese Puffs 1 cup sifted flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika1/4 teaspoon dry mustard2 egg yolks, beaten lemon-yellow1/2 cup milk1 cup freshly grated Cheddar cheese2 egg whites, beaten stiff but not dry Sift dry ingredients together, mix yolks with milk and stir in. Add cheese and when thoroughly incorporated fold in the egg whites to make a smooth batter. Drop from a big spoon into hot deep fat and cook until well browned. Caraway seeds are sometimes added. Poppy seeds are also used, and either of these makes a snappier puff, especially tasty when served with soup. A few drops of tabasco give this an extra tang. Cream Cheese Puffs 1/2 pound cream cheese1 cup milk4 eggs, lightly beaten1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon dry mustard Soften cheese by heating over hot water. Remove from heat and add milk, eggs and seasoning. Beat until well blended, then pour into custard cups, ramekins or any other individual baking dishes that are attractive enough to serve the puffs in. RAMEKINS OR RAMEQUINS Some Ramekin dishes are made so exquisitely that they may be collectedlike snuff bottles. Ramekins are utterly French, both the cooked Puffs and the individualdishes in which they are baked. Essentially a Cheese Puff, this isalso _au gratin_ when topped with both cheese and browned breadcrumbs. By a sort of poetic cook's license the name is also applied toany kind of cake containing cheese and cooked in the identifyingone-portion ramekin. It is used chiefly in the plural, however, together with the name of the chief ingredient, such as "ChickenRamekins" and: Cheese Ramekins I 2 eggs2 tablespoons flour1/8 pound butter, melted1/8 pound grated cheese Mix well and bake in individual molds for 15 minutes. Cheese Ramekins II 3 tablespoons melted butter1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper3/4 cup bread crumbs1/2 cup grated cheese2 eggs, lightly beaten1-1/2 cups milk Mix the first four dry ingredients together, stir eggs into the milk and add. Stir to a smooth batter and bake in buttered ramekins, standing in water, in moderate oven. Serve piping hot, for like Soufflés and all associated Puffs, the hot air will puff out of them quickly; then they will sink and be inedible. TWO ANCIENT ENGLISH RECIPES, STILL GOING STRONG Cheese Ramekins III Grate 1/2 pound of any dry, rich cheese. Butter a dozen small paper cases, or little boxes of stiff writing paper like Soufflé cases. Put a saucepan containing 1/2 pint of water over the fire, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and when the water boils, stir in 1 heaping tablespoonful of flour. Beat the mixture until it shrinks away from the sides of the saucepan; then stir in the grated cheese. Remove the paste thus made from the fire, and let it partly cool. In the meantime separate the yolks from the whites of three eggs, and beat them until the yolks foam and the whites make a stiff froth. Put the mixture at once into the buttered paper cases, only half-filling them (since they rise very high while being baked) with small slices of cheese, and bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes. As soon as the Puffs are done, put the cases on a hot dish covered with a folded napkin, and serve very hot. The most popular cheese for Ramekins has always been, and still is, Gruyère. But because the early English also adopted Italian Parmesan, that followed as a close second, and remains there today. Sharp Cheddar makes tangy Ramekins, as will be seen in this secondoldster; for though it prescribes Gloucester and Cheshire"'arf-and-'arf, " both are essentially Cheddars. Gloucester has beencalled "a glorified Cheshire" and the latter has long been known as apeculiarly rich and colorful elder brother of Cheddar, described inKenelme Digby's _Closet Open'd_ as a "quick, fat, rich, well-tastedcheese. " Cheese Ramekins IV Scrape fine 1/4 pound of Gloucester cheese and 1/4 pound of Cheshire cheese. Beat this scraped cheese in a mortar with the yolks of 4 eggs, 1/4 pound of fresh butter, and the crumbs of a French roll boiled in cream until soft. When all this is well mixed and pounded to a paste, add the beaten whites of 4 eggs. Should the paste seem too stiff, 1 or 2 tablespoons of sherry may be added. Put the paste into paper cases, and bake in a Dutch oven till nicely browned. The Ramekins should be served very hot. Since both Gloucester cheese and Cheshire cheese are not easily comeby even in London today, it would be hard to reproduce this in theStates. So the best we can suggest is to use half-and-half of two ofour own great Cheddars, say half-Coon and half-Wisconsin Longhorn, orhalf-Tillamook and half-Herkimer County. For there's no doubt aboutit, contrasting cheeses tickle the taste buds, and as many as threedifferent kinds put together make Puffs all the more perfect. Ramequins à la Parisienne 2 cups milk1 cup cream1 ounce salt butter1 tablespoon flour1/2 cup grated GruyèreCoarsely ground pepperAn atom of nutmegA _soupçon_ of garlicA light touch of powdered sugar8 eggs, separated Boil milk and cream together. Melt butter, mix in the flour and stir over heat 5 minutes, adding the milk and cream mixture a little at a time. When thoroughly cooked, remove from heat and stir in cheese, seasonings and the yolks of all 8 eggs, well beaten, and the whites of 2 even better beaten. When well mixed, fold in the remaining egg whites, stiffly beaten, until you have a batter as smooth and thick as cream. Pour this into ramekins of paper, porcelain or earthenware, filling each about 2/3 full to allow for them to puff up as they bake in a very slow oven until golden-brown (or a little less than 20 minutes). Le Ramequin Morézien This celebrated specialty of Franche-Comté is described as "a porridge of water, butter, seasoning, chopped garlic and toast; thickened with minced Gruyère and served very hot. " Several French provinces are known for distinctive individual Puffsusually served in the dainty fluted forms they are cooked in. InJeanne d'Arc's Lorraine, for instance, there are the simply named _LesRamequins_, made of flour, Gruyère and eggs. Swiss-Roquefort Ramekins 1/4 pound Swiss cheese1/4 pound Roquefort cheese1/2 pound butter8 eggs, separated4 breakfast rolls, crusts removed1/2 cup cream The batter is made in the usual way, with the soft insides of the rolls simmered in the cream and stirred in. The egg whites are folded in last, as always, the batter poured into ramekins part full and baked to a golden-brown. Then they are served instantaneously, lest they fall. Puff Paste Ramekins Puff or other pastry is rolled out fiat and sprinkled with fine tasty cheese or any cheese mixture, such as Parmesan with Gruyère and/or Swiss Sapsago for a piquant change, but in lesser quantity than the other cheeses used. Parmesan cheese has long been the favorite for these. Fold paste into 3 layers, roll out again and dust with more cheese. Fold once more and roll this out and cut in small fancy shapes to bake 10 to 15 minutes in a hot oven. Brushing with egg yolk before baking makes these Ramekins shine. Frying Pan Ramekins Melt 2 ounces of butter, let it cool a little and then mix with 1/2 pound of cheese. Fold in the whites of 3 eggs, beaten stiff but not dry. Cover frying pan with buttered papers, put slices of bread on this and cover with the cheese mixture. Cook about 5 minutes, take it off and brown it with a salamander. There are two schools of salamandering among turophiles. One holdsthat it toughens the cheese and makes it less digestible; the otherthat it's simply swell. Some of the latter addicts have specialcheese-branding irons made with their monograms, to identify theircreations, whether they be burned on the skins of Welsh Rabbits orFrying Pan Ramekins. Salamandering with an iron that has a gay, carnivalesque design can make a sort of harlequin Ramekin. Casserole Ramekin Here is the Americanization of a French original: In a deep casserole lay alternate slices of white bread and Swiss cheese, with the cheese slices a bit bigger all around. Beat 2 eggs with 2 cups of milk, season with salt and--of all things--nutmeg! Proceed to bake like individual Ramekins. [Illustration] _Chapter Eight_ Pizzas, Blintzes, Pastes, Cheese Cakes, etc. No matter how big or hungry your family, you can always appease themwith pizza. Pizza--The Tomato Pie of Sicily DOUGH 1 package yeast, dissolved in warm water2 cups sifted flour1 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons olive oil Make dough of this. Knead 12 to 20 minutes. Pat into a ball, cover it tight and let stand 3 hours in warm place until twice the size. TOMATO PASTE 3 tablespoons olive oil2 large onions, sliced thin1 can Italian tomato paste8 to 10 anchovy filets, cut small1/2 teaspoon oreganoSaltCrushed chili pepper2-1/2 cups water In the oil fry onion tender but not too brown, stir in tomato paste and keep stirring 3 or 4 minutes. Season, pour water over and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes. Add anchovies when sauce is done. CHEESE 1/2 cup grated Italian, Parmesan, Romano or Pecorino, dependingon your pocketbook Procure a low, wide and handsome tin pizza pan, or reasonable substitute, and grease well before spreading the well-raised dough 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Poke your finger tips haphazardly into the dough to make marks that will catch the sauce when you pour it on generously. Shake on Parmesan or Parmesan-type cheese and bake in hot oven 1/2 hour, then 1/4 hour more at lower heat until the pizza is golden-brown. Cut in wedges like any other pie and serve. The proper pans come all tin and a yard wide, down to regularapple-pie size, but twelve-inch pans are the most popular. Miniature Pizzas Miniature pizzas are split English muffins rubbed with garlic or onion and brushed with olive oil. Cover with tomato sauce and a slice of Mozzarella cheese, anchovy, oregano and grated Parmesan, and heat 8 minutes. Italian-Swiss Scallopini 1 pound paper-thin veal cutlets1/2 cup flour1/2 cup grated Swiss and Parmesan, mixed1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with waterButterSaltPaprika Moisten veal with egg and roll in flour mixed with cheese, quickly brown, lower flame and cook 4 to 5 minutes till tender. Dust with paprika and salt. Neapolitan Baked Lasagne, or Stuffed Noodles 1 pound lasagne, or other wide noodles1-1/2 cups cooked thick tomato sauce with meat1/2 pound Ricotta or cottage cheese1 pound Mozzarella or American Cheddar1/4 pound grated Parmesan, Romano or PecorinoSaltPepper, preferably crushed red podsA shaker filled with grated Parmesan, or reasonable substitute Cook wide or broad noodles 15 to 20 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water until tender, but not soft, and drain. Pour 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in baking dish or pan, cover with about 1/2 of the noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, a layer of sauce, a layer of Mozzarella and dabs of Ricotta. Continue in this fashion, alternating layers and seasoning each, ending with a final spread of sauce, Parmesan and red pepper. Bake firm in moderate oven, about 15 minutes, and served in wedges like pizza, with canisters of grated Parmesan, crushed red pepper pods and more of the sauce to taste. Little Hats, Cappelletti Freshly made and still moist Cappelletti, little hats, contrived out of tasty paste, may be had in any Little Italy macaroni shop. These may be stuffed sensationally in four different flavors with only two cheeses. Brown slices of chicken and ham separately, in butter. Mince each very fine and divide in half, to make four mixtures in equal amounts. Season these with salt, pepper and nutmeg and a binding of 2 parts egg yolk to I part egg white. With these meat mixtures you can make four different-flavored fillings: Ham and Mozzarella Chicken and Mozzarella Ham and Ricotta Chicken and Ricotta Fill the little hats alternately, so you'll have the same number of each different kind. Pinch edges tight together to keep the stuffings in while boiling fast for 5 minutes in chicken broth (or salted water, if you must). Since these Cappelletti are only a pleasing form and shape of ravioli, they are served in the same way on hot plates, with plain tomato sauce and Parmesan or reasonable substitute. If we count this final seasoning as an ingredient, this makes three cheeses, so that each of half a dozen taste buds can be getting individual sensations without letting the others know what it's doing. Dauphiny Ravioli This French variant of the famous Italian pockets of pastry follows the Cappelletti pattern, with any fresh goat cheese and Gruyère melted with butter and minced parsley and boiled in chicken broth. Italian Fritters 1/4 cup flour2 tablespoons sugar1/4 pound fresh Ricotta2 eggs, beaten1/2 cup shredded MozzarellaRind of 1/2 lemon, grated3 tablespoons brandySalt Stir and mix well together in the order given and let stand 1 hour or more to thicken the batter so it will hold its shape while cooking. Shape batter like walnuts and hold one at a time in the bowl of a long-handled spoon dipped for 10 seconds in boiling hot oil. Fritter the "walnuts" so, and serve at once with powdered sugar. To make fascinating cheese croquettes, mix several contrasting cheeses in this batter. Italian Asparagus and Cheese This gives great scope for contrasting cheeses in one and the same dish. In a shallow baking pan put a foundation layer of grated Cheddar and a little butter. Cover with a layer of tender parts of asparagus, lightly salted; next a layer of grated Gruyère with a bit of butter, and another of asparagus. From here you can go as far as you like with varied layers of melting cheeses alternating with asparagus, until you come to the top, where you add two more kinds of cheese, a mixture of powdered Parmesan with Sapsago to give the new-mown hay scent. Garlic on Cheese For one sandwich prepare 30 or 40 garlic cloves by removing skins and frying out the fierce pungence in smoking olive oil. They skip in the hot pan like Mexican jumping beans. Toast one side of a thickish slice of bread, put this side down on a grilling pan, cover it with a slice of imported Swiss Emmentaler or Gruyère, of about the same size, shape and thickness. Stick the cooked garlic cloves, while still blistering hot, in a close pattern into the cheese and brown for a minute under the grill. Salt lightly and dash with paprika for the color. (Recipe by Bob Brown in Merle Armitage's collection _Fit for a King_. ) Spaniards call garlic cloves teeth, Englishmen call them toes. It wascheese and garlic together that inspired Shakespeare to Hotspur'sdeclaration in _King Henry IV_: I had rather live With cheese and garlic in a windmill, far, Than feed on cates and have him talk to me In any summer-house in Christendom. Some people can take a mere _soupçon_ of the stuff, while others candown it by the soup spoon, so we feel it necessary in reprinting ourrecipe to point to the warning of another early English writer:"Garlic is very dangerous to young children, fine women and hot youngmen. " Blintzes This snow white member of the crêpes suzette sorority is the most popular deb in New York's fancy cheese dishes set. Almost unknown here a decade or two ago, it has joined blinis, kreplach and cheeseburgers as a quick and sustaining lunch for office workers. 2 eggs1 cup water1 cup sifted flourSaltCooking oil1/2 pound cottage cheese2 tablespoons butter2 cups sour cream Beat 1 egg light and make a batter with the water, flour and salt to taste. Heat a well-greased small frying pan and make little pancakes with 2 tablespoons of batter each. Cook the cakes over low heat and on one side only. Slide each cake off on a white cloth, with the cooked side down. While these are cooling make the blintz-filling by beating together the second egg, cottage cheese and butter. Spread each pancake thickly with the mixture and roll or make into little pockets or envelopes with the end tucked in to hold the filling. Cook in foil till golden-brown and serve at once with sufficient sour cream to smother them. Vatroushki Russia seems to have been the cradle of all sorts of blinis and blintzes, and perhaps the first, of them to be made was vatroushki, a variant of the blintzes above. The chief difference is that rounds of puff paste dough are used instead of the hot cakes, 1 teaspoon of sugar is added to the cottage cheese filling, and the sour cream, 1/2 cup, is mixed into this instead of being served with it. Little cups filled with this mix are made by pinching the edges of the dough together. The tops are brushed with egg yolk and baked in a brisk oven. Cottage Cheese Pancakes 1 cup prepared pancake4 tablespoons top milk or light cream1 teaspoon salt4 eggs, well beaten1 tablespoon sugar2 cups cottage cheese, put through ricer Mix batter and stir in cheese last until smooth. Cheese Waffles 2 cups prepared waffle flour3 egg yolks, lightly beaten1/4 cup melted butter3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar3 egg whites, beaten stiff Stir up a smooth waffle batter of the first 4 ingredients and fold in egg whites last. Today you can get imported canned Holland cheese waffles to heatquickly and serve. Napkin Dumpling 1 pound cottage cheese1/8 pound butter, softened3 eggs, beaten3/4 cup Farina1/2 teaspoon saltCinnamon and brown sugar Mix together all ingredients (except the cinnamon and sugar) to form a ball. Moisten a linen napkin with cold water and tie the ball of dough in it. Simmer 40 to 50 minutes in salted boiling water, remove from napkin, sprinkle well with cinnamon and brown sugar, and serve. This is on the style of Hungarian potato and other succulent dumplings and may be served with goulash or as a meal in itself. BUTTER AND CHEESE Where fish is scant And fruit of trees, Supply that want With butter and cheese. Thomas Tusser in _The Last Remedy_ Butter and cheese are mixed together in equal parts for cheese butter. Serbia has a cheese called Butter that more or less matches Turkey'sDurak, of which butter is an indispensable ingredient, and FrenchCancoillote is based on sour milk simmered with butter. The English have a cheese called Margarine, made with the buttersubstitute. In Westphalia there are no two schools of thought aboutwhether 'tis better to eat butter with cheese or not, for inWestphalia sour-milk cheese, butter is mixed in as part of the processof making. The Arabs press curds and butter together to store in vats, and the Scots have Crowdie or Cruddy Butter. BUTTERMILK CHEESE The value of buttermilk is stressed in an extravagant old Hinduproverb: "A man may live without bread, but without buttermilk hedies. " Cheese was made before butter, being the earliest form of dairymanufacturing, so buttermilk cheese came well after plain milk cheese, even after whey cheese. It is very tasty, and a natural with potatosalad. The curd is salted after draining and sold in small parchmentpackages. German "leather" cheese has buttermilk mixed with the plain. The Danesmake their Appetitost with sour buttermilk. Ricotta Romano, for anovelty, is made of sheep buttermilk. COTTAGE CHEESE In America cottage cheese is also called pot, Dutch and smearcase. Itis the easiest and quickest to make of all cheeses, by simply lettingmilk sour, or adding buttermilk to curdle it, then stand a while onthe back of the kitchen stove, since it is homemade as a rule. It isdrained in a bag of cheesecloth and may be eaten the same day, usuallysalted. The Pilgrims brought along the following two tried and true recipesfrom olde England, and both are still in use and good repute: _Cottage Cheese No. 1_ Let milk sour until clotted. Pour boiling water over and it willimmediately curd. Stir well and pour into a colander. Pour a littlecold water on the curd, salt it and break it up attractively forserving. _Cottage Cheese No. 2_ A very rich and tasty variety is made of equal parts whole milk andbuttermilk heated together to just under the boiling point. Pour intoa linen bag and let drain until next day. Then remove, salt to tasteand add a bit of butter or cream to make a smooth, creamy consistency, and pat into balls the size of a Seville orange. CREAM CHEESE In England there are three distinct manners of making cream cheese: 1. Fresh milk strained and lightly drained. 2. Scalded cream dried and drained dry, like Devonshire. 3. Rennet curd ripened, with thin, edible rind, or none, packagedin small blocks or miniature bricks by dairy companies, asin the U. S. Philadelphia Cream cheese. American cream cheeses follow the English pattern, being named fromthen: region or established brands owned by Breakstone, Borden, Kraft, Shefford, etc. Cream cheese such as the first listed above is easier to make thancottage cheese or any other. Technically, in fact, it is not a cheesebut the dried curd of milk and is often called virginal. Fresh milk issimply strained through muslin in a perforated box through which thewhey and extra moisture drains away for three or four days, leaving aresidue as firm as fresh butter. In America, where we mix cream cheese with everything, a popularassortment of twelve sold in New York bears these ingredients andnames: Chives, Cherry, Garden, Caviar, Lachs, Pimiento, Olive andPimiento, Pineapple, Relish, Scallion, Strawberry, and Triple Deckerof Relish, Pimiento and Cream in layers. In Italy there is Stracchino Cream, in Sweden Chantilly. Finally, tocome to France, la Foncée or Fromage de Pau, a cream also known aroundthe world as Crême d'Isigny, Double Crême, Fromage à la Crême de Gien, Pots de Crême St. Gervais, etc. Etc. The French go even farther by eating thick fresh cream with Chevretonsdu Beaujolais and Fromage Blanc in the style that adds _à la crême_ totheir already glorified names. The English came along with Snow Cream Cheese that is more of adessert, similar to Italian Cream Cheese. We'd like to have a cheese ice cream to contrast with too sweet ones. Attempts at this have been made, both here and in England; ScottishCaledonian cream came closest. We have frozen cheese with fruit, to besure, but no true cheese ice cream as yet, though some cream cheesesseem especially suitable. The farmer's daughter hath soft brown hair (Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese) And I met with a ballad I can't say where, That wholly consisted of lines like these, (Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese. ) In this parody by Calverly, "The Farmer's Daughter, " the ingredientssuggest cheese cake, dating back to 1381 In England. From that yearKettner in his _Book of the Table_ quotes this recipe: Take cream of almonds or of cow milk and beat them well together; and make small coffins (that is, cases of pastry), and do it (put it) therein; and do (put) thereto sugar and good powders. Or take good fat cheese and eggs and make them of divers colours, green, red or yellow, and bake them or serve them forth. This primitive "receipt" grew up into Richmond maids of honor thatcaused Kettner to wax poetic with: At Richmond we are permitted to touch with our lips a countless number of these maids--light and airy as the "airy, fairy Lilian. " What more can the finest poetry achieve in quickening the things of earth into tokens and foretastes of heaven, with glimpses of higher life and ethereal worlds. CHEESECAKES _Coronation Cheese Cake_ The _Oxford Dictionary_ defines cheese cake as a "tartlet filled withsweet curds, etc. " This shows that the cheese is the main thing, andthe and-so-forth just a matter of taste. We are delighted to recordthat the Lord Mayor of London picked traditional cheese tarts, themaids of honor mentioned earlier in this section, as the Coronationdessert with which to regale the second Queen Elizabeth at the cityluncheon in Guildhall This is most fitting, since these tarts werenamed after the maids of honor at the court of the first QueenElizabeth. The original recipe is said to have sold for a thousandpounds. These Richmond maids of honor had the usual cheese cakeingredients: butter and eggs and pounds of cheese, but what made thesubtle flavor: nutmeg, brandy, lemon, orange-flower water, or allfour? More than 2, 000 years before this land of Coronation cheese cake, theGreeks had a word for it--several in fact: Apician Cheese Cake, Aristoxenean, and Philoxenean among them. Then the Romans took it overand we read from an epistle of the period: Thirty times in this one year, Charinus, while you have been arranging to make your will, have I sent you cheese cakes dripping with Hyblaean Thyme. (Celestial honey, such as that of Mount Hymettus we still get from Greece. ) Plato mentioned cheese cake, and a town near Thebes was named for itbefore Christ was born, at a time when cheese cakes were widely knownas "dainty food for mortal man. " Today cheese cakes come in a half dozen popular styles, of which theones flavored with fresh pineapple are the most popular in New York. But buyers delight in every sort, including the one hundred percentAmerican type called cheese pies. Indeed, there seems to be no dividing line between cheese cakes andcheese pies. While most of them are sweet, some are made piquant withpimientos and olives. We offer a favorite of ours made frompopcorn-style pot cheese put through a sieve: Pineapple Cheese Cake 2-1/2 pounds sieved pot cheese1-inch piece vanilla bean1/4 pound sweet butter, melted1/2 small box graham crackers, crushed fine4 eggs2 cups sugar1 small can crushed pineapple, drained2 cups milk1/3 cup flour In a big bowl mix everything except the graham crackers and pineapple in the order given above. Butter a square Pyrex pan and put in the graham-cracker dust to make a crust. Cover this evenly with the pineapple and pour in the cheese-custard mixture. Bake I hour in a "quiet" oven, as the English used to say for a moderate one, and when done set aside for 12 hours before eating. Because of the time and labor involved maybe you had better buy yourcheese cakes, even though some of the truly fine ones cost a dime abite, especially the pedigreed Jewish-American ones in Manhattan. Reuben's and Lindy's are two leaders at about five dollars a cake. Some are fruited with cherries or strawberries. Cheese Custard 4 eggs, slightly beaten1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup milkA dash of pepper or paprika3 tablespoons melted butterA few drops of onion juice, if desired4 tablespoons grated Swiss (imported) Mix all together, set in molds in pan of hot water, and bake until brown. Open-faced Cheese Pie 3 eggs1 cup sugar2 pounds soft smearcase Whip everything together and fill two pie crusts. Bake without any upper crust. The Apple-pie Affinity Hot apple pie was always accompanied with cheese in New England, evenas every slice of apple pie in Wisconsin has cheese for a sidekick, according to law. Pioneer hot pies were baked in brick ovens andflavored with nutmeg, cinnamon and rose geranium. The cheese wasCheddar, but today all sorts of pie and cheese combinations arecommon, such as banana pie and Gorgonzola, mince with Danish Blue, pumpkin with cream cheese, peach pie with Hablé, and even a greendusting of Sapsago over raisin pie. Apple pie _au gratin_, thickly grated over with Parmesan, Caciocavalloor Sapsago, is something special when served with black coffee. Cider, too, or applejack, is a natural accompaniment to any dessert of applewith its cheese. Apple Pie Adorned Apple pie is adorned with cream and cheese by pressing cream cheese through a ricer and folding in plenty of double cream beaten thick and salted a little. Put the mixture in a pastry tube and decorate top of pie in fanciful fashion. Apple Pie á la Cheese Lay a slice of melting cheese on top of apple (or any fruit or berry) pie, and melt under broiler 2 to 3 minutes. Cheese-crusty Apple Pie In making an apple pie, roll out the top crust and sprinkle with sharp Cheddar, grated, dot with butter and bake golden-brown. Flan au Fromage To make this Franche-Comté tart of crisp paste, simply mix coarsely grated Gruyère with beaten egg, fill the tart cases and bake. For any cheese pastry or fruit and custard pie crusts, work in tasty shredded sharp Cheddar in the ratio of 1 to 4 parts of flour. Christmas Cake Sandwiches A traditional Christmas carol begs for: A little bit of spice cake A little bit of cheese, A glass of cold water, A penny, if you please. For a festive handout cut the spice cake or fruit cake in slices and sandwich them with slices of tasty cheese between. To maintain traditional Christmas cheer for the elders, serve apple pie with cheese and applejack. Angelic Camembert 1 ripe Camembert, imported1 cup Anjou dry white wine1/2 pound sweet butter, softened2 tablespoons finely grated toast crumbs Lightly scrape all crusty skin from the Camembert and when its creamy interior stands revealed put it in a small, round covered dish, pour in the wine, cover tightly so no bouquet or aroma can possibly escape, and let stand overnight. When ready to serve drain off and discard any wine left, dry the cheese and mash with the sweet butter into an angelic paste. Reshape in original Camembert form, dust thickly with the crumbs and there you are. Such a delicate dessert is a favorite with the ladies, since some ofthem find a prime Camembert a bit too strong if taken straight. Although A. W. Fulton's observation in _For Men Only_ is going out ofdate, it is none the less amusing: In the course of a somewhat varied career I have only met one woman who appreciated cheese. This quality in her seemed to me so deserving of reward that I did not hesitate to acquire her hand in marriage. Another writer has said that "only gourmets among women seem to likecheese, except farm women and foreigners. " The association betweengourmets and farm women is borne out by the following urgent plea fromearly Italian landowners: _Ai contadini non far sapere Quanta è buono it cacio con le pere_. Don't let the peasants know How good are cheese and pears. Having found out for ourselves, we suggest a golden slice of Taleggio, Stracchino, or pale gold Bel Paese to polish off a good dinner, with ajuicy Lombardy pear or its American equivalent, a Bartlett, let ussay. This celestial association of cheese and pears is further accented bythe French: _Entre la poire et le fromage_ Between the pear and the cheese. This places the cheese after the fruit, as the last course, inaccordance with early English usage set down by John Clarke in his_Paroemiologia_: After cheese comes nothing. But in his _Epigrams_ Ben Jonson serves them together. Digestive cheese, and fruit there sure will be. That brings us back to cheese and pippins: I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to come. Shakespeare's _Merry Wives of Windsor_ When should the cheese be served? In England it is served before orafter the fruit, with or without the port. Following _The Book of Keruynge_ in modern spelling we note when itwas published in 1431 the proper thing "after meat" was "pears, nuts, strawberries, whortleberries (American huckleberries) and hardcheese. " In modern practice we serve some suitable cheese likeCamembert directly on slices of apple and pears, Gorgonzola on slicedbanana, Hablé spread on pineapple and a cheese dessert tray to matchthe Lazy Lou, with everything crunchy down to Crackerjacks. Good, too, are figs, both fresh and preserved, stuffed with cream cheese, kumquats, avocados, fruity dunking mixtures of Pineapple cheese, served in the scooped-out casque of the cheese itself, and apple orpear and Provolone creamed and put back in the rind it came in. Potsof liquored and wined cheeses, no end, those of your own making beingthe best. Champagned Roquefort or Gorgonzola 1/2 pound mellow Roquefort1/4 pound sweet butter, softenedA dash cayenne3/4 cup champagne With a silver fork mix cheese and butter to a smooth paste, moistening with champagne as you go along, using a little more or less champagne according to consistency desired. Serve with the demitasse and cognac, offering, besides crackers, gilt gingerbread in the style of Holland Dutch cheese tasters, or just plain bread. After dinner cheeses suggested by Phil Alpert are: FROM FRANCE: Port-Salut, Roblochon, Coulommiers, Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, Calvados (try it with a spot of Calvados, apple brandy) FROM THE U. S. : Liederkranz, Blue, Cheddar FROM SWEDEN: Hablé Crême Chantilly FROM ITALY: Taleggio, Gorgonzola, Provolone, Bel Paese FROM HUNGARY: Kascaval FROM SWITZERLAND: Swiss Gruyère FROM GERMANY: Kümmelkäse FROM NORWAY: Gjetost, Bondost FROM HOLLAND: Edam, Gouda FROM ENGLAND: Stilton FROM POLAND: Warshawski Syr [Illustration] _Chapter Nine_ Au Gratin, Soups, Salads and Sauces He who says _au gratin_ says Parmesan. Thomas Gray, the English poet, saluted it two centuries ago with: Parma, the happy country where huge cheeses grow. On September 4, 1666, Pepys recorded the burying of his pet Parmesan, "as well as my wine and some other things, " in a pit in Sir W. Batten's garden. And on the selfsame fourth of September, more than acentury later, in 1784, Woodforde in his _Diary of a Country Parson_wrote: I sent Mr. Custance about 3 doz. More of apricots, and he sent me back another large piece of fine Parmesan cheese. It was very kind of him. The second most popular cheese for _au gratin_ is Italian Romano, and, for an entirely different flavor, Swiss Sapsago. The French, who gaveus this cookery term, use it in its original meaning for any dish witha browned topping, usually of bread crumbs, or crumbs and cheese. InAmerica we think of _au gratin_ as grated cheese only, althoughWebster says, "with a browned covering, often mixed with butter orcheese; as, potatoes _au gratin_. " So let us begin with that. Potatoes au Gratin 2 cups diced cooked potatoes2 tablespoons grated onion1/2 cup grated American Cheddar cheese2 tablespoons butter1/2 cup milk1 eggSaltPepperMore grated cheese for covering In a buttered baking dish put a layer of diced potatoes, sprinkle with onion and bits of butter. Next, scatter on a thin layer of cheese and alternate with potatoes, onions and butter. Stir milk, egg, salt and pepper together and pour it on the mixture. Top everything with plenty of grated cheese to make it authentically American _au gratin_. Bake until firm in moderate oven, about 1/2 hour. Eggs au Gratin Make a white sauce flavored with minced onion to pour over any desired number of eggs broken into a buttered baking dish. Begin by using half of the sauce and sprinkling on a lot of grated cheese. After the eggs are in, pour on the rest of the sauce, cover it with grated cheese and bread crumbs, drop in bits of butter, and cook until brown in oven (or about 12 minutes). Tomatoes au Gratin Cover bottom of shallow baking pan with slices of tomato and sprinkle liberally with bread crumbs and grated cheese, season with salt, pepper and dots of butter, add another layer of tomato slices, season as before and continue this, alternating with cheese, until pan is full. Add a generous topping of crumbs, cheese and butter. Bake 50 minutes in moderate oven. Onion Soup au Gratin 4 or 5 onions, sliced4 or 5 tablespoons butter1 quart stock or canned consommé1 quart bouillon made from dissolving 4 or 5 cubesRounds of toasted French bread1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese Sauté onions in butter in a roomy saucepan until light golden, and pour the stock over. When heated put in a larger casserole, add the bouillon, season to taste and heat to boiling point. Let simmer 15 minutes and serve in deep well-heated soup plates, the bottoms covered with rounds of toasted French bread which have been heaped with freshly grated Parmesan and browned under the broiler. More cheese is served for guests to sprinkle on as desired. At gala parties, where wine flows, a couple of glasses of champagneare often added to the bouillon. In the famed onion soup _au gratin_ at Les Halles in Paris, gratedGruyère is used in place of Parmesan. They are interchangeable in thisrecipe. AMERICAN CHEESE SOUPS In this era of fine canned soups a quick cheese soup is made by heating cream of tomato soup, ready made, and adding finely grated Swiss or Parmesan to taste. French bread toasted and topped with more cheese and broiled golden makes the best base to pour this over, as is done with the French onion soup above. The same cheese toasts are the basis of a simple milk-cheese soup, with heated milk poured over and a seasoning of salt, pepper, chopped chives, or a dash of nutmeg. Chicken Cheese Soup Heat together 1 cup milk, 1 cup water in which 2 chicken bouillon cubes have been dissolved, and 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup. Stir in 1/4 cup grated American Cheddar cheese and season with salt, pepper, and plenty of paprika until cheese melts. Other popular American recipes simply add grated cheese to lima bean or split bean soup, peanut butter soup, or plain cheese soup with rice. Imported French _marmites_ are _de rigueur_ for a real onion soup _augratin_, and an imported Parmesan grinder might be used for freshlyground cheese. In preparing, it is well to remember that they arebasically only melted cheese, melted from the top down. CHEESE SALADS When a Frenchman reaches the salad he is resting and in no hurry. He eats the salad to prepare himself for the cheese. Henri Charpentier, _Life & la Henri_, Green Cheese Salad Julienne Take endive, water cress and as many different kinds of crisp lettuce as you can find and mix well with Provolone cheese cut in thin julienne strips and marinated 3 to 4 hours in French dressing. Crumble over the salad some Blue cheese and toss everything thoroughly, with plenty of French dressing. American Cheese Salad Slice a sweet ripe pineapple thin and sprinkle with shredded American Cheddar. Serve on lettuce dipped in French dressing. Cheese and Nut Salad Mix American Cheddar with an equal amount of nut meats and enough mayonnaise to make a paste. Roll these in little balls and serve with fruit salads, dusting lightly with finely grated Sapsago. Brie or Camembert Salad Fill ripe pear-or peach-halves with creamy imported Brie or Camembert, sprinkle with honey, serve on lettuce drenched with French dressing and scatter shredded almonds over. (Cream cheese will do in a pinch. If the Camembert isn't creamy enough, mash it with some sweet cream. ) Three-in-One Mold 3/4 cup cream cheese1/2 cup grated American Cheddar cheese1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled2 tablespoons gelatin, dissolved and stirred into1/2 cup boiling waterJuice of 1 lemonSaltPepper2 cups cream, beaten stiff1/2 cup minced chives Mash the cheeses together, season gelatin liquid with lemon, salt and pepper and stir into cheese with the whipped cream. Add chives last Put in ring mold or any mold you fancy, chill well and slice at table to serve on lettuce with a little mayonnaise, or plain. Swiss Cheese Salad Dice 1/2 pound of cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Slice one onion very thin. Mix well in a soup plate. Dash with German mustard, olive oil, wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce. Salt lightly and grind in plenty of black pepper. Then stir, preferably with a wooden spoon so you won't mash the cheese, until every hole is drenched with the dressing. Rosie's Swiss Breakfast Cheese Salad Often Emmentaler is cubed in a salad for breakfast, relished speciallyby males on the morning after. We quote the original recipe broughtover by Rosie from the Swiss Tyrol to thrill the writers' and artists'colony of Ridgefield, New Jersey, in her brother Emil's White HouseInn: First Rosie cut a thick slice of prime imported Emmentaler into half-inch cubes. Then she mixed imported French olive oil, German mustard and Swiss white wine vinegar with salt and freshly ground pepper in a deep soup plate, sprinkled on a few drops of pepper sauce scattered in the chunks of Schweizer and stirred the cubes with a light hand, using a wooden fork and spoon to prevent bruising. The salad was ready to eat only when each and every tiny, shiny cell of the Swiss from the homeland had been washed, oiled and polished with the soothing mixture. "Drink down the juice, too, when you have finished mine Breakfast Cheese Salad, " Rosie advised the customers. "It is the best cure in the world for the worst hangover. " Gorgonzola and Banana Salad Slice bananas lengthwise, as for a banana split. Sprinkle with lemon juice and spread with creamy Gorgonzola. Sluice with French dressing made with lemon juice in place of vinegar, to help bring out the natural banana flavor of ripe Gorgonzola. Cheese and Pea Salad Cube 1/2 pound of American Cheddar and mix with a can of peas, 1 cup of diced celery, 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 2 tablespoons each of minced pimientos and sweet pickles. Serve in lettuce cups with a sprinkling of parsley and chopped radishes. Apple and Cheese Salad 1/2 cup cream cheese1 cup chopped pecansSalt and pepperApples, sliced 1/2-inch thickLettuce leavesCreamy salad dressing Make tiny seasoned cheese balls, center on the apple slices standing on lettuce leaves, and sluice with creamy salad dressing. Roquefort Cheese Salad Dressing No cheese sauce is easier to make than the American favorite of Roquefort cheese mashed with a fork and mixed with French dressing. It is often made in a pint Mason jar and kept in the refrigerator to shake up on occasion and toss over lettuce or other salads. Unfortunately, even when the Roquefort is the French import, completewith the picture of the sheep in red, and _garanti véritable_, thedressing is often ruined by bad vinegar and cottonseed oil (of allthings). When bottled to sell in stores, all sorts of extraneousspice, oils and mustard flour are used where nothing more is necessarythan the manipulation of a fork, fine olive oil and goodvinegar--white wine, tarragon or malt. Some ardent amateurs must havetheir splash of Worcestershire sauce or lemon juice with salt andpepper. This Roquefort dressing is good on all green salads, but onendive it's something special. SAUCE MORNAY Sauce Mornay has been hailed internationally as "the greatest culinaryachievement in cheese. " Nothing is simpler to make. All you do is prepare a white sauce (the French Sauce Béchamel) and add grated Parmesan to your liking, stirring it in until melted and the sauce is creamy. This can be snapped up with cayenne or minced parsley, and when used with fish a little of the cooking broth is added. PLAIN CHEESE SAUCE 1 part of any grated cheese to 4 parts of white sauce This is a mild sauce that is nice with creamed or hard-cooked eggs. When the cheese content is doubled, 2 parts of cheese to 4 of white sauce, it is delicious on boiled cauliflower, baked potatoes, macaroni and crackers soaked in milk. The sauce may be made richer by mixing melted butter with the flour in making the white sauce, or by beating egg yolk in with the cheese. From thin to medium to thick it serves divers purposes: _Thin_: it may be used instead of milk to make a tasty milk toast, sometimes spiced with curry. _Medium_: for baking by pouring over crackers soaked in milk. _Thick_: serves as a sort of Welsh Rabbit when poured generously overbread toasted on one side only, with the untoasted side up, to let thesauce sink in. PARSLEYED CHEESE SAUCE This makes a mild, pleasantly pungent sauce, to enliven the cabbage family--hot cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Croutons help when sprinkled over. CORNUCOPIA OF CHEESE RECIPES Since this is the Complete Book of Cheese we will fill a bounteouscornucopia here with more or less essential, if not indispensable, recipes and dishes not so easy to classify, or overlooked or crowdedout of the main sections devoted to the classic Fondues, Rabbits, Soufflés, etc. _Stuffed Celery, Endive, Anise and Other Suitable Stalks_ Use any soft cheese you like, or firm cheese softened by pressingthrough a sieve; at room temperature, of course, with any seasoning orrelish. SUGGESTIONS: Cream cheese and chopped chives, pimientos, olives, or all three, with or without a touch of Worcestershire. Cottage cheese and piccalilli or chili sauce. Sharp Cheddar mixed with mayonnaise, mustard, cream, minced capers, pickles, or minced ham. Roquefort and other Blues are excellent fillings for your favorite vegetable stalk, or scooped-out dill pickle. This last is specially nice when filled with snappy cheese creamed with sweet butter. All canapé butters are ideally suited to stuffing stalks. Pineapple cheese, especially that part close to the pineapple-flavored rind, is perfect when creamed. A masterpiece in the line of filled stalks: Cut the leafy tops off an entire head of celery, endive, anise or anything similarly suitable. Wash and separate stalks, but keep them in order, to reassemble in the head after each is stuffed with a different mixture, using any of the above, or a tangy mix of your own concoction. After all stalks are filled, beginning with the baby center ones, press them together in the form of the original head, tie tight, and chill. When ready, slice in rolls about 8-inch thick and arrange as a salad on a bed of water cress or lettuce, moistened with French dressing. Cold Dunking Besides hot dunking in Swiss Fondue, cold dunking may be had by moistening plenty of cream cheese with cream or lemon in a dunking bowl. When the cheese is sufficiently liquefied, it is liberally seasoned with chopped parsley, chives, onions, pimiento and/or other relish. Then a couple of tins of anchovies are macerated and stirred in, oil and all. Cheese Charlotte Line a baking dish from bottom to top with decrusted slices of bread dipped in milk. Cream 1 tablespoon of sweet butter with 2 eggs and season before stirring in 2 cups of grated cheese. Bake until golden brown in slow oven. Straws Roll pastry dough thin and cover with grated Cheddar, fold and roll at least twice more, sprinkling with cheese each time. Chill dough in refrigerator and cut in straw-size strips. Stiffly salt a beaten egg yolk and glaze with that to give a salty taste. Bake for several minutes until crisp. Supa Shetgia[B] [Footnote B: (from _Cheese Cookery_, by Helmut Ripperger)] _This is the famous cheese soup of the Engadine and little known in this country. One of its seasonings is nutmeg and until one has used it in cheese dishes, it is hard to describe how perfectly it gives that extra something. The recipe, as given, is for each plate, but there is no reason why the old-fashioned tureen could not be used and the quantities simply increased_. Put a slice of stale French bread, toasted or not, into a soup plate and cover it with 4 tablespoons of grated or shredded Swiss cheese. Place another slice of bread on top of this and pour over it some boiling milk. Cover the plate and let it stand for several minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve topped with browned, hot butter. Use whole nutmeg and grate it freshly. WITH A CHEESE SHAKER ON THE TABLE Italians are so dependent on cheese to enrich all their dishes, fromsoups to spaghetti--and indeed any vegetable--that a shaker of gratedParmesan, Romano or reasonable substitute stands ready at every table, or is served freshly grated on a side dish. Thus any Italian soupmight be called a cheese soup, but we know of only one, the greatminestrone, in which cheese is listed as an indispensable ingredientalong with the pasta, peas, onion, tomatoes, kidney beans, celery, olive oil, garlic, oregano, potatoes, carrots, and so forth. Likewise, a chunk of melting or toasting cheese is essential in theFritto Misto, the finest mixed grill we know, and it's served up as aseparate tidbit with the meats. Italians grate on more cheese for seasoning than any other people, asthe French are wont to use more wine in cooking. Pfeffernüsse and Caraway The gingery little "pepper nuts, " _pfeffernüsse_, imported fromGermany in barrels at Christmastime, make one of the bestaccompaniments to almost any kind of cheese. For contrast try a dishof caraway. Diablotins Small rounds of buttered bread or toast heaped with a mound of gratedcheese and browned in the oven is a French contribution. CHEESE OMELETS Cheddar Omelet Make a plain omelet your own way. When the mixture has just begun to cook, dust over it evenly 1/2 cup grated Cheddar. (a) Use young Cheddar if you want a mild, bland omelet (b) Use sharp, aged Cheddar for a full-flavored one. (c) Sprinkle (b) with Worcestershire sauce to make what might be called a Wild Omelet. Cook as usual. Fold and serve. Parmesan Omelet (mild) Cook as above, but use 1/4 cup only of Parmesan, grated fine, in place of the 1/2 cup Cheddar. Parmesan Omelet (full flavored) As above, but use 1/2 cup Parmesan, finely grated, as follows: Sift 1/4 cup of the Parmesan into your egg mixture at the beginning and dust on the second 1/4 cup evenly, just as the omelet begins to set. A Meal-in-One Omelet Fry 1/2 dozen bacon slices crisp and keep hot while frying a cup of diced, boiled potatoes in the bacon fat, to equal crispness. Meanwhile make your omelet mixture of 3 eggs, beaten, and 1-1/2 tablespoons of shredded Emmentaler (or domestic Swiss) with 1 tablespoon of chopped chives and salt and pepper to taste. Tomato and Make plain omelet, cover with thin rounds of fresh tomato and dust well with any grated cheese you like. Put under broiler until cheese melts to a golden brown. Omelet with Cheese Sauce Make a plain French, fluffy or puffy omelet and when finished, cover with a hot, seasoned, reinforced white sauce in which 1/4 pound of shredded cheese has been melted, and mixed well with 1/2 cup cooked, diced celery and 1 tablespoon of pimiento, minced. The French use grated Gruyère for this with all sorts of sauces, suchas the _Savoyar de Savoie_, with potatoes, chervil, tarragon andcream. A delicious appearance and added flavor can be had by browningwith a salamander. Spanish Flan--Quesillo FOR THE CARAMEL:1/2 cup sugar4 tablespoons water FOR THE FLAN:4 eggs, beaten separately2 cups hot milk1/2 cup sugarSalt Brown sugar and mix with water to make the caramel. Pour it into a baking mold. Make Flan by mixing together all the ingredients. Add to carameled mold and bake in pan of water in moderate oven about 3/4 hour. Italian Fritto Misto The distinctive Italian Mixed Fry, Fritto Misto, is made with whatever fish, sweetbreads, brains, kidneys, or tidbits of meat are at hand, say a half dozen different cubes of meat and giblets, with as many hearts of artichokes, _finocchi_, tomato, and different vegetables as you can find, but always with a hunk of melting cheese, to fork out in golden threads with each mouthful of the mixture. Polish Piroghs (a pocketful of cheese) Make noodle dough with 2 eggs and 2 cups of flour, roll out very thin and cut in 2-inch squares. Cream a cupful of cottage cheese with a tablespoon of melted butter, flavor with cinnamon and toss in a handful of seedless currents. Fill pastry squares with this and pinch edges tight together to make little pockets. Drop into a lot of fast-boiling water, lightly salted, and boil steadily 30 minutes, lowering the heat so the pockets won't burst open. Drain and serve on a piping hot platter with melted butter and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. This is a cross between ravioli and blintzes. Cheesed Mashed Potatoes Whip into a steaming hot dish of creamily mashed potatoes some old Cheddar with melted butter and a crumbling of crisp, cooked bacon. If there's a chafing dish handy, a first-rate nightcap can be made via a Sautéed Swiss Sandwich Tuck a slice of Swiss cheese between two pieces of thickly buttered bread, trim crusts, cut sandwich in two, surround it with one well-beaten egg, slide it into sizzling butter and fry on both sides. A chef at the New York Athletic Club once improved on this by first sandwiching the Swiss between a slice of ham and a slice of chicken breast, then beating up a brace of eggs with a jigger of heavy sweet cream and soaking his sandwich in this until it sopped up every drop. A final frying in sweet butter made strong men cry for it. [Illustration] _Chapter Ten_ Appetizers, Crackers, Sandwiches, Savories, Snacks, Spreads and Toasts In America cheese got its start in country stores in ourcracker-barrel days when every man felt free to saunter in, pick upthe cheese knife and cut himself a wedge from the big-bellied rattrapcheese standing under its glass bell or wire mesh hood that kept theflies off but not the free-lunchers. Cheese by itself being none toopalatable, the taster would saunter over to the cracker barrel, shoothe cat off and help himself to the old-time crackers that can't bebeat today. At that time Wisconsin still belonged to the Indians and Vermont wasour leading cheese state, with its Sage and Cheddar and VermontCountry Store Crackers, as Vrest Orton of Weston Vermont, calls them. When Orton heard we were writing this book, he sent samples from thestore his father started in 1897 which is still going strong. Togetherwith the Vermont Good Old-fashioned Natural Cheese and the Sage came ahandy handmade Cracker Basket, all wicker, ten crackers long and justone double cracker wide. A snug little casket for those puffy, old-time, two-in-one soda biscuits that have no salt to spoil thetaste of the accompanying cheese. Each does double duty because it'smade to split in the middle, so you can try one kind of cheese on onehalf and another on t'other, or sandwich them between. Some Pied Piper took the country cheese and crackers to the cornersaloon and led a free-lunch procession that never faltered tillProhibition came. The same old store cheese was soon pepped up assaloon cheese with a saucer of caraway seeds, bowls of pickles, peppers, pickled peppers and rye bread with plenty of mustard, pretzels or cheese straws, smearcase and schwarzbrot. Beer and cheeseforever together, as in the free-lunch ditty of that great day: I am an Irish hunter; I am, I ain't. I do not hunt for deer But beer. Oh, Otto, wring the bar rag. I do not hunt for fleas But cheese. Oh, Adolph, bring the free lunch. It was there and then that cheese came of age from coast to coast. Inevery bar there was a choice of Swiss, Cottage, Limburger--manlycheeses, walkie-talkie oldsters that could sit up and beg, goldenyellow, tangy mellow, always cut in cubes. Cheese takes the cube formas naturally as eggs take the oval and honeycombs the hexagon. On the more elegant handout buffets, besides the shapely cubes, freeWelsh Rabbit started at four every afternoon, to lead the tiredbusinessman in by the nose; or a smear of Canadian Snappy out of apure white porcelain pot in the classy places, on a Bent's waterbiscuit. SANDWICHES AND SAVORY SNACKS Next to nibbling cheese with crackers and appetizers, of which thereis no end in sight, cheese sandwiches help us consume most of ourcountry's enormous output of Brick, Cheddar and Swiss. To attempt toclassify and describe all of these would be impossible, so we willcontent ourselves by picking a few of the cold and hot, the plain andthe fancy, the familiar and the exotic. Let's use the alphabet to sumup the situation. A Alpine Club Sandwich Spread toasts with mayonnaise and fill with a thick slice of imported Emmentaler, well-mustarded and seasoned, and the usual club-sandwich toppings of thin slices of chicken or turkey, tomato, bacon and a lettuce leaf. B Boston Beany, Open-face Lightly butter a slice of Boston brown bread, cover it generously with hot baked beans and a thick layer of shredded Cheddar. Top with bacon and put under a slow broiler until cheese melts and the bacon crisps. C Cheeseburgers Pat out some small seasoned hamburgers exceedingly thin and, using them instead of slices of bread, sandwich in a nice slice of American Cheddar well covered with mustard. Crimp edges of the hamburgers all around to hold in the cheese when it melts and begins to run. Toast under a brisk boiler and serve on soft, toasted sandwich buns. D Deviled Rye Butter flat Swedish rye bread and heat quickly in hot oven. Cool until crisp again. Then spread thickly with cream cheese, bedeviled with catsup, paprika or pimiento. E Egg, Open-faced Sauté minced small onion and small green pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter and make a sauce by cooking with a cup of canned tomatoes. Season and reduce to about half. Fry 4 eggs and put one in the center of each of 4 pieces of hot toast spread with the red sauce. Sprinkle each generously with grated Cheddar, broil until melted and serve with crisp bacon. F French-fried Swiss Simply make a sandwich with a noble slice of imported Gruyère, soak it in beaten egg and milk and fry slowly till cheese melts and the sandwich is nicely browned. This is a specialty of Franche-Comté. G Grilled Chicken-Ham-Cheddar Cut crusts from 2 slices of white bread and butter them on both sides. Make a sandwich of these with 1 slice cooked chicken, 1/2 slice sharp Cheddar cheese, and a sprinkling of minced ham. Fasten tight with toothpicks, cut in half and dip thoroughly in a mixture of egg and milk. Grill golden on both sides and serve with lengthwise slices of dill pickle. H He-man Sandwich, Open-faced Butter a thick slice of dark rye bread, cover with a layer of mashed cold baked beans and a slice of ham, then one of Swiss cheese and a wheel of Bermuda onion topped with mustard and a sowing of capers. I International Sandwich Split English muffins and toast on the hard outsides, cover soft, untoasted insides with Swiss cheese, spread lightly with mustard, top that with a wheel of Bermuda onion and 1 or 2 slices of Italian-type tomato. Season with cayenne and salt, dot with butter, cover with Brazil nuts and brown under the broiler. J Jurassiennes, or Croûtes Comtoises Soak slices of stale buns in milk, cover with a mixture of onion browned in chopped lean bacon and mixed with grated Gruyère. Simmer until cheese melts, and serve. K Kümmelkäse If you like caraway flavor this is your sandwich: On well-buttered but lightly mustarded rye, lay a thickish slab of Milwaukee Kümmelkäse, which translates caraway cheese. For good measure sprinkle caraway seeds on top, or serve them in a saucer on the side. Then dash on a splash of kümmel, the caraway liqueur that's best when imported. L Limburger Onion or Limburger Catsup Marinate slices of Bermuda onion in a peppery French dressing for 1/2 hour. Then butter slices of rye, spread well with soft Limburger, top with onion and you will have something super-duper--if you like Limburger. When catsup is substituted for marinated onion the sandwich has quite another character and flavor, so true Limburger addicts make one of each and take alternate bites for the thrill of contrast. M Meringue, Open-faced (from the Browns' _10, 000 Snacks_) Allow 1 egg and 4 tablespoons of grated cheese to 1 slice of bread. Toast bread on one side only, spread butter on untoasted side, put 2 tablespoons grated cheese over butter, and the yolk of an egg in the center. Beat egg white stiff with a few grains of salt and pile lightly on top. Sprinkle the other 2 tablespoons of grated cheese over that and bake in moderate oven until the egg white is firm and the cheese has melted to a golden-brown. N Neufchâtel and Honey We know no sandwich more ethereal than one made with thin, decrusted, white bread, spread with sweet butter, then with Neufchâtel topped with some fine honey--Mount Hymettus, if possible. Any creamy Petit Suisse will do as well as the Neufchâtel, but nothing will take the place of the honey to make this heavenly sandwich that must have been the original ambrosia. O Oskar's Ham-Cam Oskar Davidsen of Copenhagen, whose five-foot menu lists 186 superb sandwiches and snacks, each with a character all its own, perfected the Ham-Cam base for a flock of fancy ham sandwiches, open-faced on rye or white, soft or crisp, sweet or sour, almost any one-way slice you desire. He uses as many contrasting kinds of bread as possible, and his butter varies from salt to fresh and whipped. The Ham-Cam base involves "a juicy, tender slice of freshly boiled, mild-cured ham" with imported Camembert spread on the ham as thick as velvet. The Ham-Cam is built up with such splendors as "goose liver paste and Madeira wine jelly, " "fried calves' kidney and _rémoulade_, " "Bombay curry salad, " "bird's liver and fried egg, " "a slice of red roast beef" and more of that red Madeira jelly, with anything else you say, just so long as it does credit to Camembert on ham. P Pickled Camembert Butter a thin slice of rye or pumpernickel and spread with ripe imported Camembert, when in season (which isn't summer). Make a mixture of sweet, sour and dill pickles, finely chopped, and spread it on. Top this with a thin slice of white bread for pleasing contrast with the black. Q Queijo da Serra Sandwich On generous rounds of French "flute" or other crunchy, crusty white bread place thick portions of any good Portuguese cheese made of sheep's milk "in the mountains. " This last translates back into Queijo da Serra, the fattest, finest cheese in the world--on a par with fine Greek Feta. Bead the open-faced creamy cheese lightly with imported capers, and you'll say it's scrumptious. R Roquefort Nut Butter hot toast and cover with a thickish slice of genuine Roquefort cheese. Sprinkle thickly with genuine Hungarian paprika. Put in moderate oven for about 6 minutes. Finish it off with chopped pine nuts, almonds, or a mixture thereof. S Smoky Sandwich and Sturgeon-smoked Sandwich Skin some juicy little, jolly little sprats, lay on thin rye, or a slice of miniature-loaf rye studded with caraway, spread with sweet butter and cover with a slice of smoked cheese. Hickory is preferred for most of the smoking in America. In New York the best smoked cheese, whether from Canada or nearer home, is usually cured in the same room with sturgeon. Since this king of smoked fish imparts some of its regal savor to the Cheddar, there is a natural affinity peculiarly suited to sandwiching as above. Smoked salmon, eel, whitefish or any other, is also good with cheese smoked with hickory or anything with a salubrious savor, while a sandwich of smoked turkey with smoked cheese is out of this world. We accompany it with a cup of smoky Lapsang Soochong China tea. T Tangy Sandwich On buttered rye spread cream cheese, and on this bed lay thinly sliced dried beef. In place of mustard dot the beef with horseradish and pearl onions or those reliable old chopped chives. And by the way, if you must use mustard on every cheese sandwich, try different kinds for a change: sharp English freshly mixed by your own hand out of the tin of powder, or Dijon for a French touch. U Unusual Sandwich--of Flowers, Hay and Clover On a sweet-buttered slice of French white bread lay a layer of equally sweet English Flower cheese (made with petals of rose, marigold, violet, etc. ) and top that with French Fromage de foin. This French hay cheese gets its name from being ripened on hay and holds its new-mown scent. Sprinkle on a few imported capers (the smaller they are, the better), with a little of the luscious juice, and dust lightly with Sapsago. V Vegetarian Sandwich Roll your own of alternate leaves of lettuce, slices of store cheese, avocados, cream cheese sprinkled heavily with chopped chives, and anything else in the Vegetable or Caseous Kingdoms that suits your fancy. W Witch's Sandwich Butter 2 slices of sandwich bread, cover one with a thin slice of imported Emmentaler, dash with cayenne and a drop or two of tabasco. Slap on a sizzling hot slice of grilled ham and press it together with the cheese between the two bread slices, put in a hot oven and serve piping hot with a handful of "moonstones"--those outsize pearl onions. X Xochomilco Sandwich In spite of the "milco" in Xochomilco, there isn't a drop to be had that's native to the festive, floating gardens near Mexico City. For there, instead of the cow, a sort of century plant gives milky white _pulque_, the fermented juice of this cactuslike desert plant. With this goes a vegetable cheese curded by its own vegetable rennet. It's called tuna cheese, made from the milky juice of the prickly pear that grows on yet another cactuslike plant of the dry lands. This tuna cheese sometimes teams up in arid lands with the juicy thick cactus leaf sliced into a tortilla sandwich. The milky _pulque_ of Xochomilco goes as well with it as beer with a Swiss cheese sandwich. Y Yolk Picnic Sandwich Hard-cooked egg yolk worked into a yellow paste with cream cheese, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, celery salt and a touch of tabasco, spread on thick slices of whole wheat bread. Z Zebra Take a tip from Oskar over in Copenhagen and design your own Zebra sandwich as decoratively as one of those oft-photoed skins in El Morocco. Just alternate stripes of black bread with various white cheeses in between, to follow, the black and white zebra pattern. For good measure we will toss in a couple of toasted cheesesandwiches. Toasted Cheese Sandwich Butter both sides of 2 thick slices of white bread and sandwich between them a seasoned mixture of shredded sharp cheese, egg yolk, mustard and chopped chives, together with stiffly beaten egg white folded in last to make a light filling. Fry the buttered sandwich in more butter until well melted and nicely gilded. This toasted cheeser is so good it's positively sinful. The French, who outdo us in both cooking and sin, make one of their own in theform of fried fingers of stale bread doused in an 'arf and 'arf WelshRabbit and Fondue melting of Gruyère, that serves as a liaison tofurther sandwich the two. Garlic is often used in place of chopped chives, and in contrast tothis wild one there's a mild one made of Dutch cream cheese by theequally Dutch Pennsylvanians. England, of course, together with Wales, holds all-time honors withsuch celebrated regional "toasting cheeses" as Devonshire and Dunlop. Even British Newfoundland is known for its simple version, that'squite as pleasing as its rich Prince Edward Island Oyster Stew. Newfoundland Toasted Cheese Sandwich 1 pound grated Cheddar1 egg, well beaten1/2 cup milk1 tablespoon butter Heat together and pour over well-buttered toast. [Illustration] _Chapter Eleven_ "Fit for Drink" A country without a fit drink for cheese has no cheese fit for drink. Greece was the first country to prove its epicurean fitness, accordingto the old saying above, for it had wine to tipple and sheep's milkcheese to nibble. The classical Greek cheese has always been Feta, andno doubt this was the kind that Circe combined most suitably with wineto make a farewell drink for her lovers. She put further sweetness andbody into the stirrup cup by stirring honey and barley meal into it. Today we might whip this up in an electric mixer to toast her memory. While a land flowing with milk and honey is the ideal of many, France, Italy, Spain or Portugal, flowing with wine and honey, suit a lot ofgourmets better. Indeed, in such vinous-caseous places cheese is onthe house at all wine sales for prospective customers to snack uponand thus bring out the full flavor of the cellared vintages. Butprofessional wine tasters are forbidden any cheese between sips. Theymay clear their palates with plain bread, but nary a crumb ofRoquefort or cube of Gruyère in working hours, lest it give the wine aspurious nobility. And, speaking of Roquefort, Romanée has the closest affinity for it. Such affinities are also found in Pont l'Evêque and Beaujolais, Brieand red champagne, Coulommiers and any good _vin rosé_. Heavenlymarriages are made in Burgundy between red and white wines of bothCôtes, de Nuits and de Baune, and Burgundian cheeses such as Epoisses, Soumaintarin and Saint-Florentin. Pommard and Port-Salut seem to bemade for each other, as do Château Margaux and Camembert. A great cheese for a great wine is the rule that brings together inthe neighboring provinces such notables as Sainte Maure, Valençay, Vendôme and the Loire wines--Vouvray, Saumur and Anjou. Gruyère mateswith Chablis, Camembert with St. Emilion; and any dry red wine, mostcommonly claret, is a fit drink for the hundreds of other fine Frenchcheeses. Every country has such happy marriages, an Italian standard beingProvolone and Chianti. Then there is a most unusual pair, FrenchNeufchâtel cheese and Swiss Neuchâtel wine from just across theborder. Switzerland also has another cheese favorite at home--Trauben(grape cheese), named from the Neuchâtel wine in which it is aged. One kind of French Neufchâtel cheese, Bondon, is also uniquely suitedto the company of any good wine because it is made in the exact shapeand size of a wine barrel bung. A similar relation is found in Brinzas(or Brindzas) that are packed in miniature wine barrels, stronglysuggesting what should be drunk with such excellent cheeses: HungarianTokay. Other foreign cheeses go to market wrapped in vine leaves. Theaffinity has clearly been laid down in heaven. Only the English seem to have a _fortissimo_ taste in the go-withwines, according to these matches registered by André Simon in _TheArt of Good Living:_ Red Cheshire with Light Tawny PortWhite Cheshire with Oloroso SherryBlue Leicester with Old Vintage PortGreen Roquefort with New Vintage Port To these we might add brittle chips of Greek Casere with nips ofAmontillado, for an eloquent appetizer. The English also pour port into Stilton, and sundry other wines andliquors into Cheddars and such. This doctoring leads to fraudulentimitation, however, for either port or stout is put into counterfeitCheshire cheese to make up for the richness it lacks. While some combinations of cheeses and wines may turn out palatable, we prefer taking ours straight. When something more fiery is needed wecan twirl the flecks of pure gold in a chalice of Eau de Vie de Danzigand nibble on legitimate Danzig cheese unadulterated. _Goldwasser_, orEau de Vie, was a favorite liqueur of cheese-loving FranklinRoosevelt, and we can be sure he took the two separately. Another perfect combination, if you can take it, is imported kümmelwith any caraway-seeded cheese, or cream cheese with a handy saucer ofcaraway seeds. In the section of France devoted to gin, the juniperberries that flavor the drink also go into a local cheese, FromageFort. This is further fortified with brandy, white wine and pepper. One regional tipple with such brutally strong cheese is black coffeelaced with gin. French la Jonchée is another potted thriller with not only coffee andrum mixed in during the making, but orange flower water, too. Thenthere is la Petafina, made with brandy and absinthe; Hazebrook withbrandy alone; and la Cachat with white wine and brandy. In Italy white Gorgonzola is also put up in crocks with brandy. InOporto the sharp cheese of that name is enlivened by port, Cider andthe greatest of applejacks, Calvados, seem made to go the regionalCalvados cheese. This is also true of our native Jersey Lightning andhard cider with their accompanying New York State cheese. In the AugeValley of France, farmers also drink homemade cider with their ownAugelot, a piquant kind of Pont l'Evêque. The English sip pear cider (perry) with almost any British cheese. Milk would seem to be redundant, but Sage cheese and buttermilk do gowell together. Wine and cheese have other things in common. Some wines and somecheeses are aged in caves, and there are vintage cheeses no less thanvintage wines, as is the case with Stilton. [Illustration] _Chapter Twelve_ Lazy Lou Once, so goes the sad story, there was a cheesemonger unworthy of hisheritage. He exported a shipload of inferior "Swiss" made somewherein the U. S. A. Bad to begin with, it had worsened on the voyage. Rejected by the health authorities on the other side, it was shippedback, reaching home in the unhappy condition known as "cracked. " Tocut his losses the rascally cheesemonger had his cargo ground up andits flavor disguised with hot peppers and chili sauce. Thus therecame into being the abortion known as the "cheese spread. " The cheese spread or "food" and its cousin, the processed cheese, arehandy, cheap and nasty. They are available everywhere and some peopleeven like them. So any cheese book is bound to take formal notice oftheir existence. I have done so--and now, an unfond farewell to them. My academic cheese education began at the University of Wisconsin in1904. I grew up with our great Midwest industry; I have read withprofit hundreds of pamphlets put out by the learned Aggies of my AlmaMater. Mostly they treat of honest, natural cheeses: the making, keeping and enjoying of authentic Longhorn Cheddars, short Bricks andnaturalized Limburgers. At the School of Agriculture the students still, I am told, keeptheir hand in by studying the classical layout on a cheese board. Onebooklet recommends the following for freshman contemplation: CARAWAY BRICK SELECT BRICK EDAM WISCONSIN SWISS LONGHORN AMERICAN SHEFFORD These six sturdy samples of Wisconsin's best will stimulate anyamount of classroom discussion. Does the Edam go better withGerman-American black bread or with Swedish Ry-Krisp? To butter ornot to butter? And if to butter, with which cheese? Salt or sweet?How close do we come to the excellence of the genuine Alpine Swiss?Primary school stuff, but not unworthy of thought. Pass on down the years. You are now ready to graduate. Your cheeseboard can stand a more sophisticated setup. Try two boards; play theteams against each other. The All-American Champs NEW YORK COON PHILADELPHIA CREAM OHIO LIEDERKRANZVERMONT SAGE KENTUCKY TRAPPIST WISCONSIN LIMBURGER CALIFORNIA JACK PINEAPPLE MINNESOTA BLUE BRICK TILLAMOOK VS. The European Giants PORTUGUESE TRAZ- DUTCH GOUDA ITALIAN PARMESANOS-MONTES FRENCH ROQUEFORT SWISS EMMENTALERYUGOSLAVIAN KACKAVALJ ENGLISH STILTON DANISH BLUEGERMAN MÜNSTER GREEK FETA HABLÉ The postgraduate may play the game using as counters the great anddistinctive cheeses of more than fifty countries. Your Scandinavianboard alone, just to give an idea of the riches available, will shinewith blues, yellows, whites, smoky browns, and chocolatesrepresenting Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Lapland. For the Britisher only blue-veined Stilton is worthy to crown thebanquet. The Frenchman defends Roquefort, the Dane his own regalBlue; the Swiss sticks to Emmentaler before, during and after allthree meals. You may prefer to finish with a delicate Brie, a smokyslice of Provolone, a bit of Baby Gouda, or some Liptauer Garniert, about which more later. We load them all on Lazy Lou, Lazy Susan's big twin brother, a giantroulette wheel of cheese, every number a winner. A second Lazy Louwill bear the savories and go-withs. For these tidbits the Englishhave a divine genius; think of the deviled shrimps, smoked oysters, herring roe on toast, snips of broiled sausage ... But we will makedo with some olives and radishes, a few pickles, nuts, capers. Withour two trusty Lazy Lous on hand plus wine or beer, we can easilydispense with the mere dinner itself. Perhaps it is an Italian night. Then Lazy Lou is happily burdenedwith imported Latticini; Incanestrato, still bearing the imprint ofits wicker basket; Pepato, which is but Incanestrato peppered; MelFina; deep-yellow, buttery Scanno with its slightly burned flavor;tangy Asiago; Caciocavallo, so called because the the cheeses, tiedin pairs and hung over a pole, look as though they were sitting in asaddle--cheese on horseback, or "_cacio a cavallo_. " Then we ring inLazy Lou's first assistant, an old, silver-plated, revolvingFlorentine magnum-holder. It's designed to spin a gigantic flask ofChianti. The flick of a finger and the bottle is before you. Gentlypull it down and hold your glass to the spout. True, imported wines and cheeses are expensive. But native Americanproducts and reasonably edible imitations of the real thing areavailable as substitutes. Anyway, protein for protein, a cheese partywill cost less than a steak barbecue. And it can be more fun. Encourage your guests to contribute their own latest discoveries. Onemay bring along as his ticket of admission a Primavera from Brazil;another some cubes of an Andean specialty just flown in fromColombia's mountain city, Mérida, and still wrapped in its aromaticleaves of _Frailejón Lanudo_; another a few wedges of savory sweetEnglish Flower cheese, some flavored with rose petals, others withmarigolds; another a tube of South American Kräuterkäse. Provide your own assortment of breads and try to include some ofthose fat, flaky old-fashioned crackers that country stores in NewEngland can still supply. Mustard? Sure, if _. You_ like it. If youwant to be fancy, use a tricky little gadget put out by the Maillecondiment-makers in France and available here in the food specialtyshops. It's a miniature painter's palate holding five mustards ofdifferent shades and flavors and two mustard paddles. The mustards, in proper chromatic order, are: jonquil yellow "Strong Dijon"; "GreenHerbs"; brownish "Tarragon"; golden "Ora"; crimson "Tomato-flavored. " And, just to keep things moving, we have restored an antique whirlingcruet-holder to deliver Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, A-1, TapSauce and Major Grey's Chutney. Salt shakers and pepper mills arehandy, with a big-holed tin canister filled with crushed red-pepperpods, chili powder, Hungarian-paprika and such small matters. Butter, both sweet and salt, is on hand, together with, saucers or bowls ofcurry, capers, chives (sliced, not chopped), minced onion, fresh mintleaves, chopped pimientos, caraway, quartered lemons, parsley, freshtarragon, tomato slices, red and white radishes, green and blackolives, pearl onions and assorted nutmeats. Some years ago, when I was collaborating with my mother, Cora, and mywife, Rose, in writing _10, 000 Snacks_ (which, by the way, devotesnearly forty pages to cheeses), we staged a rather elaborate tastingparty just for the three of us. It took a two-tiered Lazy Lou totwirl the load. The eight wedges on the top round were English and French samples andthe lower one carried the rest, as follows: ENGLISH CHEDDAR CHESHIRE ENGLISH STILTON CANADIAN CHEDDAR (rum flavored) FRENCH MÜNSTER FRENCH BRIE FRENCH FRENCH CAMEMBERT ROQUEFORT SWISS SAPSAGO SWISS GRUYERE SWISS EDAM DUTCH GOUDA ITALIAN CZECH ITALIAN NORWEGIAN PROVOLONE OSTIEPKI GORGONZOLA GJETOST HUNGARIAN LIPTAUER The tasting began with familiar English Cheddars, Cheshires andStiltons from the top row. We had cheese knives, scoops, graters, scrapers and a regulation wire saw, but for this line of crumblyBritishers fingers were best. The Cheddar was a light, lemony-yellow, almost white, like ourbest domestic "bar cheese" of old. The Cheshire was moldy and milky, with a slightly fermentedflavor that brought up the musty dining room of Fleet Street'sCheshire cheese and called for draughts of beer. The Stilton wasstrong but mellow, as high in flavor as in price. Only the rum-flavored Canadian Cheddar from Montreal (by courtesyEnglish) let us down. It was done up as fancy as a bridegroom inwaxed white paper and looked as smooth and glossy as a gardenia. Butthere its beauty ended. Either the rum that flavored it wasn't up tomuch or the mixture hadn't been allowed to ripen naturally. The French Münster, however, was hearty, cheery, and better made thanmost German Münster, which at that time wasn't being exported much bythe Nazis. The Brie was melting prime, the Camembert was so perfectlymatured we ate every scrap of the crust, which can't be done withmany American "Camemberts" or, indeed, with the dead, dry French onessold out of season. Then came the Roquefort, a regal cheese we votedthe best buy of the lot, even though it was the most expensive. Aplump piece, pleasantly unctuous but not greasy, sharp in scent, stimulatingly bittersweet in taste--unbeatable. There is no Americanpretender to the Roquefort throne. Ours is invariably chalky andtasteless. That doesn't mean we have no good Blues. We have. But theyare not Roquefort. The Sapsago or Kräuterkäse from Switzerland (it has been made in theCanton of Glarus for over five hundred years) was the least expensiveof the lot. Well-cured and dry, it lent itself to grating and tastedfine on an old-fashioned buttered soda cracker. Sapsago has its ownseduction, derived from the clover-leaf powder with which the curd ismixed and which gives it its haunting flavor and spring-likesage-green color. Next came some truly great Swiss Gruyère, delicately rich, and nuttyenough to make us think of the sharp white wines to be drunk with itat the source. As for the Provolone, notable for the water-buffalo milk that makesit, there's an example of really grown-up milk. Perfumed as springflowers drenched with a shower of Anjou, having a bouquet all its ownand a trace of a winelike kick, it made us vow never to taste anotherAmerican imitation. Only a smooth-cheeked, thick slab cut from apedigreed Italian Provolone of medium girth, all in one piece andwith no sign of a crack, satisfy the gourmet. The second Italian classic was Gorgonzola, gorgeous Gorgonzola, asfruity as apples, peaches and pears sliced together. It smells somuch like a ripe banana we often eat them together, plain or with thecrumbly _formaggio_ lightly forked into the fruit, split lengthwise. After that the Edam tasted too lipsticky, like the red-paint job onits rind, and the Gouda seemed only half-hearted. Both too obviouslyready-made for commerce with nothing individual or custom-made aboutthem, rolled or bounced over from Holland by the boat load. The Ostiepki from Czechoslovakia might have been a link of smokedostrich sausage put up in the skin of its own red neck. In spite ofits pleasing lemon-yellow interior, we couldn't think of any use forit except maybe crumbling thirty or forty cents' worth into aten-cent bowl of bean soup. But that seemed like a waste of money, sowe set it aside to try in tiny chunks on crackers as an appetizersome other day, when it might be more appetizing. We felt much the same about the chocolate-brown Norwegian Gjetostthat looked like a slab of boarding-school fudge and which had thesame cloying cling to the tongue. We were told by a native that ourpiece was entirely too young. That's what made it so insipid, undeveloped in texture and flavor. But the next piece we got turnedout to be too old and decrepit, and so strong it would have taken aPaul Bunyan to stand up under it. When we complained to our expertabout the shock to our palates, he only laughed, pointing to the nailon his little finger. "You should take just a little bit, like that. A pill no bigger thana couple of aspirins or an Alka-Seltzer. It's only in the morning youtake it when it's old and strong like this, for a pick-me-up, a curefor a hangover, you know, like a prairie oyster well soused inWorcestershire. " That made us think we might use it up to flavor a Welsh Rabbit, _instead_ of the Worcestershire sauce, but we couldn't melt it withanything less than a blowtorch. To bring the party to a happy end, we went to town on the HungarianLiptauer, garnishing that fine, granulating buttery base after mixingit well with some cream cheese. We mixed the mixed cheese withsardine and tuna mashed together in a little of the oil from the can. We juiced it with lemon, sluiced it with bottled sauces, worked inthe leftovers, some tarragon, mint, spicy seeds, parsley, capers andchives. We peppered and paprikaed it, salted and spiced it, thenspread it thicker than butter on pumpernickel and went to it. _That's_ Liptauer Garniert. [Illustration: No. 4 Cheese Inc. ] _Appendix_ The A-B-Z of Cheese _Each cheese is listed by its name and country of origin, with anyfurther information available. Unless otherwise indicated, the cheeseis made of cow's milk. _ A Aberdeen_Scotland_ Soft; creamy mellow. Abertam_Bohemia_ _(Made near Carlsbad_) Hard; sheep; distinctive, with a savory smack all its own. Absinthe _see_ Petafina. Acidophilus _see_ Saint-Ivel. Aettekees_Belgium_ November to May--winter-made and eaten. Affiné, Carré _see_ Ancien Impérial. Affumicata, Mozzarella _see_ Mozzarella. After-dinner cheeses _see_ Chapter 8. Agricultural school cheeses _see_ College-educated. Aiguilles, Fromage d'_Alpine France_ Named "Cheese of the Needles" from the sharp Alpine peaks of thedistrict where it is made. Aizy, Cendrée d' _see_ Cendrée. Ajacilo, Ajaccio_Corsica_ Semihard; piquant; nut-flavor. Named after the chief city of FrenchCorsica where a cheese-lover, Napoleon, was born. à la Crème _see_ Fromage, Fromage Blanc, Chevretons. à la Main _see_ Vacherin. à la Pie _see_ Fromage. à la Rachette _see_ Bagnes. Albini_Northern Italy_ Semihard; made of both goat and cow milk; white, mellow, pleasant-tasting table cheese. Albula_Switzerland_ Rich with the flavor of cuds of green herbs chewed into creamy milkthat makes tasty curds. Made in the fertile Swiss Valley of Albulawhose proud name it bears. Alderney_Channel Islands_ The French, who are fond of this special product of the very specialbreed of cattle named after the Channel Island of Alderney, translateit phonetically--Fromage d'Aurigny. Alemtejo_Portugal_ Called in full Queijo de Alemtejo, cheese of Alemtejo, in the same waythat so many French cheeses carry along the _fromage_ title. Soft;sheep and sometimes goat or cow; in cylinders of three sizes, weighingrespectively about two ounces, one pound, and four pounds. The smallersizes are the ones most often made with mixed goat and sheep milk. Themethod of curdling without the usual animal rennet is interesting andunusual. The milk is warmed and curdled with vegetable rennet madefrom the flowers of a local thistle, or cardoon, which is used in twoother Portuguese cheeses--Queijo da Cardiga and Queijo da Serra daEstrella--and probably in many others not known beyond their locale. In France la Caillebotte is distinguished for being clabbered with_chardonnette_, wild artichoke seed. In Portugal, where there isn't somuch separating of the sheep from the goats, it takes several weeksfor Alemtejos to ripen, depending on the lactic content and differencein sizes. Alfalfa _see_ Sage. Alise Saint-Reine_France_ Soft; summer-made. Allgäuer Bergkäse, Allgäuer Rundkäse, or Allgäuer Emmentaler_Bavaria_ Hard; Emmentaler type. The small district of Allgäu names a mountainof cheeses almost as fabulous as our "Rock-candy Mountain. " There aretwo principal kinds, vintage Allgäuer Bergkäse and soft AllgäuerRahmkäse, described below. This celebrated cheese section runs throughrich pasture lands right down and into the Swiss Valley of the Emmethat gives the name Emmentaler to one of the world's greatest. So itis no wonder that Allgäuer Bergkäse can compete with the best Swiss. Before the Russian revolution, in fact, all vintage cheeses of Allgäuwere bought up by wealthy Russian noblemen and kept in their homecaves in separate compartments for each year, as far back as the early1900's. As with fine vintage wines, the price of the great years wentup steadily. Such cheeses were shipped to their Russian owners onlywhen the chief cheese-pluggers of Allgäu found they had reached theirprime. Allgäuer Rahmkäse_Bavaria_ Full cream, similar to Romadur and Limburger, but milder than both. This sets a high grade for similar cheeses made in the Bavarianmountains, in monasteries such as Andechs. It goes exquisitely withthe rich dark Bavarian beer. Some of it is as slippery as thestronger, smellier Bierkäse, or the old-time Slipcote of England. Like so many North Europeans, it is often flavored with caraway. Although entirely different from its big brother, vintage Bergkäse, Rahmkäse can stand proudly at its side as one of the finest cheesesin Germany. Alpe _see_ Fiore di Alpe. Al Pepe_Italy_ Hard and peppery, like its name. Similar to Pepato (_see_). Alpes_France_ Similar to Bel Paese. Alpestra_Austria_ A smoked cheese that tastes, smells and inhales like whatever fish itwas smoked with. The French Alps has a different Alpestre; Italyspells hers Alpestro. Alpestre, Alpin, or Fromage de Briançon_France_ Hard; goat; dry; small; lightly salted. Made at Briançon and Gap. Alpestro_Italy_ Semisoft; goat; dry; lightly salted. Alpin or Clérimbert_Alpine France_ The milk is coagulated with rennet at 80° F. In two hours. The curd isdipped into molds three to four inches in diameter and two and a halfinches in height, allowed to drain, turned several times for one dayonly, then salted and ripened one to two weeks. Altenburg, or Altenburger Ziegenkäse_Germany_ Soft; goat; small and flat--one to two inches thick, eight inches indiameter, weight two pounds. Alt Kuhkäse Old Cow Cheese_Germany_ Hard; well-aged, as its simple name suggests. Altsohl _see_ Brinza. Ambert, or Fourme d'Ambert_Limagne, Auvergne, France_ A kind of Cheddar made from November to May and belonging to theCantal--Fourme-La Tome tribe. American, American Cheddar_U. S. A. _ Described under their home states and distinctive names are a dozenfine American Cheddars, such as Coon, Wisconsin, Herkimer County andTillamook, to name only a few. They come in as many different shapes, with traditional names such as Daisies, Flats, Longhorns, Midgets, Picnics, Prints and Twins. The ones simply called Cheddars weigh aboutsixty pounds. All are made and pressed and ripened in about the sameway, although they differ greatly in flavor and quality. They areripened anywhere from two months to two years and become sharper, richer and more flavorsome, as well as more expensive, with thepassing of time. _See_ Cheddar states and Cheddar types in Chapter 4. Americano Romano_U. S. A. _ Hard; brittle; sharp. Amou_Béarn, France_ Winter cheese, October to May. Anatolian_Turkey_ Hard; sharp. Anchovy Links_U. S. A. _ American processed cheese that can be mixed up with anchovies or anyfish from whitebait to whale, made like a sausage and sold in handylinks. Ancien Impérial_Normandy, France_ Soft; fresh cream; white, mellow and creamy like Neufchâtel and madein the same way. Tiny bricks packaged in tin foil, two inches square, one-half inch thick, weighing three ounces. Eaten both fresh and whenripe. It is also called Carré and has separate names for the new andthe old: (a) Petit Carré when newly made; (b) Carré Affiné, when ithas reached a ripe old age, which doesn't take long--about the sametime as Neufchâtel. Ancona _see_ Pecorino. Andean_Venezuela_ A cow's-milker made in the Andes near Mérida. It is formed into roughcubes and wrapped in the pungent, aromatic leaves of _FrailejónLanudo_ (_Espeletia Schultzii_) which imparts to it a characteristicflavor. (Description given in _Buen Provecho!_ by Dorothy Kamen-Kaye. ) Andechs_Bavaria_ A lusty Allgäuer type. Monk-made on the monastery hill at Andechs onAmmersee. A superb snack with equally monkish dark beer, black breadand blacker radishes, served by the brothers in dark brown robes. Antwerp_Belgium_ Semihard; nut-flavored; named after its place of origin. Appenzeller_Switzerland, Bavaria and Baden_ Semisoft Emmentaler type made in a small twenty-pound wheel--apony-cart wheel in comparison to the big Swiss. There are twoqualities: (a) Common, made of skim milk and cured in brine for ayear; (b) Festive, full milk, steeped in brine with wine, plus whitewine lees and pepper. The only cheese we know of that is ripened withlees of wine. Appetitost_Denmark_ Semisoft; sour milk; nutlike flavor. It's an appetizer that lives upto its name, eaten fresh on the spot, from the loose bottom pans inwhich it is made. Appetost_Denmark_ Sour buttermilk, similar to Primula, with caraway seeds added forsnap. Imitated in U. S. A. Apple_U. S. A. _ A small New York State Cheddar put up in the form of a red-cheekedapple for New York City trade. Inspired by the pear-shaped Provoloneand Baby Gouda, no doubt. Arber_Bohemia_ Semihard; sour milk; yellow; mellow and creamy. Made in mountainsbetween Bohemia and Silesia. Argentine_Argentina_ Argentina is specially noted for fine reproductions of classicalItalian hard-grating cheeses such as Parmesan and Romano, rich andfruity because of the lush pampas-grass feeding. Armavir_Western Caucasus_ Soft; whole sour sheep milk; a hand cheese made by stirring cold, sourbuttermilk or whey into heated milk, pressing in forms and ripening ina warm place. Similar to Hand cheese. Arnauten _see_ Travnik. Arovature_Italy_ Water-buffalo milk. Arras, Coeurs d' _see_ Coeurs. Arrigny_Champagne, France_ Made only in winter, November to May. Since gourmet products of thesame province often have a special affinity, Arrigny and champagne arespecially well suited to one another. Artichoke, Cardoon or Thistle for Rennet _see_ Caillebotte. Artificial Dessert Cheese In the lavish days of olde England Artificial Dessert Cheese was madeby mixing one quart of cream with two of milk and spiking it withpowdered cinnamon, nutmeg and mace. Four beaten eggs were then stirredin with one-half cup of white vinegar and the mixture boiled to acurd. It was then poured into a cheesecloth and hung up to drain sixto eight hours. When taken out of the cloth it was further flavoredwith rose water, sweetened with castor sugar, left to ripen for anhour or two and finally served up with more cream. Asadero, or Oaxaca_Jalisco and Oaxaca, Mexico_ White; whole-milk. Curd is heated, and hot curd is cut and braided orkneaded into loaves from eight ounces to eleven pounds in weightAsadero means "suitable for roasting. " Asco_Corsica, France_ Made only in the winter season, October to May. Asiago I, II and III_Vicenza, Italy_ Sometimes classed as medium and mild, depending mostly on age. Loavesweigh about eighteen pounds each and look like American Cheddar buthave a taste all their own. I. Mild, nutty and sharp, used for table slicing and eating. II. Medium, semihard and tangy, also used for slicing until ninemonths old. III. Hard, old, dry, sharp, brittle. When over nine months old, it'sfine for grating. Asin, or Water cheese_Northern Italy_ Sour-milk; washed-curd; whitish; soft; buttery. Made mostly in springand eaten in summer and autumn. Dessert cheese, frequently eaten withhoney and fruit. Au Cumin_see_ Münster. Au Fenouil_see_ Tome de Savoie. Au Foin and de Foin A style of ripening "on the hay. " _See_ Pithiviers au Foin and Fromagede Foin. Augelot_Valée d'Auge, Normandy, France_ Soft; tangy; piquant Pont l'Evêque type. d'Auray _see_ Sainte-Anne. Aurigny, Fromage d' _see_ Alderney. Aurillac _see_ Bleu d'Auvergne. Aurore and Triple Aurore_Normandy, France_ Made and eaten all year. Australian and New Zealand_Australia and New Zealand_ Enough cheese is produced for local consumption, chiefly Cheddar; someGruyère, but unfortunately mostly processed. Autun_Nivernais, France_ Produced and eaten all year. Fromage de Vache is another name for itand this is of special interest in a province where the chiefcompetitors are made of goat's milk. Auvergne, Bleu d' _see_ Bleu. Au Vin Blanc, Confits _see_ Epoisses. Avesnes, Boulette d' _see_ Boulette. Aydes, les_Orléanais, France_ Not eaten during July, August or September. Season, October to June. Azeitão, Queijo do_Portugal_ Soft, sheep, sapid and extremely oily as the superlative _ão_ implies. There are no finer, fatter cheeses in the world than those made ofrich sheep milk in the mountains of Portugal and named for them. Azeitoso_Portugal_ Soft; mellow, zestful and as oily as it is named. Azuldoch Mountain_Turkey_ Mild and mellow mountain product. B Backsteiner_Bavaria_ Resembles Limburger, but smaller, and translates Brick, from theshape. It is aromatic and piquant and not very much like the U. S. Brick. Bagnes, or Fromage à la Raclette_Switzerland_ Not only hard but very hard, named from _racler_, French for"scrape. " A thick, one-half-inch slice is cut across the whole cheeseand toasted until runny. It is then scraped off the pan it's toastedin with a flexible knife, spread on bread and eaten like an open-facedWelsh Rabbit sandwich. Bagozzo, Grana Bagozzo, Bresciano_Italy_ Hard; yellow; sharp. Surface often colored red. Parmesan type. Bakers' cheese Skim milk, similar to cottage cheese, but softer and finer grained. Used in making bakery products such as cheese cake, pie, and pastries, but may also be eaten like creamed cottage cheese. Ball_U. S. A. _ Made from thick sour milk in Pennsylvania in the style of the originalPennsylvania Dutch settlers. Ballakäse or Womelsdorf Similar to Ball. Balls, Dutch Red English name for Edam. Banbury_England_ Soft, rich cylinder about one inch thick made in the town of Banbury, famous for its spicy, citrus-peel buns and its equestrienne. Banburycheese with Banbury buns made a sensational snack in the earlynineteenth century, but both are getting scarce today. Banick_Armenia_ White and sweet. Banjaluka_Bosnia_ Port-Salut type from its Trappist monastery. Banon, or les Petits Banons_Provence, France, _ Small, dried, sheep-milker, made in the foothills of the Alps andexported through Marseilles in season, May to November. This sprightlysummer cheese is generously sprinkled with the local brandy andfestively wrapped in fresh green leaves. Bar cheese_U. S. A. _ Any saloon Cheddar, formerly served on every free-lunch counter in theU. S. Before Prohibition, free-lunch cheese was the backbone ofAmerica's cheese industry. Barbacena_Minas Geraes, Brazil_ Hard, white, sometimes chalky. Named from its home city in the leadingcheese state of Brazil. Barberey, or Fromage de Troyes_Champagne, France_ Soft, creamy and smooth, resembling Camembert, five to six inches indiameter and 1-1/4 inches thick. Named from its home town, Barberey, near Troyes, whose name it also bears. Fresh, warm milk is coagulatedby rennet in four hours. Uncut curd then goes into a wooden mold witha perforated bottom, to drain three hours, before being finished offin an earthenware mold. The cheeses are salted, dried and ripenedthree weeks in a cave. The season is from November to May and whenmade in summer they are often sold fresh. Barboux_France_ Soft. Baronet_U. S. A. _ A natural product, mild and mellow. Barron_France_ Soft. Bassillac _see_ Bleu. Bath_England_ Gently made, lightly salted, drained on a straw mat in the historicresort town of Bath. Ripened in two weeks and eaten only when coveredwith a refined fuzzy mold that's also eminently edible. It is the mostdelicate of English-speaking cheeses. Battelmatt _Switzerland, St. Gothard Alps, northern Italy, andwestern Austria_ An Emmentaler made small where milk is not plentiful. The "wheel" isonly sixteen inches in diameter and four inches high, weighing fortyto eighty pounds. The cooking of the curd is done at a little lowertemperature than Emmentaler, it ripens more rapidly--in four months--and is somewhat softer, but has the same holes and creamy thoughsharp, full nutty flavor. Bauden (_see also_ Koppen)_Germany, Austria, Bohemia and Silesia_ Semisoft, sour milk, hand type, made in herders' mountain huts inabout the same way as Harzkäse, though it is bigger. In two forms, onecup shape (called Koppen), the other a cylinder. Strong and aromatic, whether made with or without caraway. Bavarian Beer cheese _see_ Bayrischer Bierkäse. Bavarian Cream_German_ Very soft; smooth and creamy. Made in the Bavarian mountains. Especially good with sweet wines and sweet sauces. Bavarois à la Vanille _see_ Fromage Bavarois. Bayonne _see_ Fromage de Bayonne. Bayrischer Bierkäse_Bavaria_ Bavarian beer cheese from the Tyrol is made not only to eat with beer, but to dunk in it. Beads of cheese_Tibet_ Beads of hard cheese, two inches in diameter, are strung like anecklace of cowrie shells or a rosary, fifty to a hundred on a string. _Also see_ Money Made of Cheese. Beagues _see_ Tome de Savoie. Bean Cake, Tao-foo, or Tofu_China, Japan, the Orient_ Soy bean cheese imported from Shanghai and other oriental ports, andalso imitated in every Chinatown around the world. Made from the milkof beans and curdled with its own vegetable rennet. Beaujolais _see_ Chevretons. Beaumont, or Tome de Beaumont_Savoy, France_ A more or less successful imitation of Trappist Tamie, a trade-secrettriumph of Savoy. At its best from October to June. Beaupré de Roybon_Dauphiné, France_ A winter specialty made from November to April. Beckenried_Switzerland_ A good mountain cheese from goat milk. Beer cheese_U. S. A. _ While our beer cheese came from Germany and the word is merely atranslation of Bierkäse, we use it chiefly for a type of strongLimburger made mostly in Milwaukee. This fine, aromatic cheese isconsidered by many as the very best to eat while drinking beer. But inGermany Bierkäse is more apt to be dissolved in a glass or stein ofbeer, much as we mix malted powder in milk, and drunk with it, ratherthan eaten. Beer-Regis_Dorsetshire, England_ This sounds like another beer cheese, but it's only a mild Cheddarnamed after its hometown in Dorsetshire. Beist-Cheese_Scotland_ A curiosity of the old days. "The first milk after a calving, boiledor baked to a thick consistency, the result somewhat resemblingnew-made cheese, though this is clearly not a true cheese. " (MacNeill) Belarno_Italy_ Hard; goat; creamy dessert cheese. Belgian Cooked_Belgium_ The milk, which has been allowed to curdle spontaneously, is skimmedand allowed to drain. When dry it is thoroughly kneaded by hand and isallowed to undergo fermentation, which takes ordinarily from ten tofourteen days in winter and six to eight days in summer. When thefermentation is complete, cream and salt are added and the mixture isheated slowly and stirred until homogeneous, when it is put into moldsand allowed to ripen for eight days longer. A cheese ordinarily weighsabout three-and-a-half pounds. It is not essentially different fromother forms of cooked cheese. Beli Sir _see_ Domaci. Bellelay, Tête de Moine, or Monk's Head_Switzerland_ Soft, buttery, semisharp spread. Sweet milk is coagulated with rennetin twenty to thirty minutes, the curd cut fairly fine and cooked notso firm as Emmentaler, but firmer than Limburger. After being pressed, the cheeses are wrapped in bark for a couple of weeks until they canstand alone. Since no eyes are desired in the cheeses, they areripened in a moist cellar at a lowish temperature. They take a year toripen and will keep three or four years. The diameter is seven inches, the weight nine to fifteen pounds. The monk's head after cutting iskept wrapped in a napkin soaked in white wine and the soft, creamyspread is scraped out to "butter" bread and snacks that go with morewhite wine. Such combinations of old wine and old cheese suggestmonkish influence, which began here in the fifteenth century with thejolly friars of the Canton of Bern. There it is still made exclusivelyand not exported, for there's never quite enough to go around. Bel Paese_Italy_ _See under_ Foreign Greats, Chapter 3. _Also see_ Mel Fino, a blend, and Bel Paese types--French Boudanne and German Saint Stefano. TheAmerican imitation is not nearly so good as the Italian original. Bel Paesino_U. S. A. _ A play on the Bel Paese name and fame. Weight one pound and diminutivein every other way. Bergkäse _see_ Allgäuer. Bergquara_Sweden_ Semihard, fat, resembles Dutch Gouda. Tangy, pleasant taste. Getssharper with age, as they all do. Molded in cylinders of fifteen toforty pounds. Popular in Sweden since the eighteenth century. Berkeley_England_ Named after its home town in Gloucester, England. Berliner Kuhkäse_Berlin, Germany_ Cow cheese, pet-named turkey cock cheese by Berlin students. TypicalGerman hand cheese, soft; aromatic with caraway seeds, and that'sabout the only difference between it and Alt Kuhkäse, without caraway. Bernarde, Formagelle Bernarde_Italy_ Cow's whole milk, to which about 10% of goat's milk is added forflavor. Cured for two months. Berques_France_ Made of skim milk. Berry Rennet _see_ Withania. Bessay, le_Bourbonnais, France_ Soft, mild, and creamy. Bexhill_England_ Cream cheeses, small, flat, round. Excellent munching. Bierkäse_Germany_ There are several of these unique beer cheeses that are actuallydissolved in a stein of beer and drunk down with it in the Bierstubes, notably Bayrischer, Dresdener, and Olmützer. Semisoft; aromatic;sharp. Well imitated in _echt Deutsche_ American spots such asMilwaukee and Hoboken. Bifrost_Norway_ Goat; white; mildly salt. Imitated in a process spread in 4-1/4-ouncepackage. Binn_Wallis, Switzerland_ Exceptionally fine Swiss from the great cheese canton of Wallis. Bitto_Northern Italy_ Hard Emmentaler type made in the Valtellina. It is really two cheesesin one. When eaten fresh, it is smooth, sapid, big-eyed Swiss. Wheneaten after two years of ripening, it is very hard and sharp and hassmall eyes. Blanc à la crème _see_ Fromage Blanc. Blanc _see_ Fromage Blanc I and II. Bleu_France_ Brittle; blue-veined; smooth; biting. Bleu d'Auvergne or Fromage Bleu_Auvergne, France_ Hard; sheep or mixed sheep, goat or cow; from Pontgibaud andLaqueuille ripening caves. Similar to better-known Cantal of the sameprovince. Akin to Roquefort and Stilton, and to Bleu de Laqueuille. Bleu de Bassillac_Limousin, France_ Blue mold of Roquefort type that's prime from November to May. Bleu de Laqueuille_France_ Similar to Bleu d'Auvergne, but with a different savor. Named for itsoriginator, Antoine Roussel-Laqueuille, who first made it a centuryago, in 1854. Bleu de Limousin, Fromage_Lower Limousin_ Practically the same as Bleu de Bassillac, from Lower Limousin. Bleu de Salers_France_ A variety of Bleu d'Auvergne from the same province distinguished forits blues that are green. With the majority, this is at its best onlyin the winter months, from November to May. Bleu, Fromage _see_ Bleu d'Auvergne. Bleu-Olivet _see_ Olivet. Blind The name for cheeses lacking the usual holes of the type they belongto, such as blind Swiss. Block Edam_U. S. A. _ U. S. Imitation of the classical Dutch cheese named after the town ofEdam. Block, Smoked_Austria_ The name is self-explanatory and suggests a well-colored meerschaum. Bloder, or Schlicker Milch_Switzerland_ Sour-milker. Blue Cheddar _see_ Cheshire-Stilton. Blue, Danish _see_ Danish Blue. Blue Dorset _see_ Dorset. Blue, Jura _see_ Jura Bleu and Septmoncel. Blue, and Blue with Port Links_U. S. A. _ One of the modern American process sausages. Blue, Minnesota _see_ Minnesota. Blue Moon_U. S. A. _ A process product. Blue Vinny, Blue Vinid, Blue-veined Dorset, or Double Dorset_Dorsetshire, England_ A unique Blue that actually isn't green-veined. Farmers make it forprivate consumption, because it dries up too easily to market. Anepicurean esoteric match for Truckles No. 1 of Wiltshire. It comes ina flat form, chalk-white, crumbly and sharply flavored, with a "royalBlue" vein running right through horizontally. The Vinny mold, fromwhich it was named, is different from all other cheese molds and has adifferent action. Bocconi Geganti_Italy_ Sharp and smoky specialty. Bocconi Provoloni _see_ Provolone. Boîte _see_ Fromage de Boîte. Bombay_India_ Hard; goat; dry; sharp. Good to crunch with a Bombay Duck in place ofa cracker. Bondes _see_ Bondon de Neufchâtel. Bondon de Neufchâtel, or Bondes_Normandy, France_ Nicknamed _Bonde à tout bien_, from resemblance to the bung in abarrel of Neuchâtel wine. Soft, small loaf rolls, fresh and mild. Similar to Gournay, but sweeter because of 2% added sugar. Bondon de Rouen_France_ A fresh Neufchâtel, similar to Petit Suisse, but slightly salted, tolast up to ten days. Bondost_Sweden_ When caraway seed is added this is called Kommenost, spelled Kuminostin Norway. Bond Ost_U. S. A. _ Imitation of Scandinavian cheese, with small production in Wisconsin. Bon Larron_France_ Romantically named "the penitent thief. " Borden's_U. S. A. _ A full line of processed and naturals, of which Liederkranz is theleader. Borelli_Italy_ A small water-buffalo cheese. Bossons Maceres_Provence, France_ A winter product, December, January, February and March only. Boudanne_France_ Whole or skimmed cow's milk, ripens in two to three months. Boudes, Boudon_Normandy, France_ Soft, fresh, smooth, creamy, mild child of the Neufchâtel family. Bougon Lamothe _see_ Lamothe. Bouillé, la_Normandy France_ One of this most prolific province's thirty different notables. Inseason October to May. Boule de Lille_France_ Name given to Belgian Oude Kaas by the French who enjoy it. Boulette d'Avesnes, or Boulette de Cambrai_Flanders, France_ Made from November to May, eaten all year. Bourgain_France_ Type of fresh Neufchâtel made in France. Perishable and consumedlocally. Bourgognes _see_ Petits Bourgognes. Box_Württemberg, Germany_ Similar to U. S. Brick. It comes in two styles; firm, and soft: I. Also known as Schachtelkäse, Boxed Cheese; and Hohenheim, where itis made. A rather unimportant variety. Made in a copper kettle, withpartially skim milk, colored with saffron and spiked with caraway, ahandful to every two hundred pounds. Salted and ripened for threemonths and shipped in wooden boxes. II. Also known by names of localities where made: Hohenburg, Mondessand Weihenstephan. Made of whole milk. Mild but piquant. Bra No. I_Piedmont, Italy_ Hard, round form, twelve inches in diameter, three inches high, weighttwelve pounds. A somewhat romantic cheese, made by nomads who wanderwith their herds from pasture to pasture in the region of Bra. Bra No. II_Turin and Cuneo, Italy_ Soft, creamy, small, round and mild although cured in brine. Brand or Brandkäse_Germany_ Soft, sour-milk hand cheese, weighing one-third of a pound. The curdis cooked at a high temperature, then salted and set to ferment for aday. Butter is then mixed into it before pressing into small bricks. After drying it is put in used beer kegs to ripen and is frequentlymoistened with beer while curing. Brandy _see_ Caledonian, Cream. Branja de Brailia_Rumania_ Hard; sheep; extra salty because always kept in brine. Branja de Cosulet_Rumania_ Described by Richard Wyndham in _Wine and Food_ (Winter, 1937): Acreamy sheep's cheese which is encased in pine bark. My only criticismof this most excellent cheese is that the center must always remain agastronomical second best. It is no more interesting than a goodEnglish Cheddar, while the outer crust has a scented, resinous flavorwhich must be unique among cheeses. Bratkäse_Switzerland_ Strong; specially made to roast in slices over coal. Fine, grilled ontoast. Breakfast, Frühstück, Lunch, Delikat, and other names_Germany_ Soft and delicate, but with a strong tang. Small round, for spreading. Lauterbach is a well-known breakfast cheese in Germany, while inSwitzerland Emmentaler is eaten at all three meals. Breakstone_U. S. A. _ Like Borden and other leading American cheesemongers andmanufacturers, Breakstone offer a full line, of which their creamcheese is an American product to be proud of. Brésegaut_Savoy, France_ Soft, white. Breslau_Germany_ A proud Prussian dessert cheese. Bressans _see_ les Petits. Bresse_France_ Lightly cooked. Bretagne _see_ Montauban. Brevine_Switzerland_ Emmentaler type. Briançon _see_ Alpin. Brick _see_ Chapter 4. Brickbat_Wiltshire, England_ A traditional Wiltshire product since early in the eighteenth century. Made with fresh milk and some cream, to ripen for one year before"it's fit to eat. " The French call it Briqueton. Bricotta_Corsica_ Semisoft, sour sheep, sometimes mixed with sugar and rum and made intosmall luscious cakes. Brie _see_ Chapter 3; _also see_ Cendré and Coulommiers. Brie Façon_France_ The name of imitation Brie or Brie type made in all parts of France. Often it is dry, chalky, and far inferior to the finest Brie_véritable_ that is still made best in its original home, formerlycalled La Brie, now Seine et Marne, or Ile-de-France. _see_ Nivernais Decize, Le Mont d'Or, and Ile-de-France. Brie de Meaux_France_ This genuine Brie from the Meaux region has an excellent reputationfor high quality. It is made only from November to May. Brie de Melun_France_ This Brie _véritable_ is made not only in the seasonal months, fromNovember to May, but practically all the year around. It is not alwaysprime. Summer Brie, called Maigre, is notably poor and thin. SpringBrie is merely Migras, half-fat, as against the fat autumn Gras thatripens until May. Brillat-Savarin_Normandy, France_ Soft, and available all year. Although the author of _Physiologie duGoût_ was not noted as a caseophile and wrote little on the subjectbeyond _Le Fondue_ (_see_ Chapter 6), this savory Normandy produce isnamed in his everlasting praise. Brina Dubreala_Rumania_ Semisoft, sheep, done in brine. Brindza_U. S. A. _ Our imitation of this creamy sort of fresh, white Roquefort is aspopular in foreign colonies in America as back in its Hungarian andGreek homelands. On New York's East Side several stores advertise"Brindza fresh daily, " with an extra "d" crowded into the originalBrinza. Brine _see_ Italian Bra, Caucasian Ekiwani, Brina Dubreala, Briney. Briney, or Brined_Syria_ Semisoft, salty, sharp. So-called from being processed in brine. Turkish Tullum Penney is of the same salt-soaked type. Brinza, or Brinsen_Hungary, Rumania, Carpathian Mountains_ Goes by many local names: Altsohl, Klencz, Landoch, Liptauer, Neusohl, Siebenburgen and Zips. Soft, sheep milk or sheep and goat; crumbly, sharp and biting, but creamy. Made in small lots and cured in a tubwith beech shavings. Ftinoporino is its opposite number in Macedonia. Brioler _see_ Westphalia. Briquebec _see_ Providence Briqueton_England_ The French name for English Wiltshire Brickbat, one of the very fewcheeses imported into France. Known in France in the eighteenthcentury, it may have influenced the making of Trappist Port-Salut atthe Bricquebec Monastery in Manche. Brittle _see_ Greek Cashera, Italian Ricotta, Turkish Rarush Durmar, and U. S. Hopi. Brizecon_Savoy, France_ Imitation Reblochon made in the same Savoy province. Broccio, or le Brocconis_Corsica, France_ Soft, sour sheep milk or goat, like Bricotta and a first cousin toItalian Chiavari. Cream white, slightly salty; eaten fresh in Paris, where it is as popular as on its home island. Sometimes salted andhalf-dried, or made into little cakes with rum and sugar. Made andeaten all year. Broodkaas_Holland_ Hard, flat, nutty. Brousses de la Vézubie, les_Nice, France_ Small; sheep; long narrow bar shape, served either with powdered sugaror salt, pepper and chopped chives. Made in Vézubie. Brussels or Bruxelles_Belgium_ Soft, washed skim milk, fermented, semisharp, from Louvain and Haldistricts. Budapest_Hungary_ Soft, fresh, creamy and mellow, a favorite at home in Budapest andabroad in Vienna. Buderich_Germany_ A specialty in Dusseldorf. Bulle_Switzerland_ A Swiss-Gruyère. Bundost_Sweden_ Semihard; mellow; tangy. Burgundy_France_ Named after the province, not the wine, but they go wonderfullytogether. Bushman_Australia_ Semihard; yellow; tangy. Butter and Cheese _see_ Chapter 8. "Butter, " Serbian _see_ Kajmar. Buttermilk_U. S. & Europe_ Resembles cottage cheese, but of finer grain. C Cabeçou, le_Auvergne, France_ Small; goat; from Maurs. Cabrillon_Auvergne, France_ So much like the Cabreçon they might be called sister nannies underthe rind. Cachet d'Entrechaux, le, or Fromage Fort du Ventoux _Provence Mountains, France_ Semihard; sheep; mixed with brandy, dry white wine and sundryseasonings. Well marinated and extremely strong. Season May toNovember. Caciocavallo_Italy_ "Horse Cheese. " The ubiquitous cheese of classical greats, imitatedall around the world and back to Italy again. _See_ Chapter 3. Caciocavallo Siciliano_Sicily, also in U. S. A. _ Essentially a pressed Provolone. Usually from cow's whole milk, butsometimes from goat's milk or a mixture of the two. Weight between17-1/2 and 26 pounds. Used for both table cheese and grating. Cacio Fiore, or Caciotta_Italy_ Soft as butter; sheep; in four-pound square frames; sweetish; eatenfresh. Cacio Pecorino Romano _see_ Pecorino. Cacio Romano _see_ Chiavari. Caerphilly_Wales and England--Devon, Dorset, Somerset & Wilshire_ Semihard; whole fresh milk; takes three weeks to ripen. Also sold"green, " young and innocent, at the age of ten to eleven days whenweighing about that many pounds. Since it has little keeping qualitiesit should be eaten quickly. Welsh miners eat a lot of it, think itspecially suited to their needs, because it is easily digested anddoes not produce so much heat in the body as long-keeping cheeses. Caillebottes (Curds)_France--Anjou, Poitou, Saintonge & Vendée_ Soft, creamy, sweetened fresh or sour milk clabbered withchardonnette, wild artichoke seed, over slow fire. Cut in lozenges andserved cold not two hours after cooking. Smooth, mellow and aromatic. A high type of this unusual cheese is Jonchée (_see_). Other cheesesare made with vegetable rennet, some from similar thistle or cardoonjuice, especially in Portugal. Caille de Poitiers _see_ Petits pots. Caille de Habas_Gascony, France_ Clabbered or clotted sheep milk. Cajassou_Périgord, France_ A notable goat cheese made in Cubjac. Calabrian_Italy_ The Calabrians make good sheep cheese, such as this and Caciocavallo. Calcagno_Sicily_ Hard; ewe's milk. Suitable for grating. Caledonian Cream_Scotland_ More of a dessert than a true cheese. We read in _Scotland's InnerMan_: "A sort of fresh cream cheese, flavored with chopped orangemarmalade, sugar brandy and lemon juice. It is whisked for about halfan hour. Otherwise, if put into a freezer, it would be goodice-pudding. " Calvados_France_ Medium-hard; tangy. Perfect with Calvados applejack from the sameprovince. Calvenzano_Italy_ Similar to Gorgonzola, made in Bergamo. Cambrai _see_ Boulette. Cambridge, or York_England_ Soft; fresh; creamy; tangy. The curd is quickly made in one hour anddipped into molds without cutting to ripen for eating in thirty hours. Camembert _see_ Chapter 3. "Camembert"_Germany, U. S. & elsewhere_ A West German imitation that comes in a cute little heart-shaped boxwhich nevertheless doesn't make it any more like the Camembert_véritable_ of Normandy. Camosun_U. S. A. _ Semisoft; open-textured, resembling Monterey. Drained curd is pressedin hoops, cheese is salted in brine for thirty hours, then coatedwith paraffin and cured for one to three months in humid room at 50°to 60° F. Canadian Club_see_ Cheddar Club. Cancoillotte, Cancaillotte, Canquoillotte, Quincoillotte, Cancoiade, Fromagère, Tempête and "Purée" de fromage tres fort _Franche-Comté, France_ Soft; sour milk; sharp and aromatic; with added eggs and butter andsometimes brandy or dry white wine. Sold in attractive small molds andpots. Other sharp seasonings besides the brandy or wine make this oneof the strongest of French strong cheeses, similar to Fromage Fort. Canestrato_Sicily, Italy_ Hard; mixed goat and sheep; yellow and strong. Takes one year tomature and is very popular both in Sicily where it is made toperfection and in Southern Colorado where it is imitated by and forItalian settlers. Cantal, Fromage de Cantal, Auvergne or Auvergne Bleu; also Fourme andLa Tome. _Auvergne, France_ Semihard; smooth; mellow; a kind of Cheddar, lightly colored lemon;yellow; strong, sharp taste but hardly any smell. Forty to ahundred-twenty pound cylinders. The rich milk from highland pasturesis more or less skimmed and, being a very old variety, it is stillmade most primitively. Cured six weeks or six months, and when veryold it's very hard and very sharp. A Cantal type is Laguiole orGuiole. Capitanata_Italy_ Sheep. Caprian_Capri, Italy_ Made from milk of goats that still overrun the original Goat Island, and tangy as a buck. Caprino (Little Goat)_Argentina_ Semihard; goat; sharp; table cheese. Caraway Loaf_U. S. A. _ This is just one imitation of dozens of German caraway-seeded cheesesthat roam the world. In Germany there is not only Kümmel loaf cheesebut a loaf of caraway-seeded bread to go with it. Milwaukee has longmade a good Kümmelkäse or hand cheese and it would take more than thefingers on both hands to enumerate all of the European originals, fromDutch Komynkaas through Danish King Christian IX and NorwegianKuminost, Italian Freisa, Pomeranian Rinnen and Belgian Leyden, toPennsylvania Pot. Cardiga, Queijo da_Portugal_ Hard; sheep; oily; mild flavor. Named from cardo, cardoon in English, a kind of thistle used as a vegetable rennet in making several othercheeses, such as French Caillebottes curdled with chardonnette, wildartichoke seed. Only classical Greek sheep cheeses like Casera cancompare with the superb ones from the Portuguese mountain districts. They are lusciously oily, but never rancidly so. Carlsbad_Bohemia_ Semihard; sheep; white; slightly salted; expensive. Carré Affiné_France_ Soft, delicate, in small square forms; similar to Petit Carré andAncien Impérial (_see_). Carré de l'Est_France_ Similar to Camembert, and imitated in the U. S. A. Cascaval Penir_Turkey_ Cacciocavallo imitation consumed at home. Caseralla_Greece_ Semisoft; sheep; mellow; creamy. Casere_Greece_ Hard; sheep; brittle; gray and greasy. But wonderful! Sour-sweettongue tickle. This classical though greasy Grecian is imitated withgoat milk instead of sheep in Southern California. Cashera_Armenia and Greece_ Hard; goat or cow's milk; brittle; sharp; nutty. Similar to Casere andhigh in quality. Cashera_Turkey_ Semihard; sheep. Casher Penner _see_ Kasher. Cashkavallo_Syria_ Mellow but sharp imitation of the ubiquitous Italian Cacciocavallo. Casigiolu, Panedda, Pera di vacca_Sardinia_ Plastic-curd cheese, made by the Caciocavallo method. Caskcaval or Kaschcavallo _see_ Feta. Caspian_Caucasus_ Semihard. Sheep or cow, milked directly into cone-shaped cloth bag tospeed the making. Tastes tangy, sharp and biting. Cassaro_Italy_ Locally consumed, seldom exported. Castelmagno_Italy_ Blue-mold, Gorgonzola type. Castelo Branco, White Castle_Portugal_ Semisoft; goat or goat and sheep; fermented. Similar to Serra daEstrella (_see_). Castillon, or Fromage de Gascony_France_ Fresh cream cheese. Castle, Schlosskäse_North Austria_ Limburger type. Catanzaro_Italy_ Consumed locally, seldom exported. Cat's Head _see_ Katzenkopf. Celery_Norway_ Flavored mildly with celery seeds, instead of the usual caraway. Cendrée, la_France--Orléanais, Blois & Aube_ Hard; sheep; round and flat. Other Cendrées are Champenois or Ricey, Brie, d'Aizy and Olivet Cendré d'Aizy_Burgundy, France_ Available all year. _See_ la Cendrée. Cendré de la Brie_Ile-de-France, France_ Fall and winter Brie cured under the ashes, season September to May. Cendré Champenois or Cendré des Riceys_Aube & Marne, France_ Made and eaten from September to June, and ripened under the ashes. Cendré Olivet _see_ Olivet. Cenis _see_ Mont Cenis. Certoso Stracchino_Italy, near Milan_ A variety of Stracchino named after the Carthusian friars who havemade it for donkey's years. It is milder and softer and creamier thanthe Taleggio because it's made of cow instead of goat milk, but it hasless distinction for the same reason. Ceva_Italy_ Soft veteran of Roman times named from its town near Turin. Chabichou_Poitou, France_ Soft; goat; fresh; sweet and tasty. A vintage cheese of the monthsfrom April to December, since such cheeses don't last long enough tobe vintaged like wine by the year. Chaingy_Orléans, France_ Season September to June. Cham_Switzerland_ One of those eminent Emmentalers from Cham, the home town of MisterPfister (_see_ Pfister). Chamois milk Aristotle said that the most savorous cheese came from the chamois. This small goatlike antelope feeds on wild mountain herbs notavailable to lumbering cows, less agile sheep or domesticated mountaingoats, so it gives, in small quantity but high quality, the richest, most flavorsome of milk. Champenois or Fromage des Riceys_Aube & Marne, France_ Season from September to June. The same as Cendré Champenois and desRiceys. Champoléon de Queyras_Hautes-Alpes, France_. Hard; skim-milker. Chantelle_U. S. A. _ Natural Port du Salut type described as "zesty" by some of the bestpurveyors of domestic cheeses. It has a sharp taste and little odor, perhaps to fill the demand for a "married man's Limburger. " Chantilly _see_ Hablé. Chaource_Champagne, France_ Soft, nice to nibble with the bottled product of this same high-livingChampagne Province. A kind of Camembert. Chapelle_France_ Soft. Charmey Fine_Switzerland_ Gruyère type. Chaschol, or Chaschosis_Canton of Grisons, Switzerland_ Hard; skim; small wheels, eighteen to twenty-two inches in diameter bythree to four inches high, weight twenty-two to forty pounds. Chasteaux _see_ Petits Fromages. Chateauroux _see_ Fromage de Chèvre. Chaumont_Champagne, France_ Season November to May. Chavignol _see_ Crottin. Chechaluk_Armenia_ Soft; pot; flaky; creamy. Cheddar _see_ Chapter 3. Cheese bread_Russia and U. S. A. _ For centuries Russia has excelled in making a salubrious cheese breadcalled Notruschki and the cheese that flavors it is Tworog. (_Seeboth_. ) Only recently Schrafft's in New York put out a yellow, softand toothsome cheese bread that has become very popular for toasting. It takes heat to bring out its full cheesy savor. Good when overlaidwith cheese butter of contrasting piquance, say one mixed withSapsago. Cheese butter Equal parts of creamed butter and finely grated or soft cheese andmixtures thereof. The imported but still cheap green Sapsago is not tobe forgotten when mixing your own cheese butter. Cheese food_U. S. A. _ "Any mixtures of various lots of cheese and other solids derived frommilk with emulsifying agents, coloring matter, seasonings, condiments, relishes and water, heated or not, into a homogeneous mass. "(A long and kind word for a homely, tasteless, heterogeneous mess. )From an advertisement Cheese hoppers _see_ Hoppers. Cheese mites _see_ Mites. Cheshire and Cheshire imitations _see_ with Cheddar inChapter 3. Cheshire-Stilton_England_ In making this combination of Cheshire and Stilton, the blue moldpeculiar to Stilton is introduced in the usual Cheshire process bykeeping out each day a little of the curd and mixing it with that inwhich the mold is growing well. The result is the Cheshire in size andshape and general characteristics but with the blue veins of Stilton, making it really a Blue Cheddar. Another combination isYorkshire-Stilton, and quite as distinguished. Chester_England_ Another name for Cheshire, used in France where formerly some wasimported to make the visiting Britishers feel at home. Chevalier_France_ Curds sweetened with sugar. Chevèlle_U. S. A. _ A processed Wisconsin. Chèvre _see_ Fromages. Chèvre de Chateauroux _see_ Fromages. Chèvre petit _see_ Petìts Fromages. Chèvre, Tome de _see_ Tome. Chevretin_Savoy, France_ Goat; small and square. Named after the mammy nanny, as so many are. Chevrets, Ponta & St. Rémy_Bresse & Franche-Comté, France_ Dry and semi-dry; crumbly; goat; small squares; lightly salted. SeasonDecember to April. Such small goat cheeses are named in the plural inFrance. Chevretons du Beaujolais à la crème, les_Lyonnais, France_ Small goat-milkers served with cream. This is a fair sample of therailroad names some French cheeses stagger under. Chevrotins_Savoy, France_ Soft, dried goat milk; white; small; tangy and semi-tangy. Made andeaten from March to December. Chhana_Asia_ All we know is that this is made of the whole milk of cows, soured, and it is not as unusual as the double "h" in its name. Chiavari_Italy_ There are two different kinds named forthe Chiavari region, and both are hard: I. Sour cow's milk, also known as Cacio Romano. II. Sweet whole milker, similar to Corsican Broccio. Chiavari, the historic little port between Genoa and Pisa, is more noted as the birthplace of the barbaric "chivaree" razzing of newlyweds with its raucous serenade of dishpans, sour-note bugling and such. Chives cream cheese Of the world's many fine fresh cheeses further freshened with chives, there's Belgian Hervé and French Claqueret (with onion added). (_Seeboth_. ) For our taste it's best when the chives are added at home, asit's done in Germany, in person at the table or just before. Christalinna_Canton Graubünden, Switzerland_ Hard; smooth; sharp; tangy. Christian IX_Denmark_ A distinguished spiced cheese. Ciclo_Italy_ Soft, small cream cheese. Cierp de Luchon_France_ Made from November to May in the Comté de Foix, where it has thedistinction of being the only local product worth listing withFrance's three hundred notables. Citeaux_Burgundy, France_ Trappist Port-Salut. Clabber cheese_England_ Simply cottage cheese left in a cool place until it grows soft andautomatically changes its name from cottage to clabber. Clairvaux_France_ Formerly made in a Benedictine monastery of that name. Claqueret, le_Lyonnais, France_ Fresh cream whipped with chives, chopped fine with onions. _See_Chives. Clérimbert _see_ Alpin. Cleves_France_ French imitation of the German imitation of a Holland-Dutch original. Cloves _see_ Nagelkäse. Club, Potted Club, Snappy, Cold-pack and Comminuted cheese_U. S. A. And Canada_ Probably McLaren's Imperial Club in pots was first to be called club, but others credit club to the U. S. In any case McLaren's was bought byan American company and is now all-American. Today there are many clubs that may sound swanky but taste veryordinary, if at all. They are made of finely ground aged, sharpCheddar mixed with condiments, liquors, olives, pimientos, etc. , andmostly carry come-on names to make the customers think they aregetting something from Olde England or some aristocratic private club. All are described as "tangy. " Originally butter went into the better clubs which were sold in smallporcelain jars, but in these process days they are wrapped in smallertin foil and wax-paper packets and called "snappy. " Cocktail Cheeses Recommended from stock by Phil Alpert's "Cheeses of all Nations"stores: Argentine aged GruyèreCanadian d'OkaFrench BleuBrieCamembertFontainebleuPont l'EvêquePort du SalutRoblochonRoquefortGrecian FetaHungarian BrinzaPolish Warshawski SyrRumanian KaskavalSwiss SchweizerkäseAmerican Cheddar in brandyHopi Indian Coeur à la Crème_Burgundy, France_ This becomes Fromage à la Crème II (_see_) when served with sugar, andit is also called a heart of cream after being molded into thatromantic shape in a wicker or willow-twig basket. Coeurs d'Arras_Artois, France_ These hearts of Arras are soft, smooth, mellow, caressingly rich withthe cream of Arras. Coffee-flavored cheese Just as the Dutch captivated coffee lovers all over the world withtheir coffee-flavored candies, Haagische Hopjes, so the French withJonchée cheese and Italians with Ricotta satisfy the universal cravingby putting coffee in for flavor. Coimbra_Portugal_ Goat or cow; semihard; firm; round; salty; sharp. Not only one ofthose college-educated cheeses but a postgraduate one, bearing thehonored name of Portugal's ancient academic center. Colby_U. S. A. _ Similar to Cheddar, but of softer body and more open texture. Containsmore moisture, and doesn't keep as well as Cheddar. College-educated Besides Coimbra several countries have cheeses brought out by theircolleges. Even Brazil has one in Minas Geraes and Transylvania anothercalled Kolos-Monostor, while our agricultural colleges in every bigcheese state from California through Ames in Iowa, Madison inWisconsin, all across the continent to Cornell in New York, vie withone another in turning out diploma-ed American Cheddars and such ofhigh degree. It is largely to the agricultural colleges that we owethe steady improvement in both quality and number of foreignimitations since the University of Wisconsin broke the curds early inthis century by importing Swiss professors to teach the high art ofEmmentaler. Colwick _see_ Slipcote. Combe-air_France_ Small; similar to Italian Stracchino in everything but size. Commission_Holland_ Hard; ball-shaped like Edam and resembling it except being darker incolor and packed in a ball weighing about twice as much, around eightpounds. It is made in the province of North Holland and in Friesland. It is often preferred to Edam for size and nutty flavor. Compiègne_France_ Soft Comté _see_ Gruyère. Conches_France_ Emmentaler type. Condrieu, Rigotte de la_Rhone Valley below Lyons, France_ Semihard; goat; small; smooth; creamy; mellow; tasty. A cheese ofcheeses for epicures, only made from May to November when pasturage isrich. Confits au Marc de Bourgogne _see_ Epoisses. Confits au Vin Blanc _see_ Epoisses. Cooked, or Pennsylvania pot_U. S. A. _ Named from cooking sour clabbered curd to the melting point. When coolit is allowed to stand three or four days until it is colored through. Then it is cooked again with salt, milk, and usually caraway. It isstirred until it's as thick as molasses and strings from a spoon. Itis then put into pots or molds, whose shape it retains when turnedout. All cooked cheese is apt to be tasteless unless some of the milkflavor cooked out is put back in, as wheat germ is now returned towhite bread. Almost every country has a cooked cheese all its own, with or without caraway, such as the following: Belgium--KochtounkäseGermany--Kochkäse, TopfenLuxembourg--KochenkäseFrance--Fromage Ouit & Le P'TeuxSardinia--Pannedas, Freisa Coon _see_ Chapter 4. Cornhusker_U. S. A. _ A Nebraska product similar to Cheddar and Colby, but with softer bodyand more moisture. Cornimont_Vosges, France_ A splendid French version of Alsatian Münster spiked with caraway, inflattish cylinders with mahogany-red coating. It is similar to Géroméand the harvest cheese of Gérardmer in the same lush Vosges Valley. Corse, Roquefort de_Corsica, France_ Corsican imitation of the real Roquefort, and not nearly so good, ofcourse. Cossack_Caucasus_ Cow or sheep. There are two varieties:I. Soft, cured in brine and still soft and mild after two months in the salt bath. II. Semihard and very sharp after aging in brine for a year or more. Cotherstone_Yorkshire, England_ Also known as Yorkshire-Stilton, and Wensleydale No. I. (_See both_. ) Cotrone, Cotronese _see_ Pecorino. Cotta _see_ Pasta. Cottage cheese Made in all countries where any sort of milk is obtainable. In Americait's also called pot, Dutch, and smearcase. The English, who likeplayful names for homely dishes, call cottage cheese smearcase fromthe German Schmierkäse. It is also called Glumse in Deutschland, and, together with cream, formed the basis of all of our fine PennsylvaniaDutch cuisine. Cottenham or Double Cottenham_English Midlands_ Semihard; double cream; blue mold. Similar to Stilton but creamier andricher, and made in flatter and broader forms. Cottslowe_Cotswold, England_ A brand of cream cheese named for its home in Cotswold, Gloucester. Although soft, it tastes like hard Cheddar. Coulommiers Frais, or Petit-Moule_Ile-de-France, France_ Fresh cream similar to Petit Suisse. (_See_. ) Coulommiers, le, or Brie de Coulommiers_France_ Also called Petit-moule, from its small form. This genuine Brie is apocket edition, no larger than a Camembert, standing only one inchhigh and measuring five or six inches across. It is made near Parisand is a great favorite from the autumn and winter months, when it ismade, on until May. The making starts in October, a month earlier thanmost Brie, and it is off the market by July, so it's seldom tasted bythe avalanche of American summer tourists. Cow cheese Sounds redundant, and is used mostly in Germany, where an identifyingword is added, such as Berliner Kuhkäse and Alt Kuhkäse: old cowcheese. Cream cheese_International_ England, France and America go for it heavily. English cream beginswith Devonshire, the world-famous, thick fresh cream that is sold coolin earthenware pots and makes fresh berries--especially the small wildstrawberries of rural England--taste out of this world. It is alsodrained on straw mats and formed into fresh hardened cheeses in smallmolds. (_See_ Devonshire cream. ) Among regional specialties are thefollowing, named from their place of origin or commercial brands: CambridgeCottsloweCornwallFarm ValeGuilfordHomer's"Italian"LincolnNew ForestRush (from being made on rush or straw mats--_see_ Rush)St. Ivel (distinguished for being made with acidophilus bacteria)Scotch CaledonianSlipcote (famous in the eighteenth century)VictoriaYork Crème Chantilly _see_ Hablé. Crème de Gien _see_ Fromage. Crème de Gruyère_Franche-Comté France_ Soft Gruyère cream cheese, arrives in America in perfect condition intin foil packets. Expensive but worth it. Crème des Vosges_Alsace, France_ Soft cream. Season October to April. Crème Double _see_ Double-Crème. Crème, Fromage à la _see_ Fromage. Crème, Fromage Blanc à la _see_ Fromage Blanc. Crème St Gervais _see_ Pots de Crème St Gervais. Crèmet Nantais_Lower Loire, France_ Soft fresh cream of Nantes. Crèmets, les_Anjou, France_ A fresh cream equal to English Devonshire, served more as a dessertthan a dessert cheese. The cream is whipped stiff with egg whites, drained and eaten with more fresh cream, sprinkled with vanilla andsugar. Cremini_Italy_ Soft, small cream cheese from Cremona, the violin town. And by theway, art-loving Italians make ornamental cheeses in the form ofmusical instruments, statues, still life groups and everything. Creole_Louisiana, U. S. A. _ Soft, rich, unripened cottage cheese type, made by mixing cottage-typecurd and rich cream. Crescenza, Carsenza, Stracchino Crescenza, Crescenza Lombardi_Lombardy, Italy_ Uncooked; soft; creamy; mildly sweet; fast-ripening; yellowish; wholemilk. Made from September to April. Creuse_Creuse, France_ A two-in-one farm cheese of skimmed milk, resulting from two differentways of ripening, after the cheese has been removed from perforatedearthen molds seven inches in diameter and five or six inches high, where it has drained for several days: I. It is salted and turned frequently until very dry and hard. II. It is ripened by placing in tightly closed mold, lined with straw. This softens, flavors, and turns it golden-yellow. (_See_ Hay or Fromage de Foin. ) Creusois, or Guéret_Limousin, France_ Season, October to June. Croissant Demi-sel_France_ Soft, double cream, semisalty. All year. Crottin de Chavignol_Berry, France_ Semihard; goat's milk; small; lightly salted; mellow. In season Aprilto December. The name is not exactly complimentary. Crowdie, or Cruddy butter_Scotland_ Named from the combination of fresh sweet milk curds pressed togetherwith fresh butter. A popular breakfast food in Inverness and the RossShires. When kept for months it develops a high flavor. A similar curdand butter is made by Arabs and stored in vats, the same as in India, the land of ghee, where there's no refrigeration. Crying Kebbuck F. Marion MacNeill, in _The Scots Kitchen_ says that this was the nameof a cheese that used to be part of the Kimmers feast at a lying-in. Cuajada _see_ Venezuela. Cubjac _see_ Cajassou. Cuit _see_ Fromage Cuit. Cumin, Münster au _see_ Münster. Cup _see_ Koppen. Curd _see_ Granular curd, Sweet curd and York curd. Curds and butter_Arabia_ Fresh sweet milk curd and fresh butter are pressed together as inmaking Crowdie or Cruddy butter in Scotland. The Arabs put this strongmixture away in vats to get it even stronger than East Indian ghee. Curé, Fromage de _see_ Nantais. D Daisies, fresh A popular type and packaging of mild Cheddar, originally English. Known as an "all-around cheese, " to eat raw, cook, let ripen, and usefor seasoning. Dalmatian_Austria_ Hard ewe's-milker. Dambo_Denmark_ Semihard and nutty. Damen, or Glory of the Mountains (Gloires des Montagnes)_Hungary_ Soft, uncured, mild ladies' cheese, as its name asserts. PopularAlpine snack in Viennese cafés with coffee gossip in the afternoon. Danish Blue_Denmark_ Semihard, rich, blue-veined, piquant, delicate, excellent imitation ofRoquefort. Sometimes called "Danish Roquefort, " and because it isexported around the world it is Denmark's best-known cheese. Althoughit sells for 20% to 30% less than the international triumvirate ofBlues, Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola, it rivals them anddefinitely leads lesser Blues. Danish Export_Denmark_ Skim milk and buttermilk. Round and flat, mild and mellow. A finecheese, as many Danish exports are. Dansk Schweizerost_Denmark_ Danish Swiss cheese, imitation Emmentaler, but with small holes. Nutty, sweet dessert or "picnic cheese, " as Swiss is often called. Danzig_Poland_ A pleasant cheese to accompany a glass of the great liqueur, Goldwasser, Eau de Vie de Danzig, from the same celebrated city. Darling_U. S. A. _ One of the finest Vermont Cheddars, handled for years by one ofAmerica's finest fancy food suppliers, S. S. Pierce of Boston. Dauphin_Flanders, France_ Season, November to May. d'Aurigny, Fromage _see_ Alderney. Daventry_England_ A Stilton type, white, small, round, flat and very rich, with "blue"veins of a darker green. Decize_Nivernaise, France_ In season all year. Soft, creamy, mellow, resembles Brie. de Foin, Fromage _see_ Hay. de Fontine_Spain_ Crumbly, sharp, nutty. de Gascony, Fromage _see_ Castillon. de Gérardmer _see_ Récollet. Delft_Holland_ About the same as Leyden. (_See_. ) Délicieux The brand name of a truly delicious Brie. Delikat_U. S. A. _ A mellow breakfast spread, on the style of the German Frühstückoriginal. (_See_. ) de Lile, Boule French name for Belgian Oude Kaas. Demi-Étuve Half-size Étuve. (_See_. ) Demi Petit Suisse The name for an extra small Petit Suisse to distinguish it from theGros. Demi-Sel_Normandy, France_ Soft, whole, creamy, lightly salted, resembles Gournay but slightlysaltier; also like U. S. Cream cheese, but softer and creamier. Demi-Sel, Croissant _see_ Croissant Demi-Sel. Derby, or Derbyshire_England_ Hard; shape like Austrian Nagelkassa and the size of Cheshire thoughsometimes smaller. Dry, large, flat, round, flaky, sharp and tangy. Afactory cheese said to be identical with Double Gloucester and similarto Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Leicester. The experts pronounce it "asomewhat inferior Cheshire, but deficient in its quality and theflavor of Cheddar. " So it's unlikely to win in any cheese derby inspite of its name. Devonshire cream and cheese_England_ Devonshire cream is world famous for its thickness and richness. Superb with wild strawberries; almost a cream cheese by itself. Devonshire cream is made into a luscious cheese ripened on straw, which gives it a special flavor, such as that of French Foin or Haycheese. Dolce Verde_Italy_ This creamy blue-vein variety is named Sweet Green, becausecheesemongers are color-blind when it comes to the blue-greens and thegreen-blues. Domaci Beli Sir_Yugoslavia_ "Sir" is not a title but the word for cheese. This is a typicalewe's-milker cured in a fresh sheep skin. Domestic Gruyère_U. S. A. _ An imitation of a cheese impossible to imitate. Domestic Swiss_U. S. A_ Same as domestic Gruyère, maybe more so, since it is made in ponderous150-to 200-pound wheels, chiefly in Wisconsin and Ohio. The trouble isthere is no Alpine pasturage and Emmentaler Valley in our country. Domiati_Egypt_ Whole or partly skimmed cow's or buffalo's milk. Soft; white; noopenings; mild and salty when fresh and cleanly acid when cured. It'scalled "a pickled cheese" and is very popular in the Near East. Dorset, Double Dorset, Blue Dorset, or Blue Vinny_England_ Blue mold type from Dorsetshire; crumbly, sharp; made in flat forms. "Its manufacture has been traced back 150 years in the family of F. E. Dare, who says that in all probability it was made longer ago thanthat. " (_See_ Blue Vinny. ) Dotter_Nürnberg, Germany_ An entirely original cheese perfected by G. Leuchs in Nürnberg. Heenriched skim milk with yolk of eggs and made the cheese in the usualway. When well ripened it is splendid. Doubles The English name cheese made of whole milk "double, " such as DoubleCottenham, Double Dorset, Double Gloucester. "Singles" are cheesesfrom which some of the cream has been removed. Double-cream_England_ Similar to Wensleydale. Double-crème_France_ There are several of this name, made in the summer when milk isrichest in cream. The full name is Fromage à la Double-crème, andPommel is one well known. They are made throughout France in seasonand are much in demand. Dresdener Bierkäse_Germany_ A celebrated hand cheese made in Dresden. The typical soft, skimmilker, strong with caraway and drunk dissolved in beer, as well asmerely eaten. Drinking cheeses Not only Dresdener, but dozens of regional hand cheeses in Germaniccountries are melted in steins of beer or glasses of wine to makedistinctive cheesed drinks for strong stomachs and noses. This peps upthe drinks in somewhat the same way as ale and beer are laced withpepper sauce in some parts. Dry_Germany_ From the drinking cheese just above to dry cheese is quite a leap. "This cheese, known as Sperrkäse and Trockenkäse, is made in the smalldairies of the eastern part of the Bavarian Alps and in the Tyrol. Itis an extremely simple product, made for home consumption and only inthe winter season, when the milk cannot be profitably used for otherpurposes. As soon as the milk is skimmed it is put into a large kettlewhich can be swung over a fire, where it is kept warm until it isthoroughly thickened from souring. It is then broken up and cookedquite firm. A small quantity of salt and sometimes some caraway seedare added, and the curd is put into forms of various sizes. It is thenplaced in a drying room, where it becomes very hard, when it is readyfor eating. " (From U. S. Department of Agriculture _Bulletin_ No. 608. ) Dubreala _see_ Brina. Duel_Austria_ Soft; skim milk; hand type; two by two by one-inch cube. Dunlop_Scotland_ One of the national cheeses of Scotland, but now far behind Cheddar, which it resembles, although it is closer in texture and moister. Semihard; white; sharp; buttery; tangy and rich in flavor. It is oneof the "toasting cheeses" resembling Lancashire, too, in form andweight. Made in Ayr, Lanark and Renfrew and sold in the markets ofKilmarnock, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown. Durak_Turkey_ Mixed with butter; mellow and smoky. Costs three dollars a pound. Duralag, or Bgug-Panir_Armenia_ Sheep; semisoft to brittle hard; square; sharp but mellow and tangywith herbs. Sometimes salty from lying in a brine bath from two daysto two months. Durmar, Rarush _see_ Rarush. Dutch_Holland_ Cream cheese of skim milk, very perishable spread. Dutch cheese American vernacular for cottage or pot cheese. Dutch Cream Cheese_England_ Made in England although called Dutch. Contains eggs, and is thereforericher than Dutch cream cheese in Holland itself. In America we callthe original Holland-kind Dutch, cottage, pot, and farmer. Dutch Mill_U. S. A. _ A specialty of Oakland, California. Dutch Red Balls English name for Edam. E Echourgnac, Trappe d'_Périgord, France_ Trappist monastery Port-Salut made in Limousin. Edam _see_ Chapter 3. Egg_Finland_ Semihard. One of the few cheeses made by adding eggs to the curds. Others are Dutch Cream Cheese of England; German Dotter; FrenchFromage Cuit (cooked cheese), and Westphalian. Authorities agree thatthese should be labeled "egg cheese" so the buyers won't be fooled bytheir richness. The Finns age their eggs even as the Chinese ripentheir hundred-year-old eggs, by burying them in grain, as allScandinavians do, and the Scotch as well, in the oat bin. But none ofthem is left a century to ripen, as eggs are said to be in China. Elbinger, or Elbing_West Prussia_ Hard; crumbly; sharp. Made of whole milk except in winter when it isskimmed. Also known as Werderkäse and Niederungskäse. Ekiwani_Caucasus_ Hard; sheep; white; sharp; salty with some of the brine it's bathedin. Elisavetpolen, or Eriwani_Caucasus_ Hard; sheep; sweetish-sharp and slightly salty when fresh from thebrine bath. Also called Kasach (Cossack), Tali, Kurini and Karab indifferent locales. Elmo Table_Italy_ Soft, mellow, tasty. Emiliano_Italy_ Hard; flavor varies from mild to sharp. Parmesan type. Emmentaler_Switzerland_ There are so many, many types of this celebrated Swiss all around theworld that we're not surprised to find Lapland reindeer milk cheeselisted as similar to Emmentaler of the hardest variety. (_See_ Chapter3, _also_ Vacherin Fondu. ) "En enveloppe" French phrase of packaged cheese, "in the envelope. " Similar toEnglish packet and our process. Raw natural cheese the French refer tofrankly as _nu_, "in the nude. " Engadine_Graubünden, Switzerland_ Semihard; mild; tangy-sweet. English Dairy_England and U. S. A. _ Extra-hard, crumbly and sharp. Resembles Cheddar and has long beenimitated in the States, chiefly as a cooking cheese. Entrechaux, le Cachat d' _see_ Cachat. Epoisses, Fromage d'_Côte d'Or, Upper Burgundy, France_ Soft, small cylinder with flattened end, about five inches across. Theseason is from November to July. Equally proud of their wine andcheese, the Burgundians marry white wine or _marc_ to d'Epoisses inmaking _confits_ with that name. Erbo_Italy_ Similar to Gorgonzola. The Galvani cheesemakers of Italy who put outboth Bel Paese and Taleggio also export Erbo to our shores. Erce_Languedoc, France_ Soft, smooth and sharp. A winter cheese in season only from Novemberto May. Eriwani _see_ Elisavetpolen. Ervy_Champagne, France_ Soft; yellow rind; smooth; tangy; piquant; seven by two-and-a-halfinches, weight four pounds. Resembles Camembert. A washed cheese, alsoknown as Fromage de Troyes. In season November to May. Essex_U. S. A. _ Imitation of an extinct or at least dormant English type. Estrella _see_ Serra da Estrella. Étuve and Demi-Étuve_Holland_ Semihard; smooth; mellow. In full size and demi (half) size. In seasonall year. Evarglice_Yugoslavia_ Sharp, nutty flavor. Excelsior_Normandy, France_ Season all year. F Factory Cheddar_U. S. A. _ Very Old Factory Cheddar is the trade name for well-aged sharpCheddar. New Factory is just that--mild, young and tractable--tootractable, in fact. Farm_France_ Known as Ferme; Maigre (thin); Fromage à la Pie (nothing to do withapple pie); and Mou (weak). About the same as our cottage cheese. Farmer_U. S. A. _ This is curd only and is nowadays mixed with pepper, lachs, nuts, fruits, almost anything. A very good base for your own fancy spread, or season a slab to fancy and bake it like a hoe cake, but in theoven. Farmhouse _see_ Herrgårdsost. Farm Vale_England_ Cream cheese of Somerset wrapped in tin foil and boxed in wedges, eight to a box. Fat cheese _see_ Frontage Gras and Maile Pener. Fenouil _see_ Tome de Savoie. Ferme _see_ Farm. Feta _see_ Chapter 3. Feuille de Dreux_Béarn, France_ November to May. "Filled cheese"_England_ Before our processed and food cheese era some scoundrels in the cheesebusiness over there added animal fats and margarine to skimmed milk tomake it pass as whole milk in making cheese. Such adulteration killedthe flavor and quality, and no doubt some of the customers. Luckily inAmerica we put down this vicious counterfeiting with pure food laws. But such foreign fats are still stuffed into the skimmed milk of manyforeign cheeses. To take the place of the natural butterfat the phonyfats are whipped in violently and extra rennet is added to speed upcoagulation. Fin de Siècle_Normandy, France_ Although this is an "all year" cheese its name dates it back to theyears at the close of the nineteenth century. Fiore di Alpe_Italy_ Hard; sharp; tangy. Romantically named "Flowers of the Alps. " Fiore Sardo_Italy_ Ewe's milk. Hard. Table cheese when immature; a condiment when fullycured. Flandre, Tuile de_France_ A kind of Marolles. Fleur de Deauville_France_ A type of Brie, in season December to May. Fleur des Alpes _see_ Bel Paese and Millefiori. Floedeost_Norway_ Like Gjedeost, but not so rich because it's made of cow's milk. Fløtost_Norway_ Although the name translates Cream Cheese it is made of boiled whey. Similar to Mysost, but fatter. Flower_England_ Soft and fragrant with petals of roses, violets, marigolds and such, delicately mixed in. Since the English are so fond of oriental teasscented with jasmine and other flowers, perhaps they imported the ideaof mixing petals with their cheese, since there is no oriental cheesefor them to import except bean curd. Fodder cheese A term for cheese made from fodder in seasons when there is no grass. Good fresh grass is the essence of all fine cheese, so silo orbarn-fed cows can't give the kind of milk it takes. Foggiano_Apulia, Italy_ A member of the big Pecorino family because it's made of sheep's milk. Foin, Fromage de _see_ Hay. Fondu, Vacherin _see_ Vacherin Fondu. Fontainebleau_France_ Named after its own royal commune. Soft; fresh cream; smooth; mellow;summer variety. Fontina_Val d'Acosta, Italy_ Soft; goat; creamy; with a nutty flavor and delightful aroma. Fontine, de_Franche-Comté, France_ A favorite all-year product. Fontinelli_Italy_ Semidry; flaky; nutty; sharp. Fontini_Parma, Italy_ Hard; goat; similar to Swiss, but harder and sharper. From the sameregion as Parmesan. Food cheese_U. S. A. _ An unattractive type of processed mixes, presumably with some cheesecontent to flavor it. Forez, also called d'Ambert_France_ The process of making this is said to be very crude, and the ripeningunusual. The cheeses are cylindrical, ten inches in diameter and sixinches high. They are ripened by placing them on the floor of thecellar, covering with dirt, and allowing water to trickle over them. Many are spoiled by the unusual growths of mold and bacteria. Theflavor of the best of these is said to resemble Roquefort. (From_Bulletin_ No. 608 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, to which weare indebted for descriptions of hundreds of varieties in thisalphabet. ) Formagelle_Northwest Italy_ Soft, ripened specialty put up in half-pound packages. Formaggi di Pasta Filata_Italy_ A group of Italian cheeses made by curdling milk with rennet, warmingand fermenting the curd, heating it until it is plastic, drawing itinto ropes and then kneading and shaping while hot. Provolone, Caciocavallo and Mozzarella are in this group. Formaggini, and Formaggini di Lecco_Italy_ Several small cheeses answer to this name, of which Lecco is typical. A Lombardy dessert cheese measuring 1-1/4 by two inches, weighing twoounces. It is eaten from the time it is fresh and sweet until itripens to piquance. Sometimes made of cow and goat milk mixed, withthe addition of oil and vinegar, as well as salt, pepper, sugar andcinnamon. Formaggio d'Oro_Northwest Italy_ Hard, sharp, mountain-made. Formaggio Duro (Dry)and Formaggio Tenero _see_ Nostrale. Fort _see_ Fromage Fort. Fourme, Cantal, and la Tome_Auvergne, France_ This is a big family in the rich cheese province of Auvergne, wheremany mountain varieties are baptized after their districts, such asAubrac, Aurilla, Grand Murol, Rôche and Salers. (_See_ Fourme d'Ambertand Cantal. ) Fourme de Montebrison_Auvergne, France_ This belongs to the Fourme clan and is in season from November to May. Fourme de Salers _see_ Cantal, which it resembles so closelyit is sometimes sold under that name. Fresa, or Pannedas_Sardinia, Italy_ A soft, mild and sweet cooked cheese. Fribourg_Italy and Switzerland_ Hard; cooked-curd, Swiss type very similar to Spalen. (_See_) Frissche Kaas, Fresh cheese_Holland_ Dutch generic name for any soft, fresh spring cheese, although some ismade in winter, beginning in November. Friesian _see_ West Friesian. Fromage à la Creme_France_ I. Sour milk drained and mixed with cream. Eaten with sugar. That of Gien is a noted produce, and so is d'Isigny. II. Franche-Comté--fresh sheep milk melted with fresh thick cream, whipped egg whites and sugar. III. Morvan--homemade cottage cheese. When milk has soured solid it is hung in cheesecloth in a cool place to drain, then mixed with a little fresh milk and served with cream. IV. When Morvan or other type is put into a heart-shaped wicker basket for a mold, and marketed in that, it becomes Coeur à la Crème, heart of cream, to be eaten with sugar. Fromage à la Pie _see_ Fromage Blanc just below, and Farm Fromage Bavarois à la Vanille_France_ Dessert cheese sweetened and flavored with vanilla and named afterBavaria where it probably originated. Fromage Blanc_France_ Soft cream or cottage cheese, called à la Pie, too, suggesting pie àla mode; also Farm from the place it's made. Usually eaten with saltand pepper, in summer only. It is the ascetic version of Fromage à laCrème, usually eaten with salt and pepper and without cream or sugar, except in the Province of Bresse where it is served with cream andcalled Fromage Blanc à la Crème. Every milky province has its own Blanc. In Champagne it's made offresh ewe milk. In Upper Brittany it is named after Nantes and alsocalled Fromage de Curé. Other districts devoted to it areAlsace-Lorraine, Auvergne, Languedoc, and Ile-de-France. Fromage Bleu _see_ Bleu d'Auvergne. Fromage Cuit (cooked cheese)_Thionville, Lorraine, France_ Although a specialty of Lorraine, this cooked cheese is produced inmany places. First it is made with fresh whole cow milk, then pressedand potted. After maturing a while it is de-potted, mixed with milkand egg yolk, re-cooked and re-potted. Fromage d'Aurigny _see_ Alderney. Fromage de Bayonne_Bayonne, France_ Made with ewe's milk. Fromage de Bôite_Doubs, France_ Soft, mountain-made, in the fall only. Resembles Pont l'Evêque. Fromage de Bourgogne _see_ Burgundy. Fromage de Chèvre de Chateauroux_Berry, France_ A seasonal goat cheese. Fromage de Curé _see_ Nantais. Fromage de Fontenay-le Comté_Poitou, France_ Half goat and half cow milk. Fromage de Gascony _see_ Castillon. Fromage de Pau _see_ La Foncée. Fromage de St. Rémy _see_ Chevrets. Fromage de Serac_Savoy, France_ Half and half, cow and goat, from Serac des Allues. Fromage de Troyes_France_ Two cheeses have this name. (_See_ Barberry and Ervy. ) Fromage de Vache Another name for Autun. Fromage de Monsieur Fromage_Normandy, France_ This Cheese of Mr. Cheese is as exceptional as its name. Its seasonruns from November to June. It comes wrapped in a green leaf, maybefrom a grape vine, suggesting what to drink with it. It is semidry, mildly snappy with a piquant pungence all its own. The playful namesuggests the celebrated dish, Poulette de Madame Poulet, Chick of Mrs. Chicken. Fromage Fort_France_ Several cooked cheeses are named Fort (strong) chiefly in thedepartment of Aisne. Well-drained curd is melted, poured into a clothand pressed, then buried in dry ashes to remove any whey left. Afterbeing fermented eight to ten days it is grated, mixed with butter, salt, pepper, wine, juniper berries, butter and other things, beforefermenting some more. Similar extra-strong cheeses are the one in Lorraine called Fondue andFromagère of eastern France, classed as the strongest cheeses in allFrance. _Fort No. I_: That of Flanders, potted with juniper berries, as thegin of this section is flavored, plus pepper, salt and white wine. _Fort No. II_: That from Franche-Comté Small dry goat cheeses poundedand potted with thyme, tarragon, leeks, pepper and brandy. (_See_Hazebrook. ) _Fort No. III_: From Provence, also called Cachat d'Entrechaux. Inproduction from May to November. Semihard, sheep milk, mixed withbrandy, white wine, strong herbs and seasonings and well marinated. Fromage Gras (fat cheese)_Savoy, France_ Soft, round, fat ball called _tête de mort_, "death's head. " WinterBrie is also called Gras but there is no relation. This macabre nameincited Victor Meusy to these lines: _Les gens à l'humeur morose Prennent la Tête-de-Mort. _ People of a morose disposition Take the Death's Head. Fromage Mou Any soft cheese. Fromage Piquant _see_ Remoudon. Fromagère _see_ Canquillote. Fromages de Chèvre_Orléanais, France_ Small, dried goat-milkers. Frühstück Also known as breakfast and lunch cheese. Small rounds two-and-a-halfto three inches in diameter. Limburger type. Cheeses on which manyGermans and Americans break their fast. Ftinoporino_Macedonia, Greece_ Sheep's-milker similar to Brinza. G Gaiskäsli_Germany and Switzerland_ A general name for goat's milk cheese. Usually a small cylinder threeinches in diameter and an inch-and-a-half thick, weighing up to a halfpound. In making, the curds are set on a straw mat in molds, for thewhey to run away. They are salted and turned after two days to saltthe other side. They ripen in three weeks with a very pleasing flavor. Gammelost_Norway_ Hard, golden-brown, sour-milker. After being pressed it is turneddaily for fourteen days and then packed in a chest with wet straw. Sofar as we are concerned it can stay there. The color all the waythrough is tobacco-brown and the taste, too. It has been compared tomedicine, chewing tobacco, petrified Limburger, and worse. In his_Encyclopedia of Food_ Artemas Ward says that in Gammelost theferments absorb so much of the curd that "in consequence, instead ofeating cheese flavored by fungi, one is practically eating fungiflavored with cheese. " Garda_Italy_ Soft, creamy, fermented. A truly fine product made in the resort townon Gardasee where d'Annunzio retired. It is one of those lusciouslittle ones exported in tin foil to America, and edible, including themoldy crust that could hardly be called a rind. Garden_U. S. A. _ Cream cheese with some greens or vegetables mixed in. Garlic_U. S. A. _ A processed Cheddar type flavored with garlic. Garlic-onion Link_U. S. A. _ A strong processed Cheddar put up to look like links of sausage, nobody knows why. Gascony, Fromage de _see Castillon. _ Gautrias_Mayenne, France_ Soft, cylinder weighing about five pounds and resembling Port-Salut. Gavot_Hautes-Alpes, France_ A good Alpine cheese whether made of sheep, goat or cow milk. Geheimrath_Netherlands_ A factory cheese turned out in small quantities. The color is deepyellow and it resembles a Baby Gouda in every way, down to the weight Gérardmer, de _see_ Récollet German-American adopted types BierkäseDelikatGrinnenHandHarzkäseKümmelkäseKoppenLagerLiederkranzMein KaeseMünsterOld HeidelbergSchafkäse (sheep)SilesianSteinTilsitWeisslack (piquant like Bavarian Allgäuer) Géromé, la_Vosges, France_ Semihard: cylinders up to eleven pounds; brick-red rind; like Münster, but larger. Strong, fragrant and flavorsome, sometimes with aniseed. It stands high at home, where it is in season from October to April. Gervais_Ile-de-France, France_ Cream cheese like Neufchâtel, long made by Maison Gervais, near Paris. Sold in tiny tin-foil squares not much larger than old-time yeast. Like Petit Suisse, it makes a perfect luncheon dessert with honey. Gesundheitkäse, Holsteiner _see_ Holstein Health. Getmesost_Sweden_ Soft; goat; whey; sweet. Gex_Pays de Gex, France_ Semihard; skim milk; blue-veined. A "little" Roquefort in season fromNovember to May. Gex Marbré_France_ A very special type marbled with rich milks of cow, goat and sheep, mixed. A full-flavored ambassador of the big international Bluesfamily, that are green in spite of their name. Gien _see_ Fromage à la Crème. Gislev_Scandinavia_ Hard; mild, made from skimmed cow's milk. Gjetost_Norway_ A traditional chocolate-colored companion piece to Gammelost, but madewith goat's milk. Glavis_Switzerland_ The brand name of a cone of Sapsago. (_See_. ) Glattkäse, or Gelbkäse_Germany_ Smooth cheese or yellow cheese. A classification of sour-milkers thatincludes Olmützer Quargel. Cloire des Montagnes _see_ Damen. Gloucester_Gloucestershire, England_ There are two types: I. Double, the better of the two Gloucesters, is eaten only after six months of ripening. "It has a pronounced, but mellow, delicacy of flavor... The tiniest morsel being pregnant with savour. To measure its refinement, it can undergo the same comparison as that we apply to vintage wines. Begin with a small piece of Red Cheshire. If you then pass to a morsel of Double Gloucester, you will find that the praises accorded to the latter have been no whit exaggerated. " _A Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy, _ by André L. Simon. II. Single. By way of comparison, the spring and summer Single Gloucester ripens in two months and is not as big as its "large grindstone" brother. And neither is it "glorified Cheshire. " It is mild and "as different in qualify of flavour as a young and crisp wine is from an old vintage. " Glumse_West Prussia, Germany_ A common, undistinguished cottage cheese. Glux_Nivernais, France_ Season, all year. Goat_France_ A frank and fair name for a semihard, brittle mouthful of flavor. Every country has its goat specialties. In Norway the milk is boileddry, then fresh milk or cream added. In Czechoslovakia the peasantssmoke the cheese up the kitchen chimney. No matter how you slice it, goat cheese is always notable or noble. Gold-N-Rich_U. S. A. _ Golden in color and rich in taste. Bland, as American taste demands. Like Bel Paese but not so full-flavored and a bit sweet. A good anddeservedly popular cheese none the less, easily recognized by its redrind. Gomost_Norway_ Usually made from cow's milk, but sometimes from goat's. Milk iscurdled with rennet and condensed by heating until it has abutter-like consistency. (_See_ Mysost. ) Gorgonzola_Italy_ Besides the standard type exported to us (_See_ Chapter 3. ) there isWhite Gorgonzola, little known outside Italy where it is enjoyed bylocal caseophiles, who like it put up in crocks with brandy, too. Gouda _see_ Chapter 3. Gouda, Kosher_Holland_ The same semihard good Gouda, but made with kosher rennet. It is a bitmore mellow than most and, like all kosher products, is stamped by theJewish authorities who prepare it. Goya_Corrientes, Argentine_ Hard, dry, Italian type for grating. Like all fine Argentine cheesesthe milk of pedigreed herds fed on prime pampas grass distinguishesGoya from lesser Parmesan types, even back in Italy. It is interesting that the nitrate in Chilean soil makes their winesthe best in America, and the richness of Argentine milk does the samefor their cheeses, most of which are Italian imitations and some ofwhich excel the originals. Gournay_Seine, France_ Soft, similar to Demi-sel, comes in round and flat forms about 1/4pound in weight. Those shaped like Bondons resemble corks about 3/4 ofan inch thick and four inches long. Grana_Italy_ Another name for Parmesan. From "grains", the size of big shot, thatthe curd is cut into. Grana Lombardo_Lombardy_ The same hard type for grating, namedafter its origin in Lombardy. Grana Reggiano_Reggio, Italy_ A brand of Parmesan type made near Reggio and widely imitated, notonly in Lombardy and Mantua, but also in the Argentine where it goesby a pet name of its own--Regianito. Grande Bornand, la_Switzerland_ A luscious half-dried sheep's milker. Granular curd _see_ Stirred curd. Gras, or Velvet Kaas_Holland_ Named from its butterfat content and called "Moors Head", _Tête deMaure_, in France, from its shape and size. The same is true ofFromage de Gras in France, called _Tête de Mort_, "Death's Head". Grasis also the popular name for Brie that's made in the autumn in Franceand sold from November to May. (_See_ Brie. ) Gratairon_France_ Goat milk named, as so many are, from the place it is made. Graubünden_Switzerland_ A luscious half-dried sheep's milker. Green Bay_U. S. A. _ Medium-sharp, splendid White Cheddar from Green Bay, Wisconsin, theLimburger county. Grey_Germany and Austrian Tyrol_ Semisoft; sour skim milk with salty flavor from curing in brine bath. Named from the gray color that pervades the entire cheese when ripe. It has a very pleasant taste. Gruyère _see_ Chapter 3. Güssing, or Land-l-kas_Austria_ Similar to Brick. Skim milk. Weight between four and eight pounds. H Habas _see_ Caille. Hablé Crème Chantilly_Ösmo, Sweden_ Soft ripened dessert cheese made from pasteurized cream by the oldWalla Creamery. Put up in five-ounce wedge-shaped boxes for export andsold for a high price, well over two dollars a pound, in fancy bigcity groceries. Truly an aristocrat of cheeses to compare with thefinest French Brie or Camembert. _See_ Chapter 3. Hand _see_ Chapter 3. Hard_Puerto Rico_ Dry; tangy. Harzkäse, Harz_Harz Mountains, Germany_ Tiny hand cheese. Probably the world's smallest soft cheese, varyingfrom 2-1/2 inches by 1-1/2 down to 1/4 by 1-1/2. Packed in littleboxes, a dozen together, rubbing rinds, as close as sardines. And likeHarz canaries, they thrive on seeds, chiefly caraway. Harzé_Belgium_ Port-Salut type from the Trappist monasteryat Harzé. Hasandach_Turkey_ Bland; sweet. Hauskäse. _Germany_ Limburger type. Disk-shaped. Haute Marne_France_ Soft; square. Hay, or Fromage au Foin_Seine, France_ A skim-milker resembling "a poor grade of Livarot. " Nothing to writehome about, except that it is ripened on new-mown hay. Hazebrook There are two kinds: I. Flemish; a Fromage Fort type with white wine, juniper, salt and pepper. Excessively strong for bland American tasters. II. Franche-Comté, France; small dry goat's milker, pounded, potted and marinated in a mixture of thyme, tarragon, leeks, pepper and brandy. Head Four cheeses are called Head: The French Death's Head. Swiss Monk's Head. Dutch Cat's Head. Moor's Head. There's headcheese besides but that's made of a pig's head and is onlya cheese by discourtesy. Health _see_ Holstein. Herbesthal_Germany_ Named from a valley full of rich _herbes_ for grazing. Herkimer_U. S. A. _ Cheddar type; nearly white. _See_ Chapter 4. Herrgårdsost, Farm House or Manor House_West Gothland and Jamtland, Sweden_ Hard Emmentaler type in two qualities: full cream and half cream. Weighs 25 to 40 pounds. It is the most popular cheese in all Swedenand the best is from West Gothland and Jutland. Herrgårdstyp _see_ Hushållsost. Hervé_Belgium_ Soft; made in cubes and peppered with _herbes_ such as tarragon, parsley and chives. It flourishes from November to May and comes inthree qualities: extra cream, cream, and part skim milk. Hickory Smoked_U. S. A. _ Good smoke is often wasted on bad cheese. Hohenburg _see_ Box No. II. Hohenheim_Germany_ Soft; part skimmed milk; half-pound cylinders. (See Box No. I. ) Hoi Poi_China_ Soybean cheese, developed by vegetable rennet. Exported in jars. Hoja _see_ Queso de. Hollander_North Germany_ Imitation Dutch Goudas and Edams, chiefly from Neukirchen in Holstein. Holstein Dairy _see_ Leather. Holsteiner, or Old Holsteiner_Germany_ Eaten best when old, with butter, or in the North, with dripping. Holstein Health, or Holsteiner Gesundheitkäse_Germany_ Sour-milk curd pressed hard and then cooked in a tin kettle with alittle cream and salt. When mixed and melted it is poured intohalf-pound molds and cooled. Holstein Skim Milk or Holstein Magerkäse_Germany_ Skim-milker colored with saffron. Its name, "thin cheese, " tells all. Hop, Hopfen_Germany_ Small, one inch by 2-1/2 inches, packed in hops to ripen. An idealbeer cheese, loaded with lupulin. Hopi_U. S. A. _ Hard; goat; brittle; sharp; supposed to have been made first by theHopi Indians out west where it's still at home. Horner's_England_ An old cream cheese brand in Redditch where Worcestershire sauceoriginated. Horse Cheese Not made of mare's milk, but the nickname for Caciocavallo because ofthe horse's head used to trademark the first edition of it. Hum_Holland_ Brand name of one of those mild little red Baby Goudas that make yousay "Ho-hum. " Hushållsost, Household Cheese_Sweden_ Popular in three types:Herrgårdstyp--FarmhouseVästgötatyp--WestgotlandSveciatyp--Swedish Hvid Gjetost_Norway_ A strong variety of Gjetost, little known and less liked outside ofScandinavia. I Icelandic In _Letters from Iceland_, W. H. Auden says: "The ordinary cheese islike a strong Dutch and good. There is also a brown sweet cheese, likethe Norwegian. " Doubtless the latter is Gjetost. Ihlefield_Mecklenburg, Germany_ A hand cheese. Ilha, Queijo de_Azores_ Semihard "Cheese of the Isle, " largely exported to mother Portugal, measuring about a foot across and four inches high. The one word, _Ilha_, Isle, covers the several Azorian Islands whose names, such as_Pico_, Peak, and _Terceiro_, Third, are sometimes added to theircheeses. Impérial, Ancien _see_ Ancien. Imperial Club_Canada_ Potted Cheddar; snappy; perhaps named after the famous French AncienImpérial. Incanestrato_Sicily, Italy_ Very sharp; white; cooked; spiced; formed into large round "heads"from fifteen to twenty pounds. _See_ Majocchino, a kind made with thethree milks, goat, sheep and cow, and enriched with olive oil besides. Irish Cheeses Irish Cheddar and Irish Stilton are fairly ordinary imitations namedafter their native places of manufacture: Ardagh, Galtee, Whitehorn, Three Counties, etc. Isigny_France_ Full name Fromage à la Crème d'Isigny. _(See. )_ Cream cheese. TheAmerican cheese of this name never amounted to much. It was an attemptto imitate Camembert in the Gay Nineties, but it turned out to becloser to Limburger. (_See_ Chapter 2. ) In France there is also Crème d'Isigny, thick fresh cream that's asfamous as England's Devonshire and comes as close to being cheese asany cream can. Island of Orléans_Canada_ This soft, full-flavored cheese was doubtless brought from France byearly emigrés, for it has been made since 1869 on the Orléans Islandin the St. Lawrence River near Quebec. It is known by its French name, Le Fromage Raffiné de l'Ile d'Orléans, and lives up to the name"refined. " J Jack _see_ Monterey. Jochberg_Tyrol, Germany_ Cow and goat milk mixed in a fine Tyrolean product, as all mountaincheese are. Twenty inches in diameter and four inches high, it weighsin at forty-five pounds with the rind on. Jonchée_Santonge, France_ A superior Caillebotte, flavored with rum, orange-flower water or, uniquely, black coffee. Josephine_Silesia, Germany_ Soft and ladylike as its name suggests. Put up in small cylindricalpackages. Journiac _see_ Chapter 3. Julost_Sweden_. Semihard; tangy. Jura Bleu, or Septmoncel_France_ Hard: blue-veined; sharp; tangy. K Kaas, Oude_Belgium_ Flemish name for the French Boule de Lille. Kackavalj_Yugoslavia_ Same as Italian Caciocavallo. Kaiser-käse_Germany_ This was an imperial cheese in the days of the kaisers and is stillmade under that once awesome name. Now it's just a jolly old mellow, yellow container of tang. Kajmar, or Serbian Butter_Serbia and Turkey_ Cream cheese, soft and bland when young but ages to a tang betweenthat of any goat's-milker and Roquefort. Kamembert_Yugoslavia_ Imitation Camembert. Karaghi La-La_Turkey_ Nutty and tangy. Kareish_Egypt_ A pickled cheese, similar to Domiati. Karut_India_ Semihard; mellow; for grating and seasoning. Karvi_Norway_ Soft; caraway-seeded; comes in smallish packages. Kash_Rumania_ Soft, white, somewhat stringy cheese named cheese. Kashcavallo, Caskcaval_Greece_ A good imitation of Italian Caciocavallo. Kasher, or Caher, Penner_Turkey_ Hard; white; sharp. Kash Kwan_Bulgaria and the Balkans_ An all-purpose goat's milk, Parmesan type, eaten sliced when young, grated when old. An attempt to imitate it in Chicago failed. It issold in Near East quarters in New York, Washington and all bigAmerican cities. Kaskaval_Rumania_ Identical with Italian Caciocavallo, widely imitated, and well, inGreece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Transylvania and neighboring lands. Aspopular as Cheddar in England, Canada and U. S. A. Kasseri_Greece_ Hard; ewe's milk, usually. Katschkawalj_Serbia_ Just another version of the international Caciocavallo. Katzenkopf, Cat's Head_Holland_ Another name for Edam. (_See_ Chapter 3. ) Kaukauna Club_U. S. A. _ Widely advertised processed cheese food. Kauna_Lithuania_ A hearty cheese that's in season all the year around. Kefalotir, Kefalotyi_Yugoslavia, Greece and Syria_ Both of these hard, grating cheeses are made from either goat's orewe's milk and named after their shape, resembling a Greek hat, orKefalo. Keg-ripened_see_ Brand. King Christian IX_Denmark_Sharp with caraway. Popular witheverybody. Kingdom Farm_U. S. A, near Ithaca, N. Y. _The Rutherfordites or Jehovah's Witnesses make Brick, Limburger andMünster that are said to be most delectable by those mortals luckyenough to get into the Kingdom Farm. Unfortunately their cheese is notavailable elsewhere. Kirgischerkäse _see_ Krutt. Kjarsgaard_Denmark_ Hard; skim; sharp; tangy. Klatschkäse, Gossip Cheese_Germany_ A rich "ladies' cheese" corresponding to Damen; both designed topromote the flow of gossip in afternoon _Kaffee-klatsches_ in the_Konditories_. Kloster, Kloster Käse_Bavaria_ Soft; ripe; finger-shaped, one by one by four inches. In Munich thiswas, and perhaps still is, carried by brew masters on their tastingtours "to bring out the excellence of a freshly broached tun. " Namedfrom being made by monks in early cloisters, down to this day. Kochenkäse_Luxembourg_ Cooked white dessert cheese. Since it is salt-free it is recommendedfor diets. Koch Käse_Germany_ This translates "cooked cheese. " Kochtounkäse_Belgium_ Semisoft, cooked and smoked. Bland flavor. Kolos-monostor_Rumania_ Sheep; rectangular four-pounder, 8-1/2 by five by three inches. One ofthose college-educated cheeses turned out by the students andprofessors at the Agricultural School of Transylvania. Kolosvarer_Rumania_ A Trappist Port-Salut imitation made with water-buffalo milk, as areso many of the world's fine cheeses. Komijnekaas, Komynekass_North Holland_ Spiked with caraway seeds and named after them. Konigskäse_Germany_ A regal name for a German imitation of Bel Paese. Kopanisti_Greece_ Blue-mold cheese with sharp, peppery flavor. Koppen, Cup, or Bauden_Germany_ Semihard; goat; made in a cup-shaped mold that gives both its shapeand name. Small, three to four ounces; sharp; pungent; somewhat smoky. Imitated in U. S. A. In half-pound packages. Korestin_Russia_ Semisoft; mellow; cured in brine. Kosher This cheese appears in many countries under several names. Similar toLimburger, but eaten fresh. It is stamped genuine by Jewishauthorities, for the use of religious persons. (_See_ Gouda, Kosher. ) Krauterkäse_Brazil_ Soft-paste herb cheese put up in a tube by German Brazilians near theArgentine border. A rich, full-flavored adaptation of SwissKrauterkäse even though it is processed. Kreuterkäse, Herb Cheese_Switzerland_ Hard, grating cheese flavored withherbs; like Sapsago or Grunkäse. Krutt, or Kirgischerkäse_Asian Steppes_ A cheese turned out en route by nomadic tribes in the Asiatic Steppes, from sour skim milk of goat, sheep, cow or camel. The salted andpressed curd is made into small balls and dried in the sun. Kühbacher_Bavaria_ Soft, ripe, and chiefly interesting because of its name, Cow Creek, where it is made. Kuminost_Norway_ Semihard; caraway-seeded. Kumminost_Sweden_ This is Bondost with caraway added. Kummin Ost_Wisconsin, U. S. A. _ Imitation of the Scandinavian, with small production in Wisconsinwhere so many Swedes and Norwegians make their home and their _ost_. Kümmel, Leyden, or Leidsche Kaas_Holland_ Caraway-seeded and named. Kümmelkäse_Germany and U. S. A. _ Semihard; sharp with caraway. Milwaukee Kümmelkäse has made a name foritself as a nibble most suitable with most drinks, from beer toimported kümmel liqueur. L Labneh_Syria_ Sour-milk. La Foncée, or Fromage de Pau_France_ Cream cheese. Lager Käse_U. S. A. _ Semidry and mellow. While _lager_ means merely "to store, " there ismore than a subtle suggestion of lager beer here. Laguiole, Fromage de, and Guiole_Aveyron, France_ An ancient Cantal type said to have flourished since the Romanoccupation. Many consider Laguiole superior to Cantal. It is in fullseason from November to May. Lamothe-Bougon, La Mothe St. Heray_Poitou_ Goat cheese made from May to November. Lancashire, or Lancaster_North England_ White; crumbly; sharp; a good Welsh Rabbit cheese if you can get it. It is more like Cheshire than Cheddar. This most popular variety inthe north of England is turned out best at Fylde, near the Irish Sea. It is a curiosity in manufacture, for often the curds used are ofdifferent ages, and this is accountable for a loose, friable texture. Deep orange in color. Land-l-kas, or Güssing_Austria_ Skim-milker, similar to U. S. Brick. Square loaves, four to eight pounds. Langlois Blue_U. S. A. _ A Colorado Blue with an excellent reputation, though it can hardlycompete with Roquefort. Langres_Haute-Marne, France_ Semihard; fermented whole milk; farm-made; full-flavored, high-smelling Limburger type, similar to Maroilles. Ancient of days, said to have been made since the time of the Merovingian kings. Cylindrical, five by eight inches, they weigh one and a half to twopounds. Consumed mostly at home. Lapland_Lapland_ Reindeer milk. Resembles hard Swiss. Of unusual shape, both round andflat, so a cross-section looks like a dumbbell with angular ends. Laredo_Mexico_ Soft; creamy; mellow, made and named after the North Mexico city. Larron_France_ A kind of Maroilles. Latticini_Italy_ Trade name for a soft, water-buffalo product as creamy as Camembert. Laumes, les_Burgundy, France_ Made from November to July. Lauterbach_Germany_ Breakfast cheese Leaf _see_ Tschil. Leather, Leder, or Holstein Dairy_Germany_ A skim-milker with five to ten percent buttermilk, all from the great_milch_ cows up near Denmark in Schleswig-Holstein. A technical pointin its making is that it's "broken up with a harp or a stirring stickand stirred with a Danish stirrer. " Lebanie_Syria_ Dessert cottage cheese often served with yogurt. Lecco, Formaggini di_Italy_ Soft; cow or goat; round dessert variety; representative of a cheesefamily as big as the human family of most Italians. Lees _see_ Appenzeller, Festive, No. II. LeGuéyin_Lorraine, France_ Half-dried; small; salted; peppered and sharp. The salt _and_ peppermake it unusual, though not as peppery as Italian Pepato. Leicester_England_ Hard; shallow; flat millstone of Cheddar-like cheese weighing fortypounds. Dark orange and mild to red and strong, according to age. WithWiltshire and Warwickshire it belongs to the Derbyshire type. An ancient saying is: "Leicester cheese and water cress were just madefor each other. " Leidsche Kaas _see_ Leyden. Leonessa A kind of Pecorino. Leroy_U. S. A. _ Notable because it's a natural cheese in a mob of modern processed. Lerroux_France_ Goat; in season from February to September and not eaten in fall orwinter months. Lescin_Caucasus_ Curious because the sheep's milk that makes it is milked directly intoa sack of skin. It is made in the usual way, rennet added, curd brokenup, whey drained off, curd put into forms and pressed lightly. Butafter that it is wrapped in leaves and ropes of grass. After curingtwo weeks in the leaves, they are discarded, the cheese salted andwrapped up in leaves again for another ripening period. The use of a skin sack again points the association of cheese and winein a region where wine is still drunk from skin bags with nozzles, asin many wild and mountainous parts. Les Petits Bressans_Bresse, France_ Small goat cheeses named from food-famous Bresse, of the plumppullets, and often stimulated with brandy before being wrapped infresh vine leaves, like Les Petits Banons. Les Petits Fromages _see_ Petits Fromages and Thiviers. Le Vacherin Name given to two entirely different varieties: I. Vacherin à la MainII. Vacherin Fondu. (_See_ Vacherin. ) Levroux_Berry, France_ A goat cheese in season from May to December. Leyden, Komijne Kaas, Caraway Cheese_Holland_ Semihard, tangy with caraway. Similar Delft. There are two kinds ofLeyden that might be called Farm Fat and Factory Thin, for those madeon the farms contain 30 to 35% fat, against 20% in the factoryproduct. Liederkranz _see_ Chapter 4. Limburger _see_ Chapter 3. Lincoln_England_ Cream cheese that keeps two to three weeks. This is in England, wherethere is much less refrigeration than in the U. S. A. , and that's a bigbreak for most natural cheeses. Lindenhof_Belgium_ Semisoft; aromatic; sharp. Lipta, Liptauer, Liptoiu_Hungary_ A classic mixture with condiments, especially the great peppers fromwhich the world's best paprika is made. Liptauer is the regional namefor Brinza, as well, and it's made in the same manner, of sheep milkand sometimes cow. Salty and spready, somewhat oily, as mostsheep-milkers are. A fairly sharp taste with a suggestion of sourmilk. It is sold in various containers and known as "pickled cheese. "(_See_ Chapter 3. ) Lipto_Hungary_ Soft; sheep; white; mild and milky taste. A close relative of bothLiptauer and Brinza. Little Nippy_U. S. A. _ Processed cheese with a cute name, wrapped up both plain and smoky, to"slice and serve for cheese trays, mash or whip for spreading, " but nomatter how you slice, mash and whip it, it's still processed. Livarot_Calvados, France_ Soft paste, colored with annatto-brown or deep red (also, uncommonly, fresh and white). It has the advantage over Camembert, made in thesame region, in that it may be manufactured during the summer monthswhen skim milk is plentiful and cheap. It is formed in cylinders, sixby two inches, and ripened several months in the even temperature ofcaves, to be eaten at its best only in January, February and March. ByJune and afterward it should be avoided. Similar to Mignot II. Earlyin the process of making, after ripening ten to twelve days, thecheeses are wrapped in fresh _laiche_ leaves, both to give flavor andhelp hold in the ammonia and other essentials for making a strong, piquant Livarot. Livlander_Russia_ A popular hand cheese. A most unusual variety because the cheeseitself is red, not the rind. Locatelli_Italy_ A brand of Pecorino differing slightly from Bomano Pecorino. Lodigiano, or Lombardo_Lodi, Italy_ Sharp; fragrant; sometimes slightly bitter; yellow. Cylindrical;surface colored dark and oiled. Used for grating. Similar to Parmesanbut not as fine in quality. Longhorn_Wisconsin, U. S. A. _ This fine American Cheddar was named from its resemblance to the longhorn of a popular milking breed of cattle, or just from the Longhornbreed of cow that furnished the makings. Lorraine_Lorraine, Germany_ Hard; small; delicate; unique because it's seasoned with pistachionuts besides salt and pepper. Eaten while quite young, in two-ounceportions that bring a very high price. Lumburger_Belgium_ Semisoft and tangy dessert cheese. The opposite of Limburger becauseit has no odor. Lunch_Germany and U. S. A. _ The same as Breakfast and Frühstück. A Limburger type of eye-opener. Lüneberg_West Austria_ Swiss type; saffron-colored; made in a copper kettle; not as strong asLimburger, or as mild as Emmentaler, yet piquant and aromatic, with acharacter of its own. Luxembourg_U. S. A. _ Tiny tin-foiled type of Liederkranz. A mild, bland, would-be Camembert. M Maconnais_France_ Soft; goat's milk; two inches square by one and a half inches thick. Macqueline_Oise, France_ Soft Camembert type, made in the same region, but sold at a cheaperprice. Madridejos_Spain_ Named for Madrid where it is made. Magdeburger-kuhkäse_Germany_ "Cow cheese" made in Magdeburg. Magerkäse _see_ Holstein Skim Milk Maggenga, Sorte_Italy_ A term for Parmesan types made between April and September. Maguis_Belgium_ Also called Fromage Mou. Soft; white; sharp; spread. Maigre_France_ A name for Brie made in summer and inferior to both the winter Grasand spring Migras. Maile_Crimea_ Sheep; cooked; drained; salted; made into forms and put into a brinebath where it stays sometimes a year. Maile Pener (Fat Cheese)_Crimea_ Sheep; crumbly; open texture and pleasing flavor when ripened. Mainauer_German_ Semihard; full cream; round; red outside, yellow within. Weight threepounds. Mainzer Hand_German_ Typical hand cheese, kneaded by hand thoroughly, which makes forquality, pressed into flat cakes by hand, dried for a week, packed inkegs or jars and ripened in the cellar six to eight weeks. As inmaking bread, the skill in kneading Mainzer makes a worthy craft. Majocchino_Sicily, Italy_ An exceptional variety of the three usual milks mixed together: goat, sheep and cow, flavored with spices and olive oil. A kind ofIncanestrato. Malakoff_France_ A form of Neufchâtel about a half inch by two inches, eaten fresh orripe. Manicamp_French Flanders_ In season from October to July. Mano, Queso de_Venezuela_ A kind of Venezuelan hand cheese, as its Spanish name translates. (_See_ Venezuelan. ) Manor House _see_ Herrgårdsost. Manteca, Butter_Italy_ Cheese and butter combined in a small brick of butter with a coveringof Mozzarella. This is for slicing--not for cooking--which is unusualfor any Italian cheese. Manur, or Manuri_Yugoslavia_ Sheep or cow's milk heated to boiling, then cooled "until the fingerscan be held in it". A mixture of fresh whey and buttermilk is addedwith the rennet. "The curd is lifted from the whey in a cloth andallowed to drain, when it is kneaded like bread, lightly salted, anddried. " Maqueé_Belgium_ Another name for Fromage Mou, Soft Cheese. Marches_Tuscany, Italy_ Ewe's milk; hard. Margarine_England_ An oily cheese made with oleomargarine. Margherita_Italy_ Soft; cream; small. Marienhofer_Austria_ Limburger type. About 4-1/2 inches square and 1-1/2 inches thick;weight about a pound. Wrapped in tin foil. Märkisch, or Märkisch Hand_Germany_ Soft; smelly; hand type. Maroilles, Marolles, Marole_Flanders, France_ Semisoft and semihard, half way between Pont l'Evêque and Limburger. Full flavor, high smell, reddish brown rind, yellow within. Fiveinches square and 2-1/4 inches thick; some larger. Martha Washington Aged Cheese_U. S. A. _ Made by Kasper of Bear Creek, Wisconsin. (_See under_ Wisconsin inChapter 4. ) Mascarpone, or Macherone_Italy_ Soft; white; delicate fresh cream from Lombardy. Usually packed inmuslin or gauze bags, a quarter to a half pound. McIntosh_Alaska_ An early Klondike Cheddar named by its maker, Peter McIntosh, anddescribed as being as yellow as that "Alaskan gold, which brought attimes about ounce for ounce over mining-camp counters. " _The CheddarBox_ by Dean Collins. McLaren's_U. S. A. _ Pioneer club type of snappy Cheddar in a pot, originally made inCanada, now by Kraft in the U. S. A. Meadowbloom_U. S. A. _ Made by the Iowa State College at Ames. Mecklenburg Skim_Germany_ No more distinguished than most skim-milkers. Meilbou_France_ Made in the Champagne district. Mein Käse_U. S. A. _ Sharp; aromatic; trade-marked package. Melfa_U. S. A. _ Excellent for a processed cheese. White; flavorsome. Packed in halfmoons. Melun_France_Brown-red rind, yellow inside; high-smelling. There is also a Brie deMelun. Mentelto_Italy_Sharp; goat; from the Mentelto mountains Merignac_France_Goat. Merovingian_Northeast France_Semisoft; white; creamy; sharp; historic since the time of theMerovingian kings. Mersem_France_Lightly cooked. Mesitra_Crimea_Eaten when fresh and unsalted; also when ripened. Soft, ewe's milk. Mesost_Sweden_Whey; sweetish. Metton_Franche-Comté, France_Season October to June. Meuse_France_Soft; piquant; aromatic. Midget Salami Provolone_U. S. A. _This goes Baby Goudas and Edams one better by being a sort of sausage, too. Mignot_Calvados, France__White, No. I:_ Soft; fresh; in small cubes or cylinders; in seasononly in summer, April to September. _Passe, No. II:_ Soft but ripened, and in the same forms, but onlyseasonal in winter, October to March. Similar to Pont l'Evêque andpopular for more than a century. It goes specially well with Calvadoscider, fresh, hard or distilled. Migras Name given to spring Brie--midway between fat winter Gras and thinsummer Maigre. Milano, Stracchino di Milano, Fresco, Quardo_Italy_ Similar to Bel Paese. Yellow, with thin rind. 1-1/2 to 2-3/4 inchesthick, 3 to 6-1/2 pounds. Milk Mud _see_ Schlickermilch. Millefiori_Milan, Italy_ A Thousand Flowers--as highly scented as its sentimental name. Yet nocheeses are so freshly fragrant as these flowery Alpine ones. Milltown Bar_U. S. A. _ Robust texture and flavor reminiscent of free-lunch and old-time bars. Milk cheeses Milks that make cheese around the world: AssBuffaloCamelChamoisElephantGoatHuman (_see_ Mother's milk)LlamaMareReindeerSea cow (Amazonian legend)SheepWhale (legendary; see Whale Cheese)YakZebraZebu U. S. Pure food laws prohibit cheeses made of unusual or strangeanimal's milk, such as camel, llama and zebra. Milwaukee Kümmelkäseand Hand Käse_U. S. A. _ Aromatic with caraway, brought from Germany by early emigrants andsuccessfully imitated. Minas_Brazil_ Name for the Brazilian state of Minas Geraes, where it is made. Semihard; white; round two-pounder; often chalky. The two best brandsare one called Primavera, Spring, and another put out by the Swissprofessors who teach the art at the Agricultural University in theState Capital, Bello Horizonte. Minnesota Blue_U. S. A. _ A good national product known from coast to coast. Besides Blue, Minnesota makes good all-American Brick and Cheddar, natural nationalsto be proud of. Mintzitra_in Macedonia; and_Mitzithra_in Greece_ Sheep; soft; succulent; and as pleasantly greasy as other sheepcheeses from Greece. It's a by-product of the fabulous Feta. Modena, Monte_U. S. A. _ Made in U. S. A. During World War II. Parmesan-type. Mohawk LimburgerSpread_U. S. A. _ A brand that comes in one-pound jars. Moliterno_Italy_ Similar to Caciocavallo. _(See. )_ Monceau_Champagne, France_ Semihard, similar to Maroilles. Moncenisio_Italy_ Similar to Gorgonzola. Mondseer, Mondseer Schachtelkäse, Mondseer Schlosskäse_Austria_ This little family with a lot of long names is closely related to theMünster tribe, with very distant connections with the mildest branchof the Limburgers. The Schachtelkäse is named from the wooden boxes in which it isshipped, while the Schlosskäse shows its class by being called CastleCheese, probably because it is richer than the others, being made ofwhole milk. Money made of cheese_China_ In the Chase National Bank collection of moneys of the world there isa specimen of "Cheese money" about which the curator, Farran Zerbee, writes: "A specimen of the so-called 'cheese money' of Northern China, 1850-70, now in the Chase Bank collection, came to me personally somethirty years ago from a woman missionary, who had been located in thefield where she said a cake form of condensed milk, and referred to as'cheese, ' was a medium of exchange among the natives. It, like othercommodities, particularly compressed tea, was prized as a tradingmedium in China, in that it had value as nutriment and wassufficiently appreciated by the population as to be exchangeable forother articles of service. " Monk's Head _see_ Tête de Moine. Monostorer_Transylvania, Rumania_ Ewe's milk. Monsieur_France_ Soft; salted; rich in flavor. Monsieur Fromage _see_ Fromage de Monsieur Fromage. Montana_Catalonia_ A mountain cheese. Montasio_Austria and Italy_ Usually skimmed goat and cow milk mixed. When finished, the rind isoften rubbed with olive oil or blackened with soot. It is eaten bothfresh, white and sweet, and aged, when it is yellow, granular andsharp, with a characteristic flavor. Mostly used when three to twelvemonths old, but kept much longer and grated for seasoning. Widelyimitated in America. Montauban de Bretagne, Fromage de_Brittany, France_ A celebrated cheese of Brittany. Montavoner_Austria_ Sour and sometimes sweet milk, made tasty with dried herbs of the_Achittea_ family. Mont Blanc_France_ An Alpine cheese. Mont Cenis_Southeastern France_Usually made of all three available milks, cow, goat and sheep; it issemihard and blue-veined like the other Roquefort imitations, Gex andSeptmoncel. Primitive methods are still used in the making andsometimes the ripening is done by _penicillium_ introduced in moldybread. Large rounds, eighteen by six to eight inches, weighingtwenty-five pounds. Mont-des-Cats_French Flanders_ Trappist monk-made Port-Salut. Montdidier_France_ A fresh cream. Mont d'or, le, or Mont Dore_Lyonnais, France_ Soft; whole milk; originally goat, now cow; made throughout the RhoneValley. Fat, golden-yellow and "relished by financiers" according toVictor Meusy. Between Brie and Pont l'Evêque but more delicate thaneither, though not effeminate. Alpin and Riola are similar. The bestis still turned out at Mont d'Or, with runners-up in St. Cyr and St. Didier. Montavoner_Austria_ A sour-milker made fragrant with herbs added to the curd. Monterey_Mexico_ Hard; sharp; perhaps inspired by Montery Jack that's made inCalifornia and along the Mexican border. Monterey Jack _see_ Chapter 4. Monthéry_Seine-et-Oise, France_ Whole or partly skimmed milk; soft in quality and large in size, weighing up to 5-1/2 pounds. Notable only for its patriotic tri-colorin ripening, with whitish mold that turns blue and has red spots. Montpellier_France_ Sheep. Moravian_Czechoslovakia_ Semihard and sharp. Morbier_Bresse, France_ In season from November to July. Mostoffait_France_ A little-known product of Champagne. Mother's milk In his book about French varieties, _Les Fromages_, Maurice desOmbiaux sums up the many exotic milks made into cheese and recountsthe story of Paul Bert, who served a cheese "white as snow" that wasso delicately appetizing it was partaken of in "religious silence. "All the guests guessed, but none was right. So the host announced itwas made of _"lait de femme"_ and an astounded turophile exclaimed, "Then all of us are cannibals. " Mountain_Bavaria_ Soft; yellow; sharp. Mountain, Azuldoch _see_ Azuldoch. Mount Hope_U. S. A. _ Yellow; mellow; mild and porous California Cheddar. Mouse or Mouse Trap_U. S. A. _ Common name for young, green, cracked, leathery or rubbery low-gradestore cheese fit only to bait traps. When it's aged and sharp, however, the same cheese can be bait for caseophiles. Mozzarella_Italy_ Soft; water-buffalo milk; moistly fresh and unripened; bland, whitecooking cheese put up in balls or big bowl-like cups weighing about ahalf pound and protected with wax paper. The genuine is made atCardito, Aversa, Salernitano and in the Mazzoni di Capua. LikeRicotta, this is such a popular cheese all over America that it isimitated widely, and often badly, with a bitter taste. Mozzarella-Affumicata, also called Scamozza_Italy_ Semisoft; smooth; white; bland; un-salted. Put up in pear shapes ofabout one pound, with tan rind, from smoking. Eaten chiefly sliced, but prized, both fresh and smoked, in trueItalian one-dish meals such as Lasagne and Pizza. Mozzarinelli_Italy_ A pet name for a diminutive edition of Mozzarella. Mrsav _see_ Sir Posny. Münster_Germany_ German originally, now made from Colmar, Strassburg and Copenhagen toMilwaukee in all sorts of imitations, both good and bad. Semihard;whole milk; yellow inside, brick-red outside; flavor from mild tostrong, depending on age and amount of caraway or anise seed added. Best in winter season, from November to April. Münster is a world-wide classic that doubles for both German andFrench. Géromé is a standard French type of it, with a little longerseason, beginning in April, and a somewhat different flavor from aniseseed. Often, instead of putting the seeds inside, a dish of caraway isserved with the cheese for those who like to flavor to taste. In Alsace, Münster is made plain and also under the name of Münster auCumin because of the caraway. American imitations are much milder and marketed much younger. Theyare supposed to blend the taste of Brick and Limburger; maybe they do. Mustard_U. S. A. _ A processed domestic, Gruyère type. Myjithra Imitated with goat's milk in Southern Colorado. Mysost, Mytost_Scandinavia_ Made in all Scandinavian countries and imitated in the U. S. A. A wheycheese, buttery, mild and sweetish with a caramel color all through, instead of the heavy chocolate or dark tobacco shade of Gjetost. Frimost is a local name for it. The American imitations arecylindrical and wrapped in tin foil. N Nagelkassa (Fresh), Fresh Clove Cheese, called Nageles in Holland_Austria_ Skim milk; curd mixed with caraway and cloves called nails, _nagel_, in Germany and Austria. The large flat rounds resemble English Derby. Nantais, or Fromage du Curé, Cheese of the Curate_Brittany, France_ A special variety dedicated to some curate of Nantes. Nessel_England_ Soft; whole milk; round and very thin. Neufchâtel, or Petit Suisse_Normandy, France_ Soft; whole milk; small loaf. See Ancien Impérial, Bondon, and Chapter9. New Forest_England_ Cream cheese from the New Forest district. Nieheimer_Westphalia, Germany_ Sour milk; with salt and caraway seed added, sometimes beer or milk. Covered lightly with straw and packed in kegs with hops to ripen. Bothbeer and hops in one cheese is unique. Niolo_Corsica_ In season from October to May. Noekkelost or Nögelost_Norway_ Similar to spiced Leyden or Edam with caraway, and shaped like aGouda. Nordlands-Ost "Kalas"_U. S. A. _ Trade name for an American imitation of a Scandinavian variety, perhaps suggested by Swedish Nordost. Nordost_Sweden_ Semisoft; white; baked; salty and smoky. North Wilts_Wiltshire, England_ Cheddar type; smooth; hard rind; rich but delicate in flavor. Smallsize, ten to twelve pounds; named for its locale. Nostrale_Northwest Italy_ An ancient-of-days variety of which there are two kinds: I. _Formaggio Duro:_ hard, as its name says, made in the spring when the cows are in the valley. II. _Formaggio Tenero:_ soft and richer, summer-made with milk from lush mountain-grazing. Notruschki (cheese bread)_Russia_ Made with Tworog cheese and widely popular. Nova Scotia Smoked_U. S. A. _ The name must mean that the cheese was smoked in the Nova Scotiamanner, for it is smoked mostly in New York City, like sturgeon, togive the luxurious flavor. Nuworld_U. S. A. _ This semisoft newcomer arrived about 1954 and is advertised as abrand-new variety. It is made in the Midwest and packed in small, heavily waxed portions to preserve all of its fine, full aroma andflavor. A cheese all America can be proud of, whether it is an entirely newspecies or not. O Oaxaca_see_ Asadero. Oka, or La Trappe_Canada_ Medium soft; aromatic; the Port-Salut made by Trappist monks in Canadaafter the secret method of the order that originated in France. _See_Trappe. Old English Club_U. S. A. _ Not old, not English, and representing no club we know of. Old Heidelberg_U. S. A. _ Soft, piquant rival of Liederkranz. Oléron Isle, Fromage d'Ile_France_ A celebrated sheep cheese from this island of Oléron. Olive Cream_U. S. A. _ Ground olives mixed to taste with cream cheese. Olives rival pimientosfor such mildly piquant blends that just suit the bland Americantaste. A more exciting olive cream may be made with Greek Calatmaolives and Feta sheep cheese. Olivet_Orléans, France_ Soft sheep cheese sold in three forms: I. Fresh; summer, white; cream cheese. II. Olivet-Bleu--mold inoculated; half-ripened. III. Olivet-Cendré, ripened in the ashes. Season, October to June. Olmützer Quargel, also Olmützer Bierkäse_Austria_ Soft; skim milk-soured; salty. The smallest of hand cheeses, only 1/2of an inch thick by 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Packed in kegs to ripeninto beer cheese and keep the liquid contents of other kegs company. Adozen of these little ones are packed together in a box ready to dropinto wine or beer drinks at home or at the bar. Oloron, or Fromage de la Vallee d'ossour_Béarn, France_ In season from October to May. Onion with garlic links_U. S. A_ Processed and put up like frankfurters, in links. Oporto_Portugal_ Hard; sharp; tangy. From the home town of port wine. Orkney_Scotland_ A country cheese of the Orkney Islands where it is buried in the oatbin to ripen, and kept there between meals as well. Oatmeal and Scotchcountry cheese are natural affinities. Southey, Johnson and Boswellhave all remarked the fine savor of such cheese with oatcakes. Orléans_France_ Named after the Orléans district Soft; creamy; tangy. Ossetin, Tuschninsk, or Kasach_Caucasus_ Comes in two forms: I. Soft and mild sheep or cow cheese ripened in brine for two months. II. Hard, after ripening a year and more in brine. The type made of sheep milk is the better. Ostiepek, Oschtjepek, Oschtjpeka_Czechoslovakia_ Sheep in the Carpathian Mountains supply the herb-rich milk for thistype, similar to Italian Caciocavallo. Oswego_U. S. A. _ New York State Cheddar of distinction. Oude Kaas_Belgium_ Popular in France as Boule de Lille. Oust, Fromage de_Roussillon, France_ Of the Camembert family. Ovár_Hungarian_ Semisoft to semihard, reddish-brown rind, reddish-yellow inside. Mildbut pleasantly piquant It has been called Hungarian Tilsit. Oveji Sir_Yugoslavian Alpine_ Hard, mountain-sheep cheese of quality Cellar-ripened three months. Weight six to ten pounds. Oxfordshire_England_ An obsolescent type, now only of literary interest because of JonathanSwift's little story around it, in the eighteenth century: "An odd land of fellow, who when the cheese came upon the table, pretended to faint; so somebody said, Pray take away the cheese. ' "'No, ' said I, 'pray take away the fool. Said I well?' "To this Colonel Arwit rejoins: 'Faith, my lord, you served the coxcomb right enough; and therefore I wish we had a bit of your lordship's Oxfordshire cheese. '" P Pabstett_U. S. A_ The Pabst beer people got this out during Prohibition, and althoughbeer and cheese are brothers under their ferment, and Prohibition haslong since been done away with, the relation of the processed pasteto a natural cheese is still as distant as near beer from regularbeer. Packet cheese_England_ This corresponds to our process cheese and is named from the packageor packet it comes in. Paglia_Switzerland_ Italian-influenced Canton of Ticino. Soft. A copy of Gorgonzola. ABlue with a pleasant, aromatic flavor, and of further interest becausein Switzerland, the motherland of cheese, it is an imitation of aforeign type. Pago_Dalmatia, Yugoslavia_ A sheep-milk specialty made on the island of Pago in Dalmatia, inweights from 1/2 to eight pounds. Paladru_Savoy, France_ In season from November to May. Palpuszta_Hungary_ Fairly strong Limburger type. Pannarone_Italy_ Gorgonzola type with white curd but without blue veining. Parenica_Hungary_ Sheep. Caciocavallo type. Parmesan, Parmigiano_Italy_ The grand mogul of all graters. Called "The hardest cheese in theworld. " It enlivens every course from onion soup to cheese straws withthe demitasse, and puts spirit into the sparse Lenten menu as _Pastaal Pesto_, powdered Parmesan, garlic, olive oil and basil, pounded ina mortar with a pestle. Passauer Rahmkäse, Crème de Passau_German_ Noted Bavarian cream cheese, known in France as Crème de Passau. Pasta Cotta_Italy_ The ball or _grana_ of curd used in making Parmesan. Pasta Filata_Italy_ A "drawn" curd, the opposite of the little balls or grains into whichGrana is chopped. (_See_ Formaggi di Pasta Filata. ) Pasteurized Process Cheese Food_U. S. A. _ This is the ultimate desecration of natural fermented cheese. HadPasteur but known what eventual harm his discovery would do to a worldof cheese, he might have stayed his hand. Pastorella_Italy_ Soft, rich table cheese. Patagras_Cuba_ Similar to Gouda. Pecorino_Italy_ Italian cheese made from ewe's milk. Salted in brine. Granular. Pelardon de Rioms_Languedoc, France_ A goat cheese in season from May to November. Peneteleu_Rumania_ One of the international Caciocavallo family. Penicillium Glaucum and Penicillium Album Tiny mushroom spores of _Penicillium Glaucum_ sprinkled in the curddestined to become Roquefort, sprout and grow into "blue" veins thatimpart the characteristic flavor. In twelve to fifteen days a secondspore develops on the surface, snow-white _Penicillium Album_. Pennich_Turkey_ Mellow sheep cheese packed in the skin of sheep or lamb. Pennsylvania Hand Cheese_U. S. A. _ This German original has been made by the Pennsylvania Dutch eversince they arrived from the old country. Also Pennsylvania pot, orcooked. Penroque_Pennsylvania, U. S. A_ Cow milk imitation Roquefort, inoculated with _Penicillium Roqueforti_and ripened in "caverns where nature has duplicated the idealcondition of the cheese-curing caverns of France. " So any failure ofPenroque to rival real Roquefort is more likely to be the fault ofmother cow than mother nature. Pepato_Italy_ Hard; stinging, with whole black peppers that make the lips burn. Finefor fire-eaters. An American imitation is made in Northern Michigan. Persillé de Savoie_Savoie, France_ In season from May to January, flavored with parsley in a mannersimilar to that of sage in Vermont Cheddar. Petafina, La_Dauphiné, France_ Goat or cow milk mixed together, with yeast of dried cheese added, plus salt and pepper, olive oil, brandy and absinthe. Petit Carré_France_ Fresh, unripened Ancien Impérial. Petit Gruyère_Denmark_ Imitation Gruyère, pasteurized, processed and made almostunrecognizable and inedible. Six tin-foil wedges to a box; alsopackaged with a couple of crackers for bars, one wedge for fifteencents, where free lunch is forbidden. This is a fair sample of one ofseveral foreign imitations that are actually worse than we can do athome. Petit Moule_Ile-de-France, France_ A pet name for Coulommiers. Petit Suisse_France_ Fresh, unsalted cream cheese. The same as Neufchâtel and similar toCoulommiers. It comes in two sizes: Gros--a largest cylinder Demi--a small one Keats called this "the creamy curd, " and another writer has praisedits "La Fontaine-like simplicity. " Whether made in Normandy, Switzerland, or Petropolis, Brazil, by early Swiss settlers, it isideal with honey. Petit Vacher_France_ "Little Cowboy, " an appropriate name for a small cow's-milk cheese. Petits Bourgognes_Lower Burgundy, France_ Soft; sheep; white, small, tangy. Other notable Petits also beginningwith B are Banons and Bressans. Petits Fromages de Chasteaux, les_France_ Small, sheep cream cheeses from Lower Limousin. Petits Fromages de Chèvre_France_ Little cheeses from little goats grazing on the little mountains ofProvence. Petits Pots de Caillé de Poitiers_Poitou, France_ Clotted milk in small pots. Pfister_Cham, Switzerland_ Emmentaler type, although differing in its method of making with freshskim milk. It is named for Pfister Huber who was the first tomanufacture it, in Chain. Philadelphia Cream_U. S. A. _ An excellent cream cheese that has been standard for seventy years. Made in New York State in spite of its name. Picnic_U. S. A. _ Handy-size picnic packing of mild American Cheddar. Swiss has longbeen called picnic cheese in America, its home away from home. Picodon de Dieule Fit_Dauphiné, France_ In season from May to December. Pie, Fromage à la_France_ Another name for Fromage Blanc or Farm; soft, creamy cottage-cheesetype. Pie Cheese_U. S. A_ An apt American name for any round store cheese that can be cut inwedges like a pie. Perfect with apple or mince or any other pie. Andby the way, in these days when natural cheese is getting harder tofind, any piece of American Cheddar cut in pie wedges before beingwrapped in cellophane is apt to be the real thing--if it has the rindon. The wedge shape is used, however, _without any rind_, to makeprocessed pastes pass for "natural" even without that identifyingword, and with misleading labels such as old, sharp Cheddar and "agednine months. " That's long enough to make a baby, but not a "natural"out of a processed "Cheddar. " Pimiento_U. S. A. _ Because pimiento is the blandest of peppers, it just suits our blandnational taste, especially when mixed with Neufchâtel, cream, club orcottage. The best is homemade, of course, with honest, snappy oldCheddar mashed and mixed to taste, with the mild Spanish pepper thatequals the Spanish olive as a partner in such spreads. Pimp _see_ Mainzer Hand Cheese. Pineapple _see_ Chapter 4. Piora_Tessin, Switzerland_ Whole milk, either cow's or a mixture of goat's and cow's. Pippen_U. S. A. _ Borden brand of Cheddar. Also Pippen Roll Pithiviers au Foin_France_ Orléans variety ripened on hay from October to May. Poitiers_France_ Goat's milker named from its Poitou district. Pommel_France_ All year. Double cream; unsalted. Ponta Delgada_Azores_ Semifirm; delicate; piquant Pontgibaud_France_ Similar to Roquefort Ripened at a very low temperature. Pont l'Evêque Characterized as a classic French _fromage_ "with Huge-likeRomanticism. " (_See_ Chapter 3. ) An imported brand is called "TheInquisitive Cow. " Poona_U. S. A. _ Semisoft; mellow; New York Stater of distinctive flavor. Sold intwo-pound packs, to be kept four or five hours at room temperaturebefore serving. Port-Salut, Port du Salut _see_ Chapter 3. Port, Blue Links_U. S. A. _ "Blue" flavored with red port and put up in pseudo-sausage links. Pot cheese_U. S. A. _ Cottage cheese with a dry curd, not creamed. An old English favoritefor fruited cheese cakes with perfumed plums, lemons, almonds andmacaroons. In Ireland it was used in connection with thesheep-shearing ceremonies, although itself a common cow curd. Pennsylvania pot cheese is cooked. Potato_Germany and U. S. A. _ Made in Thuringia from sour cow milk with sheep or goat sometimesadded. "The potatoes are boiled and grated or mashed. One part of thepotato is thoroughly mixed or kneaded with two or three parts of diecurd. In the better cheese three parts of potatoes are mixed with twoof curd. During the mixing, salt and sometimes caraway seed are added. The cheese is allowed to stand for from two to four days while afermentation takes place. After this the curd is sometimes coveredwith beer or cream and is finally placed in tubs and allowed to ripenfor fourteen days. A variety of this cheese is made in the U. S. It isprobable, however, that it is not allowed to ripen for quite so long aperiod as the potato cheese of Europe. In all other essentials itappears to be the same. "From U. S. Department of Agriculture _Bulletin_ No. 608. Potato Pepper_Italy_ Italian Potato cheese is enlivened with black pepper, like Pepato, only not so stony hard. Pots de Crème St. Gervais_St. Gervais-sur-mer, France_ The celebrated cream that rivals English Devonshire and is eaten bothas a sweet and as a fresh cheese. Pouligny-St. Pierre_Touraine, France_ A celebrated cylindrical cheese made in Indre. Season from May toDecember. Poustagnax, le_France_ A fresh cow-milk cheese of Gascony. Prato_Brazil_ Semihard, very yellow imitation of the Argentine imitation of HollandDutch. Standard Brazilian dessert with guava or quince paste. Namednot from "dish" but the River Plate district of the Argentine fromwhence it was borrowed long ago. Prattigau_Switzerland_ Aromatic and sharp, Limburger type, from skim milk. Named for its homevalley. Prestost or Saaland Flarr_Sweden_ Similar to Gouda, but unique--the curd being mixed with whiskey, packed in a basket, salted and cellared, wrapped in a cloth changeddaily; and on the third day finally washed with whiskey. Primavera, Spring_Minas Geraes, Brazil_ Semihard white brand of Minas cheese high quality, with a spring-likefragrance. Primost_Norway_ Soft; whey; unripened; light brown; mild flavor. Primula_Norway_ A blend of French Brie and Petit Gruyère, mild table cheese imitate inNorway, sold in small packages. Danish Appetitost is similar, but withcaraway added. Processed_U. S. A. _ From here around the world. Natural cheese melted and modified byemulsification with a harmless agent and thus changed into a plasticmass. Promessi_Italy_ Small soft-cream cheese. Provatura_Italy_ A water-buffalo variety. This type of milk makes a good beginning fora fine cheese, no matter how it is made. Providence_France_ Port-Salut from the Trappist monastery at Briquebec. Provole, Provolone, Provolocine, Provoloncinni, Provoletti, andProvolino_Italy_ All are types, shapes and sizes of Italy's most widely known andappreciated cheese. It is almost as widely but badly imitated in theU. S. A. , where the final "e" and "i" are interchangeable. Cured in string nets that stay on permanently to hang decoratively inthe home kitchen or dining room. Like straw Chianti bottles, Provolones weigh from _bocconi_ (mouthful), about one pound, to two tofour pounds. There are three-to five-pound Provoletti, and upward withhuge Salamis and Giants. Small ones come ball, pear, apple, and allsorts of decorative shapes, big ones become monumental sculptures thatare works of art to compare with butter and soap modeling. P'teux, le, or Fromage Cuit_Lorraine, France_ Cooked cheese worked with white wine instead of milk, and potted. Puant Macere_Flanders_ "The most candidly named cheese in existence. " In season from Novemberto June. Pultost or Knaost_Norway_ Sour milk with some buttermilk, farm made in mountains. Pusztador_Hungary_ Semihard, Limburger-Romadur type. Full flavor, high scent. Pyrenees, Fromage des_France_ A fine mountain variety. Q Quartiolo_Italy_ Term used to distinguish Parmesan-type cheese made between Septemberand November. Quacheq_Macedonia, Greece_ Sheep, eaten both fresh and ripened. Quargel _see_ Olmützer. Quartirolo_Italy_ Soft, cow's milk. Queijos--Cheeses of the Azores, Brazil and Portugal_see_ under their local or regional names: Alemtejo, Azeitão, Cardiga, Ilha, Prato and Serra da Estrella. Queso Anejo_Mexico_ White, dry, skim milk. Queso de Bola_Mexico_ Whole milk, similar to Edam. Queso de Cavallo_Venezuela_ Pear-shaped cheese. Quesos Cheeses: Blanco, Cartera and Palma Metida _see_ Venezuela. Queso de Cincho_Venezuela_ Hard, round orange balls weighing four pounds and wrapped in palm leaves. Queso de Crema_Costa Rica_ Similar to soft Brick. Queso de Hoja, Leaf Cheese_Puerto Rico_ Named from its appearance when cut, like leaves piled on top of each other. Queso de Mano_Venezuela_ Aromatic, sharp, in four-ounce packages. Queso del Fais, Queso de la Tierra_Puerto Rico_ White; pressed; semisoft Consumed locally, Queso de Prensa_Puerto Rico_ The name means pressed cheese. It is eaten either fresh or afterripening two or three months. Queso de Puna_Puerto Rico_ Like U. S. Cottage or Dutch cheese, eaten fresh. Queso de Tapara_Venezuela_ Made in Carora, near Barqisimeto, called _tapara_ from the shape andtough skin of that local gourd. "It is very good fresh, but by thetime it arrives in Carora it is often bad and dry. " D. K. K. In _BuenoProvecho. _ Queso Fresco_El Salvador_ Cottage-cheese type. Queville _see_ Chapter 3. Queyras _see_ Champoléon. R Rabaçal_Coimbra, Portugal_ Semisoft; sheep or goat; thick, round, four to five inches indiameter. Pleasantly oily, if made from sheep milk. Rabbit Cheese_U. S. A. _ A playful name for Cheddar two to three years old. Radener_Germany_ Hard; skim, similar to Emmentaler; made in Mecklenburg. Sixteen byfour inches, weight 32 pounds. Radolfzeller Cream_Germany, Switzerland, Austria_ Similar to Münster. Ragnit _see_ Tilsit. Rahmkäse, Allgäuer_German_ Cream. Rainbow_Mexico_ Mild; mellow. Ramadoux_Belgium_ Soft; sweet cream; formed in cubes. Similar to Hervé Rammil or Rammel_England_ André Simon calls this "the best cheese made in Dorsetshire. " Alsocalled Rammilk, because made from whole or "raw milk. " Practicallyunobtainable today. Rangiport_France_ A good imitation of Port-Salut made in Seine-et-Oise. Rarush Durmar_Turkey_ Brittle; mellow; nutty. Rächerkäse The name for all smoked cheese in Germanic countries, where it is verypopular. Raviggiolo_Tuscany, Italy_ Ewe's milk. Uncooked; soft; sweet; creamy. Rayon or Raper_Switzerland_ A blind Emmentaler called Rayon is shipped young to Italy, where it ishardened by aging and then sold as Raper, for grating and seasoning. Reblochon or Roblochon_Savoy_ Sheep; soft; whole milk; in season from October to June. Weight one totwo pounds. A cooked cheese imitated as Brizecon in the same section. Récollet de Gérardmer_Vosges, France_ A harvest variety similar to Géromé, made from October to April Red_Russia_ _see_ Livlander. Red Balls_Dutch_ _see_ Edam. Reggiano _see_ Grana. Regianito_Argentine_ Italian Reggiano type with a name of its own, for it is not a mereimitation in this land of rich milk and extra fine cheeses. Reichkäse_German_ Patriotically hailed as cheese of the empire, when Germany had one. Reindeer_Lapland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway_ In all far northern lands a type of Swiss is made from reindeer milkIt is lightly salted, very hard; and the Lapland production iscuriously formed, like a dumbbell with angular instead of round ends. Relish cream cheese_U. S. A. _ Mixed with any piquant relish and eaten fresh. Remoudon, or Fromage Piquant_Belgium_ The two names combine in re-ground piquant cheese, and that's what itis. The season is winter, from November to June. Requeijão_Portugal and Brazil_ Recooked. Resurrection _see_ Welsh. Rhubarbe_France_ A type of Roquefort which, in spite of its name, is no relation to ourpie plant. Riceys _see_ Champenois. Ricotta Romano_Italy_ Soft and fresh. The best is made from sheep buttermilk. Creamy, piquant, with subtle fragrance. Eaten with sugar and cinnamon, sometimes with a dusting of powdered coffee. Ricotta_Italy and U. S. A. _ Fresh, moist, unsalted cottage cheese for sandwiches, salads, lasagne, blintzes and many Italian dishes. It is also mixed with Marsala andrum and relished for dessert Ricotta may be had in every Little Italy, some of it very well made and, unfortunately, some of it a poorsubstitute whey cheese. Ricotta Salata Hard; grayish white. Although its flavor is milk it is too hard andtoo salty for eating as is, and is mostly used for grating. Riesengebirge_Bohemia_ Semisoft; goat or cow; delicate flavor, lightly smoked in Bohemia'snorthern mountains. Rinnen_Germany_ This traditional Pomeranian sour-milk, caraway-seeded variety is namedfrom the wooden trough in which it is laid to drain. Riola_Normandy, France_ Soft; sheep or goat; sharp; resembles Mont d'Or but takes longer toripen, two to three months. RobbioleRobbiolaRobbiolini_ Lombardy__ Italian_ Very similar to Crescenza (_see_. ) Alpine winter cheese of finequality. The form is circular and flat, weighing from eight ounces totwo pounds, while Robbiolini, the baby of the family tips the scale atjust under four ounces. Roblochon, le Same as Reblochon. A delicious form of it is made of half-driedsheep's milk in Le Grand Bornand. Rocamadur_Limousin, France_ Tiny sheep milk cheese weighing two ounces. In season November to May. Rocroi_France_ From the Champagne district. Rokadur_Yugoslavia_ Imitation Roquefort. Roll_England_ Hard cylinder, eight by nine inches, weighing twenty pounds. Rollot or Rigolot_Picardy and Montdidier, France_ Soft; fermented; mold-inoculated; resembles Brie and Camembert, butmuch smaller. In season October to May. This is Picardy's one and onlycheese. Roma_Italy_ Soft cream. Romadour, Romadura, and other national spellings_Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland_ A great Linburger. The eating season is from November to April. It isnot a summer cheese, especially in lands where refrigeration isscarce. Fine brands are exported to America from several countries. Romano, Romano Vacchino_Italy_ Strong: flavoring cheese like Parmesan and Pecorino. Romanello_U. S. A. _ Similar to Romano Vacchino and Old Monterey Jack. Small gratingcheese, cured one year. Roquefort_France_ King of cheeses, with its "tingling Rabelaisian pungency. " _See_Chapter 3. Roquefort cheese dressing, bottled_U. S. A. _ Made with genuine imported Roquefort, but with cottonseed oil insteadof olive, plain instead of wine vinegar, sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, flour and spice oil. Roquefort de Corse_Corsica, France_ This Corsican imitation is blue-colored and correctly made of sheepmilk, but lacks the chalk caves of Auvergne for ripening. Roquefort de Tournemire_France_ Another Blue cheese of sheep milk from Languedoc, using the royalRoquefort name. Rougerets, les_Lyonnais, France_ A typical small goat cheese from Forez, in a section where practicallyevery variety is made with goat milk. Rouennais_France_ This specialty, named after its city, Rouen, is a winter cheese, eatenfrom October to May. Round Dutch_Holland_ An early name for Edam. Rouy, le_Normandy, France_ From the greatest of the cheese provinces, Normandy. Royal Brabant_Belgium_ Whole milk. Small, Limburger type. Royal Sentry_Denmark_ Processed Swiss made in Denmark and shipped to Americans who haven'tyet learned that a European imitation can be as bad as an Americanone. This particular pasteurized process-cheese spread puts itsingredients in finer type than any accident insurance policy: Samsoe(Danish Swiss) cheese, cream, water, non-fat dry milk solids, cheesewhey solids and disodium phosphate. Ruffec, Fromage de_Saintonge, France_ Fresh; goat. Runesten_Denmark and U. S. A. _ Similar to Herrgårdsost. Small eyes. "Wheel" weighs about threepounds. Wrapped in red transparent film. Rush Cream Cheese_England and France_ Not named from the rush in which many of our cheeses are made, butfrom the rush mats and nets some fresh cream cheeses are wrapped andsewed up in to ripen. According to an old English recipe the curds arecollected with an ordinary fish-slice and placed in a rush shape, covered with a cloth when filled. Lay a half-pound weight in a saucerand set this on top of the strained curd for a few hours, and thenincrease the weight by about a half pound. Change the cloths dailyuntil the cheese looks mellow, then put into the rush shape with thefish slice. The formula in use in France, where willow heart-shapebaskets are sold for making this cheese, is as follows: Add one cupnew warm milk to two cups freshly-skimmed cream. Dissolve in this oneteaspoon of fine sugar and one tablespoon common rennet or thirtydrops of Hauser's extract of rennet. Let it remain in a warm placeuntil curd sets. Rush and straw mats are easily made by cutting thestraw into lengths and stringing them with a needle and thread. Themats or baskets should not be used a second time. S Saaland Pfarr, or Prestost_Sweden_ Firm; sharp; biting; unique of its kind because it is made withwhiskey as an ingredient and the finished product is also washed withwhiskey. Saanen_Switzerland_ Semihard and as mellow as all good Swiss cheese. This is the finestcheese in the greatest cheese land; an Emmentaler also known asHartkäse, Reibkäse and Walliskäse, it came to fame in the sixteenthcentury and has always fetched an extra price for its quality and age. It is cooked much dryer in the making, so it takes longer to ripen andthen keeps longer than any other. It weighs only ten to twenty poundsand the eyes are small and scarce. The average period needed forripening is six years, but some take nine. Sage, or Green cheese_England_ This is more of a cream cheese, than a Cheddar, as Sage is in theU. S. A. It is made by adding sage leaves and a greening to milk by themethod described in Chapter 4. Saint-Affrique_Guyenne, France_ This gourmetic center, hard by the celebrated town of Roquefort, livesup to its reputation by turning out a toothsome goat cheese of localrenown. We will not attempt to describe it further, since like most of thehost of cheeses honored with the names of Saints, it is seldom shippedabroad. Saint-Agathon_Brittany, France_ Season, October to July. Saint-Amand-Montrond_Berry, France_ Made from goat's milk. Saint-Benoit_Loiret, France_ Soft Olivet type distinguished by charcoal being added to the saltrubbed on the outside of the finished cheese. It ripens in twelve tofifteen days in summer, and eighteen to twenty in winter. It is aboutsix inches in diameter. Saint-Claude_Franche-Comté, France_ Semihard; blue; goat; mellow; small; square; a quarter to a halfpound. The curd is kept five to six hours only before salting and isthen eaten fresh or put away to ripen. Saint-Cyr _see_ Mont d'Or. Saint-Didier au Mont d'Or _see_ Mont d'Or. Saint-Florentin_Burgundy, France_ A lusty cheese, soft but salty, in season from November to July. Saint-Flour_Auvergne, France_ Another seasonal specialty from this province of many cheeses. Saint-Gelay_Poitou, France_ Made from goat's milk. Saint-Gervais, Pots de Creme, or Le Saint Gervais_see_ Pots de Crème. Saint-Heray _see_ La Mothe. Saint-Honoré_Nivernais, France_ A small goat cheese. Saint-Hubert_France_ Similar to Brie. Saint-Ivel_England_ Fresh dairy cream cheese containing _Lactobacillus acidophilus_. Similar to the yogurt cheese of the U. S. A. , which is made with_Bacillus Bulgaricus. _ Saint-Laurent_Roussillon, France_ Mountain sheep cheese. Saint-Lizier_Béarn, France_ A white, curd cheese. Saint-Loup, Fromage de_Poitou and Vendée, France_ Half-goat, half-cow milk, in season February to September Saint-Marcellin_Dauphiné, France_ One of the very best of all goat cheeses. Three by 3/4 inches, weighing a quarter of a pound. In season from March to December. Sometimes sheep milk may be added, even cow's, but this is essentiallya goat cheese. Saint-Moritz_Switzerland_ Soft and tangy. Saint-Nectaire, or Senecterre_Auvergne, France_ Noted as one of the greatest of all French goat cheeses. Saint-Olivet _see_ Chapter 3. Saint-Pierre-Pouligny _see_ Pouligny-Saint-Pierre. Saint-Reine _see_ Alise. Saint-Rémy, Fromage de_Haute-Saône, France_ Soft Pont l'Evêque type. Saint-Stefano_German_ Bel Paese type. Saint-Winx_Flanders, France_ The fromage of Saint-Winx is a traditional leader in this Belgianborder province noted for its strong, spiced dairy products. Sainte-Anne d'Auray_Brittany, France_ A notable Port-Salut made by Trappist monks. Sainte-Marie_Franche-Comté, France_ A creamy concoction worthy of its saintly name. Sainte-Maure, le, or Fromage de Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine_France_ Made in Touraine from May to November. Similar to Valençay. Salamana_Southern Europe_ Soft sheep's milk cheese stuffed into bladderlike sausage, to ripen. It has authority and flavor when ready to spread on bread, or to mixwith cornmeal and cook into a highly cheese-flavored porridge. Salame_France_ Soft cream cheese stuffed into skins like salami sausages. Salami-sausage style of packing cheese has always been common inItaly, from Provolone down, and now--both as salami and links--it hasbecame extremely popular for processed and cheese foods throughoutAmerica. Salers, Bleu de_France_ One of the very good French Blues. Saligny_Champagne, France_ White cheese made from sheep's milk. Saloio_Lisbon, Portugal_ An aromatic farm-made hand cheese of skim milk. Short cylinder, 1-1/2to two inches in diameter, weighing a quarter of a pound. Made nearthe capital, Lisbon, on many small farms. Salonite_Italy_ Favorite of Emperor Augustus a couple of thousand years ago. Saltee_Ireland_ Firm; highly colored; tangy; boxed in half-pound slabs. The same asWhitethorn except for the added color. Whitethorn is as white as itsname implies. Salt-free cheese, for diets U. S. Cottage; French fresh goat cheese; and Luxembourg Kochenkäse. Samsö_Denmark_ Hard; white; sharp; slightly powdery and sweetish. This is the petcheese of Erik Blegvad who illustrated this book. Sandwich Nut An American mixture of chopped nuts with Cream cheese or Neufchâtel. Sapsago _see_ Chapter 3. Sardegna_Sardinia_ A Romano type made in Sardinia. Sardinian_Sardinia, Italy_ The typical hard grating cheese of this section of Italy. Sardo_Sardinia, Italy_ Hard; sharp; for table and for seasoning. Imitated in the Argentine. There is also a Pecorino named Sardo. Sarraz or Sarrazin_Vaud, Switzerland_ Roquefort type. Sassenage_Dauphiny, France_ Semihard; bluer and stronger than Stilton. This makes a French trio ofBlues with Septmoncel and Gex, all three of which are made with thethree usual milks mixed: cow, goat and sheep. A succulent fermentedvariety for which both Grenoble and Sassenage are celebrated. Satz_Germany_ Hard cheese made in Saxony. Savoy, Savoie_France_ Semisoft; mellow; tangy Port-Salut made by Trappist monks in Savoy. Sbrinz_Argentine_ Hard; dry; nutty; Parmesan grating type. Scanno_Abruzzi, Italy_ Soft as butter; sheep; burnt taste, delicious with fruits. Blackenedrind, deep yellow interior. Scarmorze or Scamorze_Italy_ Hard; buffalo milk; mild Provolone type. Also called Pear from beingmade in that shape, oddly enough also in pairs, tied together to hangfrom rafters on strings in ripening rooms or in the home kitchen. Finewhen sliced thick and fried in olive oil. A specialty around Naples. Light-tan oiled rind, about 3-1/2 by five inches in size. Imitated inWisconsin and sold as Pear cheese. Schabziger _see_ Chapter 3. Schafkäse (Sheep Cheese)_Germany_ Soft; part sheep milk; smooth and delightful. Schamser, or Rheinwald_Canton Graubiinden, Switzerland_ Large skim-milker eighteen by five inches, weighing forty to forty-sixpounds. Schlickermilch This might be translated "milk mud. " It's another name for Bloder, sour milk "waddle" cheese. Schlesische Sauermilchkäse_Silesia, Poland_ Hard; sour-milker; made like hand cheese. Laid on straw-coveredshelves, dried by a stove in winter and in open latticed sheds insummer. When very dry and hard, it is put to ripen in a cellar threeto eight weeks and washed with warm water two or three times a week. Schlesischer Weichquarg_Silesia, Poland_ Soft, fresh skim, sour curd, broken up and cooked at 100° for a shorttime. Lightly pressed in a cloth sack twenty-four hours, then kneadedand shaped by hand, as all hand cheeses are. Sometimes sharplyflavored with onions or caraway. Eaten fresh, before the strong handcheese odor develops. Schloss, Schlosskäse, or Bismarck_German_ This Castle cheese, also named for Bismarck and probably a favorite ofhis, together with Bismarck jelly doughnuts, is an aristocraticLimburger that served as a model for Liederkranz. Schmierkäse German cottage cheese that becomessmearcase in America. Schnitzelbank Pot _see_ Liederkranz, Chapter 4. Schönland_German_ Imitation of Italian Bel Paese, also translated "beautiful land. " Schützenkäse_Austria_ Romadur-type. Small rectangular blocks weighing less than four ouncesand wrapped in tin foil. Shottengsied_Alpine_ A whey cheese made and consumed locally in the Alps. Schwarzenberger_Hungary and Bohemia_ One part skim to two parts fresh milk. It takes two to three months toripen. Schweizerkäse_Switzerland_ German for Swiss cheese. (_See_ Emmentaler. ) Schweizerost Dansk, Danish Swiss Cheese_Denmark_ A popular Danish imitation of Swiss Swiss cheese that is nothingwonderful. Select Brick _see_ Chapter 12. Selles-sur Cher_Berry, France_ A goat cheese, eaten from February to September. Sénecterre_Puy-de-Dôme, France_ Soft, whole-milk; cylindrical, weighing about 1-1/2 pounds. Septmoncel_France_ Semihard; skim; blue-veined; made of all three milks: cow, goat andsheep. An excellent "Blue" ranked above Roquefort by some, and next toStilton. Also called Jura Bleu, and a member of the triple milktriplets with Gex and Sassenage. Serbian_Serbia_ Made most primitively by dropping heated stones into a kettle of milkover an open fire. After the rennet is added, the curd stands for anhour and is separated from the whey by being lifted in a cheeseclothand strained. It is finally put in a wooden vessel to ripen. First itis salted, then covered each day with whey for eight days and finallywith fresh milk for six. Syria also makes a cheese called Serbian from goat's milk. It issemisoft. Serbian Butter _see_ Kajmar. Serra da Estrella, Queijo da (Cheese of the Star Mountain Range)_Portugal_ The finest of several superb mountain-sheep cheeses in Portugal. Othermilk is sometimes added, but sheep is standard. The milk is coagulatedby an extract of thistle or cardoon flowers in two to six hours. It isripened in circular forms for several weeks and marketed in roundsaveraging five pounds, about ten by two inches. The soft paste insideis pleasantly oily and delightfully acid. Sharp-flavored cheese U. S. Aged Cheddars, including Monterey Jack; Italian Romano Fecorino, Old Asiago, Gorgonzola, Incanestrato and Caciocavallo; Spanish deFontine; Aged Roumanian Kaskaval. Shefford _see_ Chapter 2. Silesian_Poland and Germany_ White; mellow; caraway-seeded. Imitated in the U. S. A. (see Schlesischer. ) Sir cheeses In Yugoslavia, Montenegro and adjacent lands Sir or Cyr means cheese. Mostly this type is made of skimmed sheep milk and has small eyes orholes, a sharp taste and resemblance to both American Brick andLimburger. They are much fewer than the Saint cheeses in France. Sir Iz Mjesine_Dalmatia, Yugoslavia_ Primitively made by heating skim sheep milk in a bottle over an openfire, coagulating it quickly with pig or calf rennet, breaking up thecurd with a wooden spoon and stirring it by hand over the fire. Pressed into forms eight inches square and two inches thick, it isdried for a day and either eaten fresh or cut into cubes, salted, packed in green sheep or goat hides, and put away to ripen. Sir Mastny_Montenegro_ Fresh sheep milk. Sir Posny_Montenegro_ Hard; skim sheep milk; white, with many small holes. Also answers tothe names of Tord and Mrsav. Sir, Twdr _see_ Twdr Sir. Sir, Warshawski _see_ Warshawski Syr. Siraz_Serbia_ Semisoft; whole milk. Mellow. Skyr_Iceland_ The one standard cheese of the country. A cross between Devonshirecream and cream cheese, eaten with sugar and cream. It is very wellliked and filling, so people are apt to take too much. A writer on thesubject gives this bit of useful information for travelers: "It is notadvisable, however, to take coffee and Skyr together just beforeriding, as it gives you diarrhea. " Slipcote, or Colwick_England_ Soft; unripened; small; white; rich as butter. The curd is put informs six by two inches for the whey to drain away. When firm it isplaced between cabbage leaves to ripen for a week or two, and when itis taken from the leaves the skin or coat becomes loose and easilyslips off--hence the name. In the middle of the eighteenth century itwas considered the best cream cheese in England and was made then, astoday, in Wissenden, Rutlandshire. Smältost_Sweden_ Soft and melting. Smearcase Old English corruption of German Schmierkäse, long used in America forcottage cheese. Smoked Block_Austria_ A well-smoked cheese in block form. Smoked Mozzarella _see_ Mozzarella Affumicata. Smoked Szekely_Hungary_ Soft; sheep; packed like sausage in skins or bladders and smoked. Smokelet_Norway_. A small smoked cheese. Soaked-curd cheese _see_ Washed-curd cheese. Sorbais_Champagne, France_ Semihard; whole milk; fermented; yellow, with reddish brown rind. Fullflavor, high smell. Similar to Maroilles in taste and square shape, but smaller. Sorte Maggenga and Sorte Vermenga Two "sorts" of Italian Parmesan. Soumaintrain, Fromage de_France_ Soft; fine; strong variety from Upper Burgundy. Soybean_China_ Because this cheese is made of vegetable milk and often developed witha vegetable rennet, it is rated by many as a regular cheese. But ouroccidental kind with animal milk and rennet is never eaten by Chineseand the mere mention of it has been known to make them shiver. Spalen or Stringer_Switzerland_ A small Emmentaler of fine reputation made in the Canton ofUnterwalden from whole and partly skimmed milk and named from thevessel in which five or six are packed and transported together. Sperrkäse _see_ Dry. Spiced_International_ Many a bland cheese is saved from oblivion by the addition of spice, to give it zest. One or more spices are added in the making andthoroughly mixed with the finished product, so the cheese often takesthe name of the spice: Kuminost or Kommenost for cumin; Caraway inEnglish and several other languages, among them Kümmel, Nokkelost andLeyden; Friesan Clove and Nagelkass; Sage; Thyme, cloverleaf Sapsago;whole black pepper Pepato, etc. Spiced and Spiced Spreads_U. S. A. _ Government standards for spiced cheeses and spreads specify not lessthan 1-1/2 ounces of spice to 100 pounds of cheese. Spiced Fondue _see_ Vacherin Fondu. _France_ Spitz Spitzkase_Germany_ Small cylinder, four by one and a half inches. Caraway spiced, Limburger-like. _see_ Backsteiner. Sposi_Italy_ Soft; small; cream. Spra_Greek_ Sharp and pleasantly salty, packed fresh from the brine bath inone-pound jars. As tasty as all Greek cheeses because they are madeprincipally from sheep milk. Stängenkase_Germany_ Limburger type. Stein Käse_U. S. A. _ Aromatic, piquant "stone. " A beer stein accompaniment well made afterthe old German original. Steinbuscher-Käse_German_ Semihard; firm; full cream; mildly sour and pungent. Brick forms, reddish and buttery. Originated in Frankfurt. Highly thought of athome but little known abroad. Steppe_Russia, Germany, Austria, Denmark_ German colonists made and named this in Russia. Rich and mellow, ittastes like Tilsiter and is now made in Denmark for export, as well asin Germany and Austria for home consumption. Stilton _see_ Chapter 3. Stirred curd cheese_U. S. A. _ Similar to Cheddar, but more granular, softer in texture and marketedyounger. Stracchino_Italy_ Soft; goat; fresh cream; winter; light yellow; very sharp, rich andpungent. Made in many parts of Italy and eaten sliced, never grated. Afine cheese of which Taleggio is the leading variety. See in Chapter3. Also see Certoso Stracchino. Stracchino Crescenza is an extremely soft and highly colored member ofthis distinguished family. Stravecchio_Italy_ Well-aged, according to the name. Creamy and mellow. Stringer _see_ Spalen. Styria_Austria_ Whole milk. Cylindrical form. Suffolk_England_ An old-timer, seldom seen today. Stony-hard, horny "flet milk"cartwheels locally nicknamed "bang. " Never popular anywhere, it hasstood more abuse than Limburger, not for its smell but for its flintyhardness. "Hunger will break through stone walls and anything except a Suffolk cheese. " "Those that made me were uncivil For they made me harder than the devil. Knives won't cut me; fire won't sweat me; Dogs bark at me, but can't eat me. " Surati, Panir_India_ Buffalo milk. Uncolored. Suraz_Serbia_ Semihard and semisoft. Sveciaost_Sweden_ A national pride, named for its country, Swedish cheese, to matchSwiss cheese and Dutch cheese. It comes in three qualities: fullcream, 3/4 cream, and half cream. Soft; rich; ready to eat at sixweeks and won't keep past six months. A whole-hearted, whole-milk, wholesome cheese named after the country rather than a part of it asmost _osts_ are. Sweet-curd_U. S. A. _ Hard Cheddar, differing in that the milk is set sweet and the curdcooked firmer and faster, salted and pressed at once. When ripe, however, it is hardly distinguishable from the usual Cheddar made bythe granular process. Swiss_U. S. A. _ In 1845 emigrants from Galrus, Switzerland, founded New Galrus, Wisconsin and, after failing at farming due to cinch bugs gobblingtheir crops, they turned to cheesemaking and have been at it eversince. American Swiss, known long ago as picnic cheese, has been theirstandby, and only in recent years these Wisconsin Schweizers have hadcompetition from Ohio and other states who turn out the typicalcartwheels, which still look like the genuine imported Emmentaler. Szekely_Transylvania, Hungary_ Soft; sheep; packed in links of bladders and sometimes smoked. This isthe type of foreign cheese that set the popular style for Americanprocessed links, with wine flavors and everything. T Taffel, Table, Taffelost_Denmark_ A Danish brand name for an ordinaryslicing cheese. Tafi_Argentina_ Made in the rich province of Tucuman. Taiviers, les Petits Fromages de_Périgord, France_ Very small and tasty goat cheese. Taleggio_Lombardy, Italy_ Soft, whole-milk, Stracchino type. Tallance_France_ Goat. Tamie_France_ Port-Salut made by Trappist monks at Savoy from their method that ismore or less a trade secret. Tome de Beaumont is an imitation producednot far away. Tanzenberger_Carinthia, Austria_ Limburger type. Tao-foo or Tofu_China, Japan, the Orient_ Soybean curd or cheese made from the "milk" of soybeans. The beans areground and steeped, made into a paste that's boiled so the starchdissolves with the casein. After being strained off, the "milk" iscoagulated with a solution of gypsum. This is then handled in thesame way as animal milk in making ordinary cow-milk cheeses. Afterbeing salted and pressed in molds it is ready to be warmed up andadded to soups and cooked dishes, as well as being eaten as is. Teleme_Rumania_ Similar to Brinza and sometimes called Branza de Bralia. Made ofsheep's milk and rapidly ripened, so it is ready to eat in ten days. Terzolo_Italy_ Term used to designate Parmesan-type cheese made in winter. Tête à Tête, Tête de Maure, Moor's Head_France_ Round in shape. French name for Dutch Edam. Tête de Moine, Monk's Head_France_ A soft "head" weighing ten to twenty pounds. Creamy, tasty, summerSwiss, imitated in Jura, France, and also called Bellelay. Tête de Mort _see_ Fromage Gras for this death's head. "The Tempting cheese of Fyvie"_Scotland_ Something on the order of Eve's apple, according to the Scottish rhymethat exposes it: The first love token ye gae me Was the tempting cheese of Fyvie. O wae be to the tempting cheese, The tempting cheese of Fyvie, Gat me forsake my ain gude man And follow a fottman laddie. Texel Sheep's milk cheese of three or four pounds made on the island ofTexel, off the coast of the Netherlands. Thenay_Vendôme, France_ Resembles Camembert and Vendôme. Thion_Switzerland_ A fine Emmentaler. Three Counties_Ireland_ An undistinguished Cheddar named for the three counties that make mostof the Irish cheese. Thuringia Caraway_Germany_ A hand cheese spiked with caraway. Thyme_Syria_ Soft and mellow, with the contrasting pungence of thyme. Two otherherbal cheeses are flavored with thyme--both French: Fromage Fort II, Hazebrook II. Tibet_Tibet_ The small, hard, grating cheeses named after the country Tibet, are ofsheep's milk, in cubes about two inches on all sides, with holes tostring them through the middle, fifty to a hundred on each string. They suggest Chinese strings of cash and doubtless served as currency, in the same way as Chinese cheese money. (_See under_ Money. ) Tignard_Savoy, France_ Hard; sheep or goat; blue-veined; sharp; tangy; from Tigne Valley inSavoy. Similar to Gex, Sassenage and Septmoncel. Tijuana_Mexico_ Hard; sharp; biting; named from the border race-track town. Tillamook _see_ Chapter 4. Tilsit, or Tilsiter Käse, also called Ragnit_Germany_ This classical variety of East Prussia is similar to American Brick. Made of whole milk, with many small holes that give it an opentexture, as in Port-Salut, which it also resembles, although it isstronger and coarser. Old Tilsiter is something special in aromatic tang, and attempts toimitate it are made around the world. One of them, Ovár, is such agood copy it is called Hungarian Tilsit. There are American, Danish, and Canadian--even Swiss--imitations. The genuine Tilsit has been well described as "forthright in flavor; agood snack cheese, but not suitable for elegant post-prandialdallying. " Tilziski_Yugoslavia_ A Montenegrin imitation Tilsiter. Tome de Beaumont_France_ Whole cow's milk. Tome, la_Auvergne, France_ Also called Fourme, Cantal, or Fromage de Cantal. A kind of Cheddarthat comes from Ambert, Aubrac, Aurillac, Grand-Murol, Rôche, Salers, etc. Tome de Chèvre_Savoy, France_ Soft goat cheese. Tome de Savoie_France_ Soft paste; goat or cow. Others in the same category are: Tome desBeagues, Tome au Fenouil, Tome Doudane. Tomelitan Gruyère_Norway_ Imitation of French Gruyère in 2-1/2 ounce packages. Topf or Topfkäse_Germany_ A cooked cheese to which Pennsylvania pot is similar. Sour skim milkcheese, eaten fresh and sold in packages of one ounce. When cured itis flaky. Toscano, or Pecorino Toscano_Tuscany, Italy_ Sheep's milk cheese like Romano but softer, and therefore used as atable cheese. Toscanello_Tuscany, Italy_ A smaller edition of Toscano. Touareg_Berber, Africa_ Skim milk often curdled with Korourou leaves. The soft curd is thendipped out onto mats like pancake batter and sun dried for ten days orplaced by a fire for six, with frequent turning. Very hard and dry andnever salted. Made from Lake Tchad to the Barbary States by Berbertribes. Tour Eiffel_Berry, France_ Besides naming this Berry cheese, Tour Eiffel serves as a picturesquelabel and trademark for a brand of Camembert. Touloumisio_Greece_ Similar to Feta. Tournette_France_ Small goat cheese. Tourne de chèvre_Dauphiné, France_ Goat cheese. Trappe, la, or Oka_Canada_ Truly fine Port-Salut named for the Trappist order and its Canadianmonastery. Trappist _see_ Chapter 3. Trappist_Yugoslavia_ Trappist Port-Salut imitation. Trauben (Grape)_Switzerland_ Swiss or Gruyère aged in Swiss Neuchâtel wine and so named for thegrape. Travnik, Travnicki_Albania, Russia, Yugoslavia_ Soft, sheep whole milk with a little goat sometimes and occasionallyskim milk. More than a century of success in Europe, Turkey andadjacent lands where it is also known as Arnauten, Arnautski Sir andVlasic. When fresh it is almost white and has a mild, pleasing taste. Itripens to a stronger flavor in from two weeks to several months, andis not so good if holes should develop in it. The pure sheep-milk typewhen aged is characteristically oily and sharp. Traz os Montes_Portugal_ Soft; sheep; oily; rich; sapid. For city turophiles nostalgicallynamed "From the Mountains. " All sheep cheese is oily, some of it a bitmuttony, but none of it at all tallowy. Trecce_Italy_ Small, braided cheese, eaten fresh. Triple Aurore_France_ Normandy cheese in season all the year around. Troo_France_ Made and consumed in Touraine from May to January. Trouville_France_ Soft, fresh, whole milk. Pont l'Evêque type of superior quality. Troyes, Fromage de _see_ Barberey and Ervy. Truckles_England_ No. I: Wiltshire, England. Skimmed milk; blue-veined variety like BlueVinny. The quaint word is the same as used in truckle or trundle bed. On Shrove Monday Wiltshire kids went from door to door singing for ahandout: Pray, dame, something, An apple or a dumpling, Or a piece of Truckle cheese Of your own making. No. II: Local name in the West of England for a full cream Cheddarput up in loaves. Tschil_Armenia_ Also known as Leaf, Telpanir and Zwirn. Skim milk of either sheep orcows. Made into cakes and packed in skins in a land where wine isdrunk from skin canteens, often with Tschil. Tuile de Flandre_France_ A type of Marolles. Tullum Penney_Turkey_ Salty from being soaked in brine. Tuna, Prickly Pear_Mexico_ Not an animal milk cheese, but a vegetable one, made by boiling andstraining the pulp of the cactuslike prickly pear fruit to cheeselikeconsistency. It is chocolate-color and sharp, piquantly pleasant whenhard and dry. It is sometimes enriched with nuts, spices and/orflowers. It will keep for a very long time and has been a dessert orconfection in Mexico for centuries. Tuscano_Italy_ Semihard; cream color; a sort of Tuscany Parmesan. Twdr Sir_Serbia_ Semisoft sheep skim-milk cheese with small holes and a sharp taste. Pressed in forms two by ten to twelve inches in diameter. Similar toBrick or Limburger. Twin Cheese_U. S. A. _ Outstanding American Cheddar marketed by Joannes Brothers, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tworog_Russia_ Semihard sour milk farm (not factory) made. It is used in the cheesebread called Notruschki. Tybo_Denmark_ Made in Copenhagen from pasteurized skim milk. Tyrol Sour_German_ A typical Tyrolean hand cheese. Tzgone_Dalmatia_ The opposite number of Tzigen, just below. Tzigenkäse_Austria_ Semisoft; skimmed sheep, goat or cow milk. White; sharp and salty;originated in Dalmatia. U Urda_Rumania_ Creamy; sweet; mild. Uri_Switzerland_ Hard; brittle; white; tangy. Made in the Canton of Uri. Eight by eightto twelve inches, weight twenty to forty pounds. Urseren_Switzerland_ Mild flavored. Cooked curd. Urt, Fromage d' Soft Port-Salut type of the Basque country. V Vacherin_France and Switzerland_ I. Vacherin à la Main. Savoy, France. Firm, leathery rind, softinterior like Brie or Camembert; round, five to six by twelve inchesin diameter. Made in summer to eat in winter. When fully ripe it isalmost a cold version of the great dish called Fondue. Inside thehard-rind container is a velvety, spicy, aromatic cream, more runnythan Brie, so it can be eaten with a spoon, dunked in, or spread onbread. The local name is Tome de Montague. II. Vacherin Fondu, or Spiced Fondu. Switzerland. Although calledFondu from being melted, the No. I Vacherin comes much closer to ourconception of the dish Fondue, which we spell with an "e. " Vacherin No. II might be called a re-cooked and spiced Emmentaler, forthe original cheese is made, and ripened about the same as the Swissclassic and is afterward melted, spiced and reformed into Vacherin. Val-d'Andorre, Fromage du_Andorra, France_ Sheep milk. Valdeblore, le_Nice, France_ Hard, dried, small Alpine goat cheese. Valençay, or Fromage de Valençay_Touraine, France_ Soft; cream; goat milk; similar to Saint-Maure. In season from May toDecember. This was a favorite with Francis I. Valio_Finland_ One-ounce wedges, six to a box, labeled pasteurized process Swisscheese, made by the Cooperative Butter Export Association, Helsinki, Finland, to sell to North Americans to help them forget what realcheese is. Valsic_Albania_ Crumbly and sharp. Varalpenland_Germany_ Alpine. Piquant, strong in flavor andsmell. Varennes, Fromage de_France_ Soft, fine, strong variety from Upper Burgundy. Västerbottenost_West Bothnia_ Slow-maturing. One to one-and-a-half years in ripening to a pungent, almost bitter taste. Västgötaost_West Gothland, Sweden_ Semihard; sweet and nutty. Takes a half year to mature. Weight twentyto thirty pounds. Vendôme, Fromage de_France_ Hard; sheep; round and flat; like la Cendrée in being ripened underashes. There is also a soft Vendôme sold mostly in Paris. Veneto, Venezza_Italy_ Parmesan type, similar to Asiago. Usually sharp. Vic-en-Bigorre_France_ Winter cheese of Béarn in season October to May. Victoria_England_ The brand name of a cream cheese made in Guilford. Ville Saint-Jacques_France_ Ile-de-France winter specialty in season from November to May. Villiers_France_ Soft, one-pound squares made in Haute-Marne. Viry-vory, or Vary_France_ Fresh cream cheese. Viterbo_Italy_ Sheep milk usually curdled with wild artichoke, _Cynara Scolymus_. Strong grating and seasoning type of the Parmesan-Romano-Pecorinofamily. Vize_Greece_ Ewe's milk; suitable for grating. Void_Meuse, France_ Soft associate of Pont l'Evêque and Limburger. Volvet Kaas_Holland_ The name means "full cream" cheese and that--according to law--has 45%fat in the dry product (_See_ Gras. ) Vorarlberg Sour-milk_Greasy_ Hard; greasy; semicircular form of different sizes, with extra-strongflavor and odor. The name indicates that it is made of sour milk. Vory, le_France_ Fresh cream variety like Neufchâtel and Petit Suisse. W Warshawski Syr_Poland_ Semihard; fine nutty flavor; named for the capital city of Poland. Warwickshire_England_ Derbyshire type. Washed-curd cheese_U. S. A. _ Similar to Cheddar. The curd is washed to remove acidity and anyabnormal flavors. Wedesslborg_Denmark_ A mild, full cream loaf of Danish blue that can be very good if fullyripened. Weisschmiere_Bavaria, Germany_ Similar to Weisslacker, a slow-ripening variety that takes fourmonths. Weisslacker, White Lacquer_Bavaria_ Soft; piquant; semisharp; Allgäuer-type put up in cylinders andrectangles, 4-1/2 by 4 by 3-1/2, weighing 2-1/2 pounds. One ofGermany's finest soft cheeses. Welsh cheeses The words Welsh and cheese have become synonyms down the ages. Welsh"cheeses can be attractive: the pale, mild Caerphilly was famous atone time, and nowadays has usually a factory flavor. A soft creamcheese can be obtained at some farms, and sometimes holds the samedelicate melting sensuousness that is found in the poems of JohnKeats. "The 'Resurrection Cheese' of Llanfihangel Abercowyn is no longeravailable, at least under that name. This cheese was so called becauseit was pressed by gravestones taken from an old church that had falleninto ruins. Often enough the cheeses would be inscribed with suchwording as 'Here lies Blodwen Evans, aged 72. '" (From _My Wales_ byRhys Davies. ) Wensleydale_England_ I. England, Yorkshire. Hard; blue-veined; double cream; similar toStilton. This production of the medieval town of Wensleydale in theUre Valley is also called Yorkshire-Stilton and is in season from Juneto September. It is put up in the same cylindrical form as Stilton, but smaller. The rind is corrugated from the way the wrapping is puton. II. White; flat-shaped; eaten fresh; made mostly from January throughthe Spring, skipping the season when the greater No. I is made(throughout the summer) and beginning to be made again in the fall andwinter. Werder, Elbinger and Niederungskäse_West Prussia_ Semisoft cow's-milker, mildly acid, shaped like Gouda. West Friesian_Netherlands_ Skim-milk cheese eaten when only a week old. The honored antiquity ofit is preserved in the anonymous English couplet: Good bread, good butter and good cheese Is good English and good Friese. Westphalia Sour Milk, or Brioler_Germany_ Sour-milk hand cheese, kneaded by hand. Butter and/or egg yolk ismixed in with salt, and either pepper or caraway seeds. Then therichly colored curd is shaped by hand into small balls or rolls ofabout one pound. It is dried for a couple of hours before being putdown cellar to ripen. The peculiar flavor is due partly to theseasonings and partly to the curd being allowed to putrify a little, like Limburger, before pressing. This sour-milker is as celebrated as Westphalian raw ham. It is sosoft and fat it makes a sumptuous spread, similar to Tilsit andBrinza. It was named Brioler from the "Gute Brioler" inn where it wasperfected by the owner, Frau Westphal, well over a century ago. The English sometimes miscall it Bristol from a Hobson-Jobson of thename Briol. Whale Cheese_U. S. A. _ In _The Cheddar Box, _Dean Collins tells of an ancient legend in whichthe whales came into Tillamook Bay to be milked; and he poses thepossible origin of some waxy fossilized deposits along the shore aspetrified whale-milk cheese made by the aboriginal Indians aftermilking the whales. White, Fromage Blanc_France_ Skim-milk summer cheese made in many parts of the country and eatenfresh, with or without salt. White Cheddar_U. S. A. _ Any Cheddar that isn't colored with anatto is known as White Cheddar. Green Bay brand is a fine example of it. White Gorgonzola This type without the distinguishing blue veins is little knownoutside of Italy where it is highly esteemed. (_See_ Gorgonzola. ) White Stilton_England_ This white form of England's royal blue cheese lacks the aristocraticveins that are really as green as Ireland's flag. Whitethorn_Ireland_ Firm; white; tangy; half-pound slabs boxed. Saltee is the same, exceptthat it is colored. Wilstermarsch-Käse Holsteiner Marsch_Schleswig-Holstein, Germany_ Semihard; full cream; rapidly cured; Tilsit type; very fine; made atItzehoe. Wiltshire or Wilts_England_ A Derbyshire type of sharp Cheddar popular in Wiltshire. (_See_ NorthWilts. ) Wisconsin Factory Cheeses_U. S. A. _ Have the date of manufacture stamped on the rind, indicating by theage whether the flavor is "mild, mellow, nippy, or sharp. " AmericanCheddar requires from eight months to a year to ripen properly, butmost of it is sold green when far too young. Notable Wisconsiners are Loaf, Limburger, Redskin and Swiss. Withania_India_ Cow taboos affect the cheesemaking in India, and in place of rennetfrom calves a vegetable rennet is made from withania berries. Thisnames a cheese of agreeable flavor when ripened, but, unfortunately, it becomes acrid with age. Y Yoghurt, or Yogurt_U. S. A. _ Made with _Bacillus bulgaricus_, that develops the acidity of themilk. It is similar to the English Saint Ivel. York, York Curd and Cambridge York_England_ A high-grade cream cheese similar to Slipcote, both of which arebecoming almost extinct since World War II. Also, this type is toorich to keep any length of time and is sold on the straw mat on whichit is cured, for local consumption. Yorkshire-Stilton_Cotherstone, England_ This Stilton, made chiefly at Cotherstone, develops with age a fineinternal fat which makes it so extra-juicy that it's a generalfavorite with English epicures who like their game well hung. York State_U. S. A. _ Short for New York State, the most venerable of our Cheddars. Young America_U. S. A. _ A mild, young, yellow Cheddar. Yo-yo_U. S. A. _ Copying pear-and apple-shaped balls of Italian Provolone hanging onstrings, a New York cheesemonger put out a Cheddar on a string, shapedlike a yo-yo. Z Ziegel_Austria_ Whole milk, or whole milk with cream added. Aged only two months. Ziegenkäse_Germany_ A general name in Germanic lands for cheeses made of goat's milk. Altenburger is a leader among Ziegenkäse. Ziger I. This whey product is not a true cheese, but a cheap form of foodmade in all countries of central Europe and called albumin cheese, Recuit, Ricotta, Broccio, Brocotte, Serac, Ceracee, etc. Some areflavored with cider and others with vinegar. There is also a wheybread. II. Similar to Corsican Broccio and made of sour sheep milk instead ofwhey. Sometimes mixed with sugar into small cakes. Zips _see_ Brinza. Zomma_Turkey_ Similar to Caciocavallo. Zwirn _see_ Tschil. [Illustration] Index of Recipes American Cheese Salad, 128Angelic Camembert, 120Apple and Cheese Salad, 130Apple Pie à la Cheese, 119Apple Pie Adorned, 119Apple Pie, Cheese-crusty, 119Asparagus and Cheese, Italian, 110au Gratin Eggs, 125 Potatoes, 125 Tomatoes, 125 Blintzes, 111Brie or Camembert Salad, 128 Camembert, Angelic, 120Champagned Roquefort or Gorgonzola, 122Cheddar Omelet, 135Cheese and Nut Salad, 128Cheese and Pea Salad, 130Cheese Cake, Pineapple, 117Cheese Charlotte, 133Cheese-crusty Apple Pie, 119Cheese Custard, 118Cheese Pie, Open-faced, 118Cheese Sauce, Plain, 131Cheese Waffles, 112Cheesed Mashed Potatoes, 137Chicken Cheese Soup, 127Cottage Cheese Pancakes, 112Christmas Cake Sandwiches, 120Cold Dunking, 133Custard, Cheese, 118 Dauphiny Ravioli, 109Diablotins, 135Dumpling, Napkin, 112Dunking, Cold, 133 Eggs au Gratin, 125 Flan au Fromage, 119Fondue à l'Italienne, 84 All-American, 85 au Fromage, 90 Baked Tomato, 89 Brick, 92 Catsup Tummy Fondiddy, Quickie, 91 Cheddar Dunk Bowl, 93 Cheese, 92 Cheese, and Corn, 92 Cheese and Rice, 91 Chives, 88 Comtois, 88 Corn and Cheese, 92 Neufchâtel Style, 82 100% American, 90 Parmesan, 86 Quickie Catsup Tummy Fondiddy, 91 Rice, and Cheese, 91 Sapsago Swiss, 86 Tomato, 89 Tomato Baked, 89 Vacherin-Fribourg, 88Fritters, Italian, 109Fritto Misto, Italian, 137 Garlic on Cheese, 110Gorgonzola and Banana Salad, 129Green Cheese Salad Julienne, 127 Italian Asparagus and Cheese, 110Italian Fritters, 109Italian Fritto Misto, 137Italian-Swiss Scallopini, 108 Little Hats, Cappelletti, 108 Meal-in-One Omelet, A, 135Miniature Pizzas, 107 Napkin Dumpling, 112Neapolitan Baked Lasagne, 108 Omelet Cheddar, 135 Meal-in-One, 135 Parmesan, 135 Tomato, 136 with Cheese Sauce, 136Onion Soup, 126Onion Soup au Gratin, 126Open-faced Cheese Pie, 118 Pancakes, Cottage Cheese, 112Parmesan Omelet, 135Parsleyed Cheese Sauce, 131Pfeffernüsse and Caraway, 134Pineapple Cheese Cake, 117Piroghs, Polish, 137Pizza, 106 Cheese, 107 Dough, 106 Miniature, 107 Tomato Paste, 107Polish Piroghs, 137Potatoes au Gratin, 125Potatoes, Mashed, Cheesed, 137Puffs Breakfast, 100 Cheese, New England, 100 Cream Cheese, 100 Danish Fondue, 100 Fried, 99 New England Cheese, 100 Parmesan, 99 Roquefort, 99 Three-in-One, 98 Rabbit After-Dinner, 55 All-American Succotash, 77 American Woodchuck, 63 Anchovy, 70 Asparagus, 68 Basic No. 1 (with beer), 49 No. 2 (with milk), 50 Blushing Bunny, 63 Border-hopping Bunny, 60 "Bouquet of the Sea, " 69 Buttermilk, 76 Celery and Onion, 67 Chipped Beef, 66 Cream Cheese, 75 Crumby, 70 Crumby Tomato, 71 Curry, 76 Danish, 77 Devil's Own, The, 65 Dr. Maginn's, 54 Dried Beef, 66 Dutch, 72 Easy English, 78 Eggnog, 77 Fish, Fresh or Dried, 69 Fluffy, Eggy, 64 Frijole, 60 Gherkin, 71 Ginger Ale, 76 Golden Buck, 59 Golden Buck II, 59 Grilled Sardine, 69 Grilled Tomato, 65 Grilled Tomato and Onion, 65 Gruyère, 73 Kansas Jack, 66 Lady Llanover's Toasted, 52 Latin-American Corn, 67 Mexican Chilaly, 64 Mushroom-Tomato, 67 Onion Rum Tum Tiddy, 62 Original Recipe, Ye, 57 Oven, 58 Oyster, 68 Pink Poodle, 74 Pumpernickel, 72 Reducing, 75 Roe, 69 Rum Tum Tiddy, 61 Rum Tum Tiddy, Onion, 62 Rum Tum Tiddy, Sherry, 62 Running, 63 Sardine, Grilled, 69 Sardine, Plain, 69 Savory Eggy Dry, 75 Scotch Woodcock, 63 Sea-food, 68 Sherry, 73 Sherry Rum Tum Tiddy, 62 Smoked Cheddar, 70 Smoked fish, 70 South African Tomato, 61 Spanish Sherry, 74 Stieff Recipe, The, 51 Swiss Cheese, 73 Tomato, 61 Tomato and Onion, Grilled, 65 Tomato, Crumby, 71 Tomato, Grilled, 65 Tomato Soup, 62 Tomato, South American, 61 Venerable Yorkshire Buck, The, 59 Yale College, 59 Yorkshire, 58Ramekins à la Parisienne, 103 Casserole, 105 Cheese I, 101 Cheese II, 102 Cheese III, 102 Cheese IV, 103 Frying Pan, 105 Morézien, 104 Puff Paste, 105 Roquefort-Swiss, 104 Swiss-Roquefort, 104Ravioli, Dauphiny, 109Roquefort, Champagned, 122Roquefort Cheese Salad Dressing, 130Rosie's Swiss Breakfast Cheese Salad, 129 Salad American Cheese, 128 Apple and Cheese, 130 Brie, 128 Camembert, 128 Cheese and Nut, 128 Cheese and Pea, 130 Gorgonzola and Banana, 129 Green Cheese Salad Julienne, 127 Rosie's Swiss Breakfast Cheese, 129 Swiss Cheese, 129 Three-in-One Mold, 128Sandwiches Alpine Club, 141 Boston Beany, Open-face, 141 Cheeseburgers, 141 Deviled Rye, 142 Egg, Open-faced, 142 French-fried Swiss, 142 Grilled Chicken-Ham-Cheddar, 142 He-man, Open-faced, 143 International, 143 Jurassiennes, or Croûtes Comtoises, 143 Kümmelkäse, 143 Limburger Onion, or Catsup, 143 Meringue, Open-faced, 144 Neufchâtel and Honey, 144 Newfoundland Toasted Cheese, 148 Oskar's Ham-Cam, 144 Pickled Camembert, 145 Queijo da Serra, 145 Roquefort Nut, 145 Smoky, Sturgeon-smoked, 145 Tangy, 146 Toasted Cheese, 148 Unusual--of Flowers, Hay and Clover, 146 Vegetarian, 146 Witch's, 147 Xochomilco, 147 Yolk Picnic, 147Sauce Cheese, 131 Mornay, 131 Parsleyed Cheese, 131Sauce Mornay, 131Scallopini, Italian-Swiss, 108Schnitzelbank Pot, 37Soufflé Basic, 95 Cheese-Corn, 96 Cheese Fritter, 98 Cheese-Mushroom, 97 Cheese-Potato, 97 Cheese-Sea-food, 97 Cheese-Spinach, 96 Cheese-Tomato, 96 Corn-Cheese, 96 Mushroom-Cheese, 97 Parmesan, 95 Parmesan-Swiss, 96 Potato-Cheese, 97 Sea-food-Cheese, 97 Spinach-Cheese, 96 Swiss, 96 Tomato-Cheese, 96Soup Chicken Cheese, 127 Onion, 126 Onion, au Gratin, 126 Supa Shetgia, 133Spanish Flan--Quesillo, 136Straws, 133Stuffed Celery, 132Supa Shetgia, 133Swiss Cheese Salad, 129 Three-in-One Mold, 128Tomato Omelet, 136Tomatoes au Gratin, 125 Vatroushki, 111 Waffles, Cheese, 112 ABOUT THE AUTHOR * * * * * Bob Brown, after living thirty years in as many foreign lands andenjoying countless national cheeses at the source, returned to NewYork and summed them all up in this book. Born in Chicago, he was graduated from Oak Park High School andentered the University of Wisconsin at the exact moment when a numberof imported Swiss professors in this great dairy state began teachingtheir students how to hole an Emmentaler. After majoring in beer and free lunch from Milwaukee to Munich, Bobcelebrated the end of Prohibition with a book called _Let There BeBeer!_ and then decided to write another about Beer's best friend, Cheese. But first he collaborated with his mother Cora and wife Roseon _The Wine Cookbook_, still in print after nearly twenty-fiveyears. This first manual on the subject in America paced a baker'sdozen food-and-drink books, including: _America Cooks, 10, 000 Snacks, Fish and Seafood_ and _The South American Cookbook_. For ten years he published his own weekly magazines in Rio deJaneiro, Mexico City and London. In the decade before that, from 1907to 1917, he wrote more than a thousand short stories and serialsunder his full name, Robert Carlton Brown. One of his first books, _What Happened to Mary_, became a best seller and was the firstfive-reel movie. This put him in _Who's Who_ in his early twenties. In 1928 he retired to write and travel. After a couple of years spentin collecting books and bibelots throughout the Orient, he settleddown in Paris with the expatriate group of Americans and invented theReading Machine for their delectation. Nancy Cunard published his_Words_ and Harry Crosby printed _1450-1950_ at the Black Sun Press, while in Cagnes-sur-Mer Bob had his own imprint Roving Eye Press, that turned out _Demonics; Gems, a Censored Anthology; Globe-gliding_and _Readies for Bob Brown's Machine_ with contributions by GertrudeStein, Ezra Pound, Kay Boyle, James T. Farrell _et al. _ The depression drove him back to New York, but a decade later hereturned to Brazil that had long been his home away from home. Therehe wrote _The Amazing Amazon_, with his wife Rose, making a total ofthirty books bearing his name. After the death of his wife and mother, Bob Brown closed theirmountain home in Petropolis, Brazil, and returned to New York wherehe remarried and now lives, in the Greenwich Village of hisfree-lancing youth. With him came the family's working library in ascore of trunks and boxes, that formed the basis of a mail-order bookbusiness in which he specializes today in food, drink and otherout-of-the-way items. [Compiler's Notes: Moved what was page 1 of project past title page, removed publisher's copyright information from page 3. Removed referencesto Introduction, as it was omitted from the book project. ]