Looks are Deceiving
It never ceases to amaze me that some of the roughest-looking cheeses can actually be at peak, that they can be especially tasty. Most every cheese lover knows that some of the “stinkiest” cheeses can be absolutely delicious and not particularly strong-flavored. But the look of a cheese, one that looks a little beat-up, can be quite deceiving.
For example: a Camembert type that looks perfectly cylindrical with a very white rind is likely not to be nearly as spectacular as one that has some yellow-gold flecks on the rind, with a rind that may be a little bumpy; or a Queso de los Beyos that has a little or a lot of gray fur growing on the outside, will actually have a lovely creamy and mild buttery flavor. Looks can be deceiving.
As for aroma: I remember many years ago when I was about to discard a Livarot because it had a trace of ammonia, Avice Wilson told me to wait and try it first, that that cheese might actually be “screaming to be eaten.” Sure enough, it was delicious. Since then I have always been a little more accepting of a bit of ammonia wafting around my cheeses, the natural by-product of a ripening cheese.
Max McCalman
Dean of Curriculum
