Gourmet Cheeses
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Fine Varieties from Around the World
Are you looking to wow your guests with delicious hors d'oeuvres and appetizers, but are having hard time figuring out what to serve? Then you should consider serving a selection of gourmet cheeses beautifully presented on a platter.
You may not believe it, but cheese has been around for centuries. Cheese may have originated around 8,000 B.C in the region we now call the Middle East. Desert caravans carried milk in pouches constructed of stomachs from animals. Cheese came about when these people found that the milk had separated in the pouch as curds and whey.
Over the years, people have eaten, made, and perfected various types of cheese. In fact, there are more than 2,000 varieties found worldwide today.
When making cheese, the milk from any animal will do, such as camel, llama, buffalo and reindeer milk. However, the most popular varieties are made with goat milk or cow milk.
The two most popular cheese varieties are mozzarella and cheddar; however, there are a plethora of different types available that connoisseurs would enjoy. The semi-soft, tangy, crumbly blue cheese is a variety that is known for its blue veins. Brie is a creamy, soft cheese that tastes great baked, or as an accompaniment for fresh fruit. Gouda is a cheese, yellow in color that originates in Holland. Feta is a Greek variety known for its crumbly texture. Robust Parmesan is often grated for use with Italian dishes as is Romano, which is also referred to as Pecorino. Swiss cheese is slightly sweet with a nutty flavor and is best known for the holes that appear during the aging process.