Author Topic: Mystery cheese?  (Read 4822 times)

askim

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Mystery cheese?
« on: August 21, 2008, 04:40:08 AM »
Let me start buying saying " hello". I am hoping for some help. I have a question about cheese and thought I should try a forum and got myself here. Anyway... My question is this, Some time back I had an Italian uncle let me try some cheese. This cheese was so sharp that it made you pucker and squirm , it even gave a few guys little blister type things on there tongues. No Joke! But I loved it and want more. Does anyone have any idea what a really sharp italian cheese would be like this? Thanks for any  help on this topic. Take care.

Cheese Head

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Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2008, 11:00:52 AM »
Hello askim and welcome to the forum, wow that is some cheese, blister your tongue yet loving it and want more :o!

The people here understand ;D ;D ;D.

Sadly I don't know it but there is a member named Merlin who is a cheese buyer for New York Restaurents and has an encyclopedic knowledge of cheeses and I'm hoping he or others can help you.

merlin

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2008, 12:34:50 PM »
Very interesting, I've don't remember stumbling across a cheese that made me blister.  Can you give me a little more info, was it soft or hard?  Do you know the milk type?  What color was the rind?  What color was the interrior paste?  Any additional info you can give would be great.

askim

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2008, 08:23:39 PM »
thanks for the help guys. As far as a better description goes I will do my best. it came in a wheel in wich he had a quarter of. The rind or skin was thick and hard and uneatable. It was darker in color than the cheese it was more of a yellow. The cheese itself was very hard and it was a lighter color than the skin more of an off white. it had what I would call marbling all through the cheese of these little crunchy bits. That were even a lighter shade of white.
 and yes, it actually left little blisters on some peoples tongues. not me tho. I love this cheese .

SalMac

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Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2008, 10:07:33 PM »
I've kind of had similarish experiences with extreme blues- like a burnt mouth. (Also probably unrelated, but additionally uncommon, is that I'm allergic to a great deal of things including for instance eggs)

How many people? More than one for instance?

I ask because there appear to be common allergies that'll do this. But more than one person to the same cheese is different.

SalMac

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2008, 10:12:28 PM »
And btw the texture sounds a little like parmesan-ish. Ive had crunchy parmesan as described but wouldnt want to munch it as such. I lived in Naples (sixth fleet base) for 3 years :-)
« Last Edit: August 21, 2008, 10:20:00 PM by SalMac »

Cheese Head

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Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2008, 11:38:31 PM »
SalMac, Naples must of been great, I'd love to live in Italy.

askim, while I defer to whatever Merlin suggests, the light white crunchy bits you describe could be these crystals that I understand you only get with very well aged and high quality cheese. I've read that some people actually hide a quality cheese in the back of their fridge for an extra 2-3 years just to further age a cheese and to develop them.

merlin

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2008, 01:03:22 AM »
The crystals or crunchy bits that you're  referring to is the protein in the cheese crystalizing.  When this happens you've got one hell of a piece of cheese.  You can get great crystal formation with great Parm, I once had a piece of 10yr aged Parm that was full of these crystals.  Rembrant Gouda is also one of the great examples of this crystal formation.  This cheese that your talking about sound like a very aged Piave Stravecchio, which translates to extra old.  The flavor once this cheese is aged is very intense.  I'm still not sure what was causing the blisters to form, unless it was some type of allergic reaction.

askim

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2008, 03:27:17 PM »
thanks for all the help and info. I will start looking for an extra old parmigian. does anyone know where i can purchaase this type of cheese?
   as far as the blisters go... More than 1 person expierienced the blistering. As far as i am concerned it was just due to how incedibly sharp this cheese was. It would kind of sting the surface of the tongue and this is what caused the little blisters. Thwey would go away within an hour or 2 tho. Thanks again guys!

merlin

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2008, 05:21:51 PM »
Askim where are you from?  I know of a few good places to order cheese off the internet if your from the states.  Let me know where your at.

askim

  • Guest
Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2008, 11:50:48 PM »
I am in Windsor , Canada. I live right across the river from Detroit, Michigan. I would love to find some of this stuff around here but I doubt it. I remeber my uncle saying it was imported. I think he got the cheese some where over in little italy tho. He is italian and probobally knows a guy that knows a guy...

Milleens

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Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2008, 08:57:57 PM »
sounds like a mature Parmesan to me too

Captain Caprine

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Re: Mystery cheese?
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2009, 12:33:16 AM »
If the cheese is truly white and not yellowish it may be goat in origin.  The crystals are from long aging.  I have had some Caprino Romano that was aged for 9 yrs when I was in Italy that was one of the best and by far the sharpest cheeses I have ever had and it had the crystals you speak of.  Sounds like great stuff!!!
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