The smelliest cheeses in the world
Think you can handle smelly cheese? Take a look at these six stinkers and find out...
Here at lovefood.com HQ, we are huge cheese connoisseurs. So when we heard that Wensleydale Dairy Products was dubbing one of its new cheeses ‘the cheese all others fear’ we were naturally intrigued.
The company claims to have identified a £6m gap in the cheese market for a ‘chilli cheese’. It has blended a creamy cheddar cheese with fiery nuggets of hot Jalapeno and sweet chilli peppers to produce a cheese which, it claims, ‘packs a real punch’.
We can well believe it. But can this new cheese - named Chantico after the Aztec Goddess of fire – really live up to the hype?
In our opinion, a cheese that all other cheeses should be afraid of is a smelly cheese. And we take these things very seriously.
So we decided to take this opportunity to have a look at some of the smelliest cheeses on the market. Let us know whether you agree – and whether, when it comes to cheese, the taste ever makes up for the smell!
Vieux Boulogne
This is one humdinger of a cheese. Its rind is washed in beer and it is the bacteria in the beer mixed with enzymes in the milk that give this cheese its ‘unique’ aroma.
To the trained nose it is said to smell like wet earth, mushrooms and a hint of rotting leaves. To the average person, it is likened to something much less savoury...
Pont l’Evêque
This earthy cow’s milk cheese comes from Normandy and is thought to be the oldest Norman cheese still in production.
Encased in its rind, the soft, creamy cheese may look perfectly innocent but its pungent smell is not always so welcome.
Camembert de Normandie
It seems the Normans were pretty keen on their pongy cheeses. Camembert has firmly established itself as one of the most popular cheeses in France. It is even said to have inspired Salvador Dali who painted The Persistence of Memory after noticing his Camembert cheese had become running after sitting out in the sun.
Munster
Not to be confused with an Irish rugby team although you could argue this cheese is just as strong.
The cheese’s crust must be washed regularly and is matured in damp cellars. The added moisture helps the development of bacteria that gives Munster its particular taste and colour.
Brie de Meaux
It takes two months to create a beautifully ‘scented’ Brie de Meux after a complex process of curdling, salting and refining.
Inside its bright white rind, the creamy soft centre delivers a nutty, fruity taste and is said to go very well with champagne. Well if you insist...
What do you think?
Which would you rather take on: the Chantico or one of the super-smelly cheese listed above? Are you a fan of super strong cheeses or do you loathe them with a passion? Use the comments box below to let us know what you think!
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