I recently realized that we had 18 different types of cheese in our fridge. Eighteen.
It may have mostly been related to a get-together we had at our place this weekend, but we typically have at least 8 of these in stock. Ridiculous.
Of course I took all of them out, arranged them, and snapped a photo. I felt like it was an accomplishment to fit that much cheese into our mini European fridge.
From left to right:
1. Pizza mix
2. Parmasean
3. Fol Epi Swiss cheese
4. Babybel
5. Leger Tilsiter
6. Boursin
7. Mozzarella balls
8. Bresse Bleu
9. Gruyere
10. Reblochon
11. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
12. Emmentaler
13. President's Brie
14. Sandwich slices (some sort of white cheese)
15. Cheddar slices
16. Blue cheese (forgot to get that in the picture)
17. Raclette (forgot again)
18. Fondue cheese (in the freezer and forgot)
You probably recognize some of these, but others may be a little more 'exotic.' Exotic cheese, to me, means that it smells or tastes terrible. Like feet... or worse. The Gruyere, Emmentaler, Fondue, and Tilsiter all take on a sort of dirty feet smell. At least they do when it's your first time eating them. I'm not bothered anymore because they're so good. Sometimes members of our household get blamed for smells they didn't create. It's usually blamed on the cheese or Rocco. He's got some serious issues.
It might surprise you that most (if not all) of these cheeses were produced in Switzerland. So, you can't stereotype us anymore by thinking that we only eat this...
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One could say that our cheese palate has matured in the past year. I don't know if is that sophisticated or if it's just the fact that the cheese here is delicious and extremely popular.
If you're interested in trying some 'exotic' cheese, then try some Gruyere or Emmentaler. I know a lot of US groceries sell them. I remember hating the smell when I first tried them, but we're used to it now and love them both. They're pretty mild, have a harder texture, and are perfect for picnics or parties. :)
I know what you're thinking and... No. Our digestive systems are not wrecked all the time. We function just fine.
Au revoir!
