Indians, at last, are warming up to gourmet cheese -Artisanal cheeses to shop for in India - Recipes with cheese -The amazing Roquefort
Indians, at last, are warming up to gourmet cheese. India is a smorgasbord of culture and food with more than a billion people and a billion things to eat. But had you asked us about cheese a few years back, you would have been confronted with an apathetic shrug or a deathly silence. Or worse, with a fake exuberance, “Oh! I love cheese!!”. If you cared to dig a little deeper, “Which cheese is your favourite?”; and eight out of ten times the answer would be “Amul”. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Amul. I quite like the brand, especially since they produce some wonderful dairy products. But, their cheeses are processed cheese, industrially produced and quite boring, although, in India, Amul had been synonymous with cheese for ages. However, since the last two years, the signs are indeed encouraging on the cheese front. Indians are cautiously opening up to the idea of artisanal or gourmet cheese.
To be fair to my Indian brethren, I was nowhere close to being a cheese-lover during my childhood. In fact, I hated cheese during my formative years when Amul was the only brand available. I used to be put off by the fermented odour of milk solids which to my utter disgust my older cousin used to love. She would devour them gleefully. She was a self-certified fashionista and I was a state-certified rube. Things came to a full circle in the later years though, but that is a different story.
Then came my sojourn at the catering college. Slowly but surely, I understood that the world of food was much more than chicken, mutton, pork, beef, fish and eggs. I read and learnt about European cuisine and how cheese came to be an integral part of European gastronomy. I found how Parmigiano-Reggiano entirely changed the dimension of a pasta dish; how the wine tasted so much better with Brie; how the Greek Feta lifted a dish as simple as mashed potatoes; how every cheese was different in texture, flavour, firmness, use and characteristic; and how aggressively the traditional cheese-makers of France and Italy guarded their secrets. It was a mindboggling world of passion and creativity. The most intriguing was the story of the famous Roquefort cheese of France which was the first AOC certified cheese. Now there are over forty cheeses that have been awarded the AOC status.
Roquefort and Me
Roquefort is a blue-veined cheese made from ewe’s milk. And mind you, not some stray ewes. These are blue-blooded ewes following strict mating standards to preserve their noble lineage. The cheese made from their milk is fermented inside the caves of the tiny town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France. Like any other blue cheese, Roquefort cheese is strewn with blue mouldy cavities and has a creamy mouthfeel interspersed with a grainy texture near the moulds. If you are a first-timer, I would advise you not to take a full bite of this formidable delicacy unless you wish to be kicked by a mule on your backside. You need to show some respect and understand the nuances of this cheese. So, take a pinch and savour it like aged wine.
Roquefort Cheese
Entrance to one of the caves of Roquefort
Roquefort cheese fermenting and ageing inside the caves
In France, Roquefort is called le fromage des rois et des papes (“the cheese of kings and popes”). The day I learnt that Roquefort was the favourite cheese of emperor Charlemagne, I decided that I must have the Charlemagne experience. Surprisingly, I didn’t need to wait too long. I started my work-life with one of the luxury hotels in Kolkata. The famous steel baron L.N. Mittal was hosting his daughter’s wedding at the hotel. He flew in every exotic food he could think of from all over the world. And of course, Roquefort was on the menu. Needless to say, I was waiting for this opportunity even if I had to steal. With the storekeeper as my partner in crime, I sneaked into the walk-in, tore open a pack and put an inch-cube of the stuff into my mouth and immediately spat out with disdain. I jumped like a cat on hot bricks. Till then, I had never had such disgusting food in my life. It was weird, wickedly pungent, gross and smelled like my own piss. How could a sane person spend a fortune on such an obscenity? But you know, I am nothing if I am not brave. I took the advice of the then F&B Manager and tried it again but in moderation, accompanied with some Concord grapes. It was a revelation! It was bliss! One should never judge wine, woman and cheese on one’s first encounter.
These days, blue cheese, even if it is not Roquefort is a standard ingredient in my pantry. And the best part is you can order it with the click of a button from the comforts of your home if you are residing in one of the big cities of India. There is a good number of big and small merchants dealing in artisanal food products who will be happy to deliver blue cheese to your doorstep.
