Emmental, the original Swiss cheese

It's hard to imagine a drawing of cheese that does not involve a few holes.

While Swiss cheese has become a generic term, there are actually several different tasty types of Switzerland-made cheese that deserve your attention.

Emmental (EM-mawn-tall) is one of the world's classic cheeses. It's the Swiss cheese that all other Swiss cheeses are patterned after.

Carmina Burrata

Burrata (Boor-RAH-tah) is a silky, creamy, fresh cheese originating from the Puglia area of Italy.

Burrata was originally made from water buffalo milk, but today it is usually made from pasteurized cow's milk.

The soft, elastic exterior is white and glossy, and the pure white interior is creamy and soft. It has a buttery texture and a fresh, milky flavor.

Burrata is Italian for buttery, which is a perfect description of the texture of this cheese's interior.

If you are a fan of creamy cheese, then you are going to love burrata!

Be a Weizen-heimer!

 

Map of Germany by David Liuzzo

Hefeweizen (HEH-feh-vite-zen) is just one of several types of German weissbier. Weissbier is a German beer brewed with malted wheat in additon to malted barley.

Weizen is German for wheat, and refers to the Bavarian (Southern Germany) style of Weissbier.

Hefe is German for yeast, and refers to the beer being unfiltered and cloudy.

Hefeweizen (which we now know means yeast wheat) is by far the most popular form of wheat beer.

Chèvre has got my goat

Spring is here! The peach tree in my front yard is blossoming and fiddleheads and nettles are sprouting.

I can't help thinking about the fresh goat's milk cheeses that will soon be ready and I'm obsessed with being out on my deck, sitting in the sunshine and enjoying a nice goat cheese snack.

 

Cows have been domesticated to the point that they will provide milk all through the year, but small scale goat milk production is still fairly tied to the seasons.