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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SPRING CHEESE REVIEW 1 6 American Cheese Lovers Fight to Save Beloved Staples of the Past from Culinary Extinction BY ALICYNN FINK Asked to name a symbol of American her- itage most would probably think first about the Pilgrims, the bald eagle or the Liberty Bell. Not many would immediately think of cheese. However, for many passionate culinarians, American cheese heritage is at the top of their minds. In the early part of the 20th century, tra- ditional world cheeses were a part of every American's life. Various immigrant popula- tions brought with them different styles of cheese making. British and Italian style cheeses graced the coastal cities. In Wis- consin, Swiss and German style cheeses took center stage. And Spanish and Italian cheeses became popular in California. During the mid-20th century, science began to be introduced to the food world, and as a result, U.S. cheese making expe- rienced a dramatic shift. Pasteurized cheeses became the norm, and large dairy operations gradually cut regional cheeses from their production lists. Today, the United States produces more than 25 percent of the world's cheese, making it the largest cheese producer on earth. With large-scale production respon- sible for over 400 varieties of cheese, it is easy for small regional products to get lost in the mix. Fortunately, however, champi- ons of American cheese heritage are hard at work preserving dairy delicacies that might otherwise be lost to time. Creole Cream Cheese, a historic cheese from southern Louisiana, is one of the little guys fighting back. Invented to recycle clabber, unpasteurized milk that had turned sour, the Creoles pro- duced this cheese by putting the milk in a cheese cloth and hanging it in the shade of an oak tree. After a day, there would be a single soft curd cheese to eat for breakfast. This product became so common that every corner grocery store had its own version. At the end of the 20th century, however, as large dairy farms became commonplace, the small regional cheese making operations were forced to close their doors. And as their doors shut, Creole Cream Cheese faced extinction. Enter Poppy Tooker. In 1999, Tooker, a food writer, radio host and native New Or- leanian, started a Slow Food chapter in New Orleans. Slow Food USA is an Amer- ican organization committed to local, sus- tainable, healthful and fair practice food production. It is part of a larger global movement of the same name. Slow Food USA is perhaps best known for its Ark of Taste project, an effort to catalog and pre- serve foods that are in danger of becom- ing extinct within the next several generations. Captivated by the Ark of Taste, Tooker was determined to rekindle some local foods she felt might soon be lost to his- tory. Tooker, along with her fellow chapter members, unanimously voted Creole Cream Cheese as the first item on their preservation agenda. They immediately set out to get others involved. Tooker's Slow Food USA chapter held events to teach people how to make their own Creole Cream Cheese at home. The lessons quickly spread. "Because all of New Orleans loves Cre- ole Cream Cheese, and it means so much to them … dozens and dozens of people were making their own Creole Cream Cheese on their kitchen counters each week," said Tooker. After observing one of the group's demonstrations at a farmers market one Saturday morning, an experienced dairy farmer and cheese maker in attendance was immediately inspired. Soon thereafter, the Mauthe Dairy began making Creole Cream Cheese commercially for the first time in generations. The cheese immedi- ately began selling out at every farmers market. Mauthe Dairy's immediate suc- cess with the cheese drew attention within the South Louisiana cheese community, and more small dairies started getting on board. Soon, chefs began coming up with a variety of new recipes for the beloved product. Once again, Creole Cream Cheese was to be found in virtually every grocery store in the area. As evidenced by its role in spurring a resurgence in the popularity of Creole Cream Cheese, Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste has been an important tool in pre- serving a number of cheeses that are equally intrinsic to America's culinary provenance. For many, cheese is a partic- ularly important symbol of where our country and its food have come from over its history. Megan Larmer, Director of Bio- diversity for Slow Food USA, believes that the passion for artisanal cheeses "plays a critical role in how you look at preserving creativity as well as the preservation of historical flavors." For her, by preserving historic cheeses, we are quite literally pre- serving a piece of history itself. Tooker and her Slow Food USA chapter are not the only ones hard at work saving endangered American cheeses. Conscien- tious cheese lovers around the country are doing their part to spread the word. Anne Saxelby, owner of Saxelby Cheeses in New York City, for example, makes con- sumer education a main cornerstone of what she strives to do with her business. "I wanted to be a bridge between the cheese maker and the people eating it," said Saxelby. Saxelby's New York Shop carries a vari- ety of American Farmstead Cheeses from the region where the shop is located. Sax- elby also hosts a radio show "Cutting the Curd" on Heritage Radio Network. The show is another tool she uses to share her love and knowledge of cheese with others. For those fighting to save endangered cheeses from extinction, preserving food heritage is about more than just ensuring that future generations will get to try today's favorite varieties of the dairy sta- ple. To many, it is about preserving the world we live in. "We are living in a food system where the processes of industrialization are making our choices and options more and more narrow, looking more and more like each other, and it is reducing what we think is possible in the world," said Larmer. "By having this beautiful catalog of the Ark of Taste, by putting our own special pieces of culinary his- tory—these foods that we are in love with—onto the Ark of Taste, we give everyone the opportunity to look around and see the amazing creativity that is possible in this world. All of the many options that are outside the manufac- tured system that we mostly eat in." GN Tartufo Caciocavallo Brings Truffles to a Classic Italian Cheese Forever Cheese recently introduced their new Tartufo Caciocavallo, a beautiful 2½- pound stretched curd caciocavallo with black truffles. Caciocavallo is a cow's milk cheese made in Molise, Italy. It is noted for its rind, etched with small grooves left by restraining cords, a product of the practice of hanging the cheese from horizontal rods. Truffles are the perfect addition to this classic Italian cheese Cheesemaker and owner Remo has been making cheese since 1989, but cheesemaking has been in his family bloodline since 1976. Remo loves seeing the results of what he makes with his own hands— his ultimate sat- isfaction. Remo is particularly proud that he can make a difference in his commu- nity, especially in today's ail- ing Southern Italian econ- omy. Remo offers his employees not just a job, but a family in which all of the members are passionate about the cheeses they make. For more information on Tartufo Cacio- cavallo, visit www.forevercheese.com. Comté: The Best Work of French Cheesemakers Comté is an ancient cooked and pressed cheese made from raw milk. It has been made for over a thousand years in the Jura Mountains of eastern France. Its produc- tion is imbued with a culture of solidarity. There are 2,700 small dairy farms that pro- duce the milk for Comté and 160 fruitieres or cheesemaking facilities, often located in the heart of villages (and usually owned by the dairy farmers). There are also 16 cellars d'affinage or aging cellars, where the cheese is aged and brought to market. Comté is usually aged for eight to 16 months. Each 80-pound wheel of Comté is unique, with distinctive flavors and aromas that vary according to the terroir of production, the season in which the cheese was made, the individual style of the cheesemaker and affineur and the time the cheese spent aging. It is a "living" cheese that reflects a specific region of production and centuries of cheesemaking tradition. For more information, contact the Comté Cheese Association by phone at 917.386.7633, or visit www.comte-usa.com. Exports of D.O. Manchego Cheese to the United States Growing Fast There are many reasons why cheeses from Spain's Manchego designation of origin are unique which means that con- sumers are guaranteed a top quality product. American consumers know how to appreciate these qualities and that is why, for the last five years, exports of Manchego cheese to the United States have doubled, with excellent future prospects for this market. The figures for 2012 reveal that of the al- most 13 million pounds exported, over 6 million pounds were destined for the U.S. market, representing almost half of the re- gion's total exports. At present, annual production of Manchego cheese is in excess of 26,500,000 pounds. This has grown by 20 percent in the last five years and is fed by 800 sheep farmers in the La Mancha region of Spain to produce one of its most highly acclaimed foodstuffs. Furthermore, exports of Manchego cheese are expected to account for more than 75 percent of its total production in the next four years. The United States is one of its most appreciative and grow- ing markets, being the main destination for ex- ports of D.O. Manchego cheese. For more information, visit www .themanchegocheese.com.

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