4 ms·
Uniformity and standardisation are a plague. Years ago there was an article here describing how Switzerland destroyed much of its rich cheese heritage because a
by mcv 3y ago
Uniformity and standardisation are a plague. Years ago there was an article here describing how Switzerland destroyed much of its rich cheese heritage because a powerful cheese lobby wanted everybody to standardise on Emmentaler and Gruyere.
- soco 3y agoI can only say I cannot notice this destruction. I can count about 20 types of cheese in my Swiss fridge right now (ok not all Swiss) and none is Emmentaler or Gruyere. In my village we have a cheese shop with about 200 sorts, and every chain offers a few dozens at the minimum. Again, not all Swiss, but plenty enough types some of them even regional. So if there was any push on standardizing, I would say it largely failed. But I'll definitely search for that article/initiative, I'm very curious now.
- mcv 3y agoI've also encountered plenty of other cheeses in Switzerland, so it certainly wasn't absolute, but it did happen. I can't find the original article anymore, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Cheese_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Cheese_Union also mentions it. In short, the Cheese Union insisted on focusing on these two cheeses. This ended in 1999, so seeing more cheese now is to be expected, but even in the 1980s, there were absolutely other cheeses available. However, that doesn't mean that variety wasn't way down. Too bad I can't find that original article, which went into a lot more detail than Wikipedia.
- tejohnso 3y ago> I can count about 20 types of cheese in my Swiss fridge right now Are you some kind of cheese nerd, or is this not all that unusual for a Swiss fridge?
- ericd 3y agoIt's pretty common in France, at least, to have a pretty solid collection of cheeses like that. Really glad the US has been getting better in terms of options.
- prmoustache 3y agoI will say 20 is a lot but it is not uncommom to have a lot of different cheese. First swiss often do fondue with 2 different cheeses, the usual moitié-moitié mix of Vacherin fribourgeois and Gruyère. Then sometimes you have 2 to 3 different raclette cheeses because you like different tastes. Then there are the cheese you might grate on your pastas (in my case I would usually use italian cheeses) and the different cheese you want to offer at the table in regular diners + the ones dedicated for the aperitives like Tête de Moine...It can add up quickly without being a nerd.
- mcv 3y agoVacherin fribourgeois? I thought the standard was to use Emmentaler with Gruyere. Of course you can fondue with any kind of cheese. I love using Dutch farmer's cheese in my fondue. In fact, my brother-in-law has recently started making cheese which is very suitable for it. I'm Dutch, and I don't have 20 cheeses, but 5 different cheeses is very common, and more than 10 is not rare for us.
- namtab00 3y agoI have so much envy for you right now. I'm an Italian living in the northeast of Italy. I love Tête de Moine, but I cannot find a place selling it at decent prices.. It always has a ridiculous "luxury" tax, ending up above 50€/kg, which is absurd for Italy...
- wincy 3y agoI was going to call this price completely crazy for anywhere, then realized I pay $40/kg for Parmigiana-Reggiano, but that seems justified since it’s coming all the way from Italy to Kansas. Seems like intra-EU cheese should be more affordable!
- namtab00 3y agoHere parmigiano reggiano prices range from 16€/kg (12 months old, and on offer) to well above 30€/kg (24 months old and beyond). ...I'm guilty of using too much of it... it often also is my go to snack during late night fridge peeping... but hey, there are worse (and costlier) habits to entertain
- com2kid 3y ago> I can count about 20 types of cheese in my Swiss fridge right now Maybe a stupid question, but how can you remember all those different types of cheeses and what they taste like? I'd have to have an extensive notebook every time I went to the store if I wanted to manage 20 types of cheese. (My typical fancy cheese buying system is to go to the store and buy something at random and hope I like it, which since I like cheese, often works out, but it means buying it again can be almost impossible)
- Loic 3y agoYou know at least 20 songs, from the Beatles to ABBA or Eminem. This is part of your culture because you heard them over and over. We do the same but with cheeses.
- throwup238 3y agoThat’s what we’re missing in America - branded cheeses! ABBA’s Goudas Just Wanna Have Fun and Eminem’s The Real Slim Cheddy from 3Mile. Beatle’s Let it Brie!
- kjs3 3y ago