Cheese I: Taleggio

Today I began my education in European cheeses. This has been long overdue and, in part, I am in debt to my many gourmet Uncles – but in particular to my dear zio Roberto – who always seems to entertain in a magnanimous manner. After dinner at his house, there always seems to be a plate of a good half-dozen cheeses to nibble on (with the appropriate wines in accompaniment, of course!). It is to him that this particular series in this blog is dedicated.

I just happened to stumble across a hole-in-the-wall cheese shop today along the Guldsmedegade in the center of Aarhus: the Grand Fromage which dates back to 1883. On this first visit to that shop, I knew not what I was looking for so I played it safe and went for a nice-looking hunk of Italian Taleggio cheese.

Taleggio, as I learned later, is a product of northern Italy – Lombardy, to be exact – and it is made of cow’s milk. Its appearance it is milky white, and looks like it would ooze all over your hands if it weren’t wrapped. Its rind is a faint reddish-orange speckled with bits of green mold. Apparently, it has a very high fat content (on-line, I’ve seen references to 48%!)which I confirmed after my first bite of the creamy pleasure.

In taste, it is extremely pleasant, reminiscent (to me) of a brie – but with a lingering aftertaste that my uneducated palate found hard to describe. I ate some if it with some dark, nutty, whole wheat bread; another day, I ate some of it with some grapes and apples which was delightful. On the whole, a delightful cheese.