BItter Tastes: Observations relating to culinary peeves, gastronomic annoyances and any other amount of aroused anger within the current world of food
#1 Camembert cheese and pasteurization.
I recently read an article in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/dining/20chee.html?ref=dining, that discussed the possibility of increasing the amount of pasteurized versions of the French cheese, Camembert. This should be a major concern to anyone who enjoys food and the traditions that come with it. Camembert is known world wide as a marvelous cheese. It has been classified with the French AOC label (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) , making it nationally recognized as a specific piece of cultural importance. The AOC has been designed only for cheeses that are of an upmost quality coming from a specific place and following exact recipes. AOC Camembert is currently a cheese made from raw milk. Some farms want to keep the AOC designation while using milk that has been heat treated.
This major change in the cheese making process is so drastically different, that the thought of keeping the AOC is absurd. By heating and cooking the milk in the early stages of cheese making, useful bacteria, pleasant textures and basic flavors are lost. But more than the taste, a significant amount of history will be forgotten. All the work on the part of a farmer, all the trials and desires for a cheese based on love and respect, will have been for nothing.
There is no question about the delight that comes from a rich slice of ripe Camembert. It is more than a cheese that finishes a meal, it is a cheese that creates a meal. The odors of clean cream, the delicate taste of earth and that loose texture that covers the palate in a symphony of pleasures. And to think it could all become distant memories. While the pasteurized versions of this cheese is still enjoyable, their is no comparison to that of the raw.
The laws on raw milk cheeses need to loosen before they tighten. People's idea of cheddar should not be of a square block of neon colored rubber. Blue cheese should not be the moldy saw dust found at salad bars nation wide. Pasteurization has been created in order to make food items "safe", but that doesn't always mean good. By destroying the essence of what makes up the ingredients, all that is left is a bland product that happens to be edible.
Although the outcome of this predicament won't necessarily make a difference within the states(raw milk cheeses younger than 60 days are not allowed for retail in America), but in France where the traditions of cheese making are highly regarded, a significant change could be in the works. If Camembert, one of the most well known and tasty of all French cheeses, buckles to the weight of pasteurization, what could be next? How far will this go? When will it end?
Profit should never be the main concern when producing.
I recently read an article in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/dining/20chee.html?ref=dining, that discussed the possibility of increasing the amount of pasteurized versions of the French cheese, Camembert. This should be a major concern to anyone who enjoys food and the traditions that come with it. Camembert is known world wide as a marvelous cheese. It has been classified with the French AOC label (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) , making it nationally recognized as a specific piece of cultural importance. The AOC has been designed only for cheeses that are of an upmost quality coming from a specific place and following exact recipes. AOC Camembert is currently a cheese made from raw milk. Some farms want to keep the AOC designation while using milk that has been heat treated.
This major change in the cheese making process is so drastically different, that the thought of keeping the AOC is absurd. By heating and cooking the milk in the early stages of cheese making, useful bacteria, pleasant textures and basic flavors are lost. But more than the taste, a significant amount of history will be forgotten. All the work on the part of a farmer, all the trials and desires for a cheese based on love and respect, will have been for nothing.
There is no question about the delight that comes from a rich slice of ripe Camembert. It is more than a cheese that finishes a meal, it is a cheese that creates a meal. The odors of clean cream, the delicate taste of earth and that loose texture that covers the palate in a symphony of pleasures. And to think it could all become distant memories. While the pasteurized versions of this cheese is still enjoyable, their is no comparison to that of the raw.
The laws on raw milk cheeses need to loosen before they tighten. People's idea of cheddar should not be of a square block of neon colored rubber. Blue cheese should not be the moldy saw dust found at salad bars nation wide. Pasteurization has been created in order to make food items "safe", but that doesn't always mean good. By destroying the essence of what makes up the ingredients, all that is left is a bland product that happens to be edible.
Although the outcome of this predicament won't necessarily make a difference within the states(raw milk cheeses younger than 60 days are not allowed for retail in America), but in France where the traditions of cheese making are highly regarded, a significant change could be in the works. If Camembert, one of the most well known and tasty of all French cheeses, buckles to the weight of pasteurization, what could be next? How far will this go? When will it end?
Profit should never be the main concern when producing.
posted by Bard at 2:45 PM
1 Comments:
Hell yeah, great posting Mr. Washrind!
The French are probably rioting in the streets over this madness. I was surprised to read that Pont l'eveque, Livarot and Reblechon kept their AOC after changing over to pasteurizatuion. Its probably just because Camembert is a bit better known that is getting the press. Once that precedent has been set, its harder to justify not allowing another AOC of cheese to do the same thing. The horror, the horror!
-TruffleRob
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