A Whole Lotta Tastin' Goin' On

Cheesemakers and turophiles were to be found at the Monona Terrace Convention Center yesterday for the first day of the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest.



I stopped down there during my lunch break yesterday to see what was happening and to eat some samples. In addition, I was hoping to be able to cheer on Wisconsonian as the gold has gone to feriners the past 20 years. The last time a Cheesehead was crowned World Champion was in 1988 and the title was given to one Dale Olson. What I found when I walked in was a lot of people in white lab coats tasting cheese and dealing with huge rounds & blocks of Swiss. And a few of them sounded like they were speaking German.





So exactly do you cut a block of cheese the size of small city? You get your buddy and one of these contraptions:



Slap that block on the tabletop and then bring the arm with the wire down. It's then ready for judging.



But it wasn't all about leviathan blocks of Swiss when I was there. Along the windows were smaller tables with judges checking out a variety of other kinds of cheeses including Queso Fresco, soft goat's milk cheese, fresh mozzarella, and others. Here you have a couple guys judging Colby, which was invented right here in Wisconsin. (Colby is a bit east of Eau Claire.)



Here's a shot of a core sample being taken which would be smelled and tasted:



And here are a couple photos of some of the tools of the trade that are used once those behemoths have been pared down a bit:





At one of the tables a couple gentlemen were judging string cheeses, one of which you can see here.



This is an Armenian string cheese, though I am unsure if it was from Armenia or made by a cheesemaker elsewhere in the Armenian style. One of the judges asked another what kind of seasoning the black dots were which sent the latter scurrying for information. I didn't find out what it was while there but Wikipedia states that it is "black seed" or Nigella sativa.

Before I forget – yes, there were free samples. There was a cheddar, a brie, a provolone, and a Swiss which was, I believe, an emmentaler. I liked them all but was surprised by the provolone. Being a cheese philistine, I am used to a very bland odorless white cheese. This stuff, however, had a nice aroma and did more to my palate than just let it know there was something on my tongue. Mild, to be sure, but there was good flavor to be had as well.

I'll be heading back today and am hoping that there will be Danish blues or Roquefort to sample.

For a more informed look at yesterday's events, check out Jeanne Carpenter's post up at Cheese Underground.