The Cheeses Of My Dairy Dreams Live In Lombardy, Italy
What do Normandy, La Mancha, Gruyère and Vermont all have in common? They're famous for being the most well-known cheesemaking regions in the world. But none of them would be my choice for lacto-tourism. That's right, I have a cheese-centric happy place, and I have my father to thank.
My Mumbai-born dad spent his teenage years in the Swiss Alps, where he learned how to ski, speak French and eat cheese (and, presumably, other things). Graduates of his international boarding school still meet every three years for a reunion somewhere in the world. When I was 12, the reunion was held in in Lombardy, Italy. It was close enough to the Alps to spend a day at the old campus, now a fancy hospitality school, but still added a new location to the global list of reunion cities. Despite the presence of snowy peaks, the climate harbored a landscape of lush grasses and grazing animals.
On the last day of the trip, we took a boat across Lake Como to have lunch at a remote restaurant. We were greeted by the owner and taken to picnic benches overlooking the pristine lake and snow-capped mountains. An older man wearing a red beanie, red and white striped shirt, blue jeans and glasses came around with a huge wheel of cheese, slicing off pieces for everyone. For the remainder of the story, this man will obviously be referred to as Waldo. This was not Waldo's only wheel of cheese; every time we thought he'd left for good, he would come back bearing a different but equally exceptional cheese. At this point I decided to skip lunch entirely and hover around Waldo, my new personal formaggio butler who spoke no English. Did I mention I don't speak Italian, save for formaggio and grazie mille?
Sometimes memories like to contort themselves like acrobats to preserve an entirely unique experience that never actually happened. I assure you that this actually happened and I ate the best cheese I've ever had. Waldo and I were only able to communicate through the language of cheese, and after I'd shadowed him requesting slivers of cheese for over an hour, he summoned me to follow him. Kids: don't follow strangers in foreign countries unless they have a lot of delicious cheese.
Waldo led me to the back of the restaurant where they had a temperature-controlled cave made for aging cheese, the aroma of which made me lightheaded with excitement. He cut me slices of the still-aging cheeses to try, even the ones that weren't quite ready. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I didn't want to leave after lunch and was unsuccessful in convincing my dad to leave me behind to become a pre-teen cheesemaker's apprentice. We did purchase a five-pound block of Parmigiano-Reggiano to bring home, though. It didn't last long.
If given the option to travel anywhere in the world for cheese, head to the Lombardy region, make your way to Lake Como, hop on a boat and play Where's Waldo until you find that cheese cave. Here are our (read: Waldo's) picks:
1. Erborinato di Artavaggio
An unpasteurized cow's milk cheese with a bloomy rind and pungent, spicy, blue marbling.
2. Formaggella del Bec
A soft, ivory-white goat's milk cheese that's mild and salty.
3. Solo Di Bruna Parmigiano Reggiano
Another cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk. It's sharp, flaky and nutty, with hints of butterscotch.
4. Scimudin
This cow's milk cheese has a creamy mouthfeel, bloomy rind and is reminiscent of earthy spring mushrooms.
5. Valtellina casera
Look, there were a lot of cows in those mountains. This cheese is semi-firm with a nutty flavor and an herbal tanginess that intensifies with aging.
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