Let it brie
referring to the practice of cutting into slices to store in brine in wooden barrels. The cheese was also associated with Crete when an Italian visiting Heraklion in the 15th century saw the production of feta. Today every region has its
Cheeses don’t come much harder than Parmigiano Reggiano, created in the Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries in the plains between Parma and Reggio Emilia back in the Middle Ages.
The monks, keen to produce a cheese that could be kept for as long as possible, own distinctive take, though only feta produced in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Greece, Epirus, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos are awarded Protected Designation of Origin (DPO) status by the EU. used salt from Salsomaggiore and milk from cows grazing on the rich pastures of Emiliaromagna, together with patience during the ageing process. The popularity of the cheese spread to Genoa, then beyond to London where, in the 17th century parmesan wheels were listed as lost goods in the Great Fire of London.
Charles de Gaulle famously asked: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 kinds of cheeses?” He would have had a dilemma today, with an estimated 1,200 varieties of cheese now produced in France. The grand fromage out of this staggering array is brie. Brie de Meaux – named after the town 35 miles to the east of Paris – was created by monks in the Middle Ages. It has garnered plaudits for its flavour and texture throughout its 1,000year history. MORE INFO: