THE STORY OF THE CHEESE

CHEESE IS A FLAVOR THAT FASCINATES THE GASTRONOME. WITH ITS DOZENS OF VARIETIES AND LIMITLESS ALTERNATIVES FOR THE TRAVELERS TO EXPLORE, CHEESE AWAITS TO BE DISCOVERED BY ALL.

Cheese is one of the most delicious products made from milk; gourmets travel miles to find the best of this aromatic and nutritious delicacy. Cheese is produced with passion in almost every part of the world. Every country, every city, sometimes even small towns, have their own local cheese. Although it is not known exactly how many different cheeses there are in the world, there are thousands of varieties.

It is unknown exactly when cheese first became a part of human life. However, it is certain that people discovered this tasty product in an early era and they continued to produce it with new methods. Thinkers of the ancient world, like Herodotus, Strabo, and Hippocrates, suggest that the first cheese was made with mare’s milk and was prepared through fermentation by the Scythian Turks. The ancient Greeks saw cheese as a valuable gift to include in holy offerings, and in the same era, athletes preparing for the ancient Olympics ate cheese to become stronger. In Babylon, cheese graced the table of the noble classes, and was even a subject in holy texts. Ancient archaeological sources tell us that the production of cheese was common in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Rome.

The roots of cheese, a very common foodstuff today, are very deep. Above we said that “every country, every city, sometimes even small towns, have their own local cheese.” Let’s start with my home country, Turkey.

In Turkish culture, it is hard to imagine the first meal of the day without cheese. As a child, I would wait impatiently for

weekend breakfasts, when the family breakfast table would be loaded with a variety of dishes. Ezine cheese, with its sharp flavor that remains on the palate and which has its own unique aroma, was one of the essential components of this feast. The harmony of Ezine cheese with a freshly baked

simit as one rushes to catch the ferry is something I cherish. Ezine cheese is made from a mixture of sheep, goat, and cow milk, in certain proportions. The source of its flavor that has engraved itself in my memories is the dreamlike nature of Çanakkale. The milk from the livestock of the region benefits from the rich atmosphere, which gets its oxygen from the Kaz (Ida) Mountains, and the fertile soil. The unforgettable flavor created by these factors is one of Ezine cheese’s most unique characteristics.

Holland, with its canals and windmills, is one of the largest cheese producers in the world. Gouda, which is in the south of the country, appears like a typical Dutch city with its local architecture and canals. This small town is also famous for the wheel of cheeses that date back to the 12th century. Gouda, a medium-hard cheese, is slightly oily and rather sweet. The secret of Gouda is the amount of time it is aged. Gouda, which ages from between one month to three years, is known for its fruity flavor which increases with age.

kasabasından alan Camembert’in hikâyesi Fransız Devrimi’nde başlıyor. Sıradan bir çiftçi olan Marie Harel, evine yetecek kadar peynir yaparken, bölgeye sürgünle gelen bir papaz bu peynirin lezzetini fark eder. Tarife birkaç küçük püf noktası ekler ve peynir eşsiz bir lezzete kavuşur. Demiryolu inşası sebebiyle bölgeye gelen III. Napolyon peyniri tadınca Camembert’e sarayın kapıları sonuna dek açılır. Böylece peynirin şöhreti önce Fransa’yı, ardından da dünyayı sarar. Camembert, ekşi mayalı Fransız baget ekmeğinin yanına eklendiğinde, sofradaki bütün yemekleri gölgede bırakacak kadar leziz bir peynir.

Akdeniz’in mavi adası Sardinya gurme lezzetler peşinde koşanlar için gerçek bir çekim alanı. Hem taze hem de bekletilmiş hâliyle bambaşka tatlar sunan Pecorino, Avrupa’nın en lezzetli peynirlerinden biri olarak kabul ediliyor. Adada yaşayan koyunların sütünden elde edilen peynirin kabuğu yaşlandırılmasına bağlı olarak renk alıyor. Peynir, ismini İtalyanca “koyun” anlamına gelen “pecora”ya borçlu. Pecorino’nun taze hâli yumuşak ve krema gibi tadıyla kahvaltıları ziyafete çeviriyor. Yaşlandırılmış bir Pecorino ise sert yapısı ve aynı ölçüde sert kokusuyla geleneksel makarnaların üzerine rendelenip unutulmaz bir tada dönüşebiliyor. Yaşlandırılmış Pecorino bu kadar keskin rayihalı bir peynir olmasına rağmen ada halkının tatlılara da severek kattığı bir peynir.

Güney İtalya’nın bir başka lezzeti, taze olarak yenmesi şart olan Burrata. Geleneksel tarifte bizon sütünden yapılan

eaten fresh. Burrata is classically made from buffalo milk and has a rind that is like a closed purse. This cheese, which has a soft and creamy texture, flows out of this purse when it is cut open. The aroma of burrata is perfectly complemented by olive oil and goes well in a salad. This cheese with its freshness and unique flavor reflects the nature of the region of Puglia.

Cheddar, which dates back to the 12th century, first appeared in the accounts of King Henry II, and is one of the most consumed cheeses in the United Kingdom. Cheddar, a town in the region of Somerset in England, is where this cheese first appeared. Since the region has caves which provided the perfect environment for aging the cheese, the local farmers producing milk started to produce cheese. Cheddar has a natural yellow color, but in the 19th century some producers started to color it with annatto from the achiote plant, or with red pepper. When cheddar started to become a component in cold sandwiches and hamburgers, it became one of the most consumed cheeses in the world.

Mozzarella, which gives its flavor to pizza; mascarpone, the soft texture of which adds flavor to cheesecake; hand-rolled

böreks with Van herbed cheese; gruyere cheese from Kars on hot pide bread… Even when its flavor is simple, cheese adds to sweets and pastries, and its aroma remains on our palate. It is found throughout the world, and is welcome in every meal and every dish. Cheese is an adventure that is always welcome by many travelers.