Exotic Cheese! Which to try?

[Sprinklecupcake]

Hi there! I was stocking the dairy department at work, and we get deli freight mixed in with our freight. I saw some deli cheese ive never heard if before! Gruyere? This made me want to buy some hard-to-find foreign cheeses!! Especially since I have new digestive aids for dairy!! I want to know all about foreign cheeses! Which ones should I try, which ones to avoid? Which ones go with crackers and fruit ( like sliced pear or apple)? Which exotic cheeses have you tried and like?

LETS TALK ABOUT CHEESE!

 

[galaxystardust]

What an awesome topic. I do like me a bit of cheese

Cheddar, the boring but still classic, is my favourite. But I prefer the whiter, creamier cheddars to the deeper, sharper ones.
Cheddar is good as a savoury cheese but you can also eat it on crackers with a dollop of chutney. Marmite/Vegemite goes well with cheddar too.

Brie is a second runner up for me. Brie, turkey and cranberry jelly on a sandwich is amazeballs.

 

[Sprinklecupcake]

Vegemite is a REAL thing!?? I thought that only existed in the Rocket Power movie! xD

Cheddar is very tasty!!!! Ive always wanted to try Vermont Cheddar

[NoDivision]

It makes me sad that there are people in the world who have not experienced the joy of many varied cheeses, so I'm glad you're getting a chance to try some new things! I loooove cheese. Good cheese is one of my favorite staple foodgroups. I suggest trying a bit of everything!  Gruyere, by the way, is a really great melting cheese good for making cheese sauces. Yum yum.

I tend to like soft and semi-soft cheeses. My absolute favorite cheese is fromager d'affinois, and I really enjoy port salut as well.

[kaoskat]

I........Don't like cheese....... But I'll point hubby toward this thread.

[Oniontart]

Here's also a cheese lover.
Few cheeses that i love myself are those how I started my cheesy love 

Taleggio
Different cheddars (i love mature cheddar)
Parmesan
Gorgonzola
Port salut
Saint- Paulin

There is also many flavored cheeses like bell pepper, smoked flavor and some with pesto, blackpepper and cumin seeds. Only sky is the limit 

[Prideth]

Goat cheese is my absolute favorite.  I put it on grilled chicken with a lemon wine sauce with sun dried tomatoes and basil (to die for!).
Honey goat cheese is a good place to start- it's tasty on any thin crisp cracker (wheat thins are great). 
Gouda is wonderful/flavorful on english muffins and turkey.

Our local Williams Sonoma hosts wine/cheese pairing classes, you probably have something similar close by.  That would be the BEST way to sample a lot of cheeses you've never had before - take a class with a friend or do a little searching on the internet and host your own party with a bunch of cheese your're interested in trying. 

I remembered a fun cheese chart I saw awhile back and went digging for it... it's really big!  http://i.imgur.com/2H7VbyY.jpg

And a wine/cheese pairing chart!
http://i.imgur.com/7wxi2Hz.jpg

[MikeysGrrrl]

I love cheese, my hubby calls me his little mouse

I love all kinds of cheese, especially Gouda, Edam, Pepperjack, Blue Cheese, Havarti, Swiss, Old Cheddar etc. I'm a firm believer in trying any cheese I can get my hands on

[Cool.Breeze]

Gruyere is a very good choice, it's a lovely firm cheese with a pleasant flavour (it's like a slightly firmer more flavourful swiss). I like strong cheeses, so I go for well aged/mature cheddar (I like the kind with crystals), some of my favourites are 8 year old cheddar, Welsh cheddar, sharp cold pack cheddar, and applewood smoked cheddar. I also like (and recommend) Jarlsberg, asiago, blue cheese (this one isn't for everyone and goes best with other foods), monterey jack, pepper jack, swiss, havarti, edam, Dutch gouda, provolone, romano, piave, feta... there are more, but those are some of my favourites of the cheeses I've been able to afford. I sample different cheeses frequently at my local grocery store and often can't afford to buy them or remember their names I'm glad I can at least get big packs of Welsh cheddar or Applewood smoked for a good price at Costco good luck on deciding on a new flavour of cheese to try!

[Diamond]

Oh a subject dear to my heart, in fact I made a pork loin last night with pear, blackberry and Gorgonzola stuffed in it.  I have met every few cheeses I do not like, though I am not fond of spices in cheese.  Count me as another who loves Sharp Cheddar though, though the mild's can be good for baking and grilled cheese sandwiches. 

[CupidStrikes]

Really good mature Cheddar. You can get a brand (?/variant?) called "Tickler" here and it's delicious. I also love Wendslydale, especially with cranberries or other fruit. Smoked cheese, Edam, Brie (GREAT on digestive biscuits or in a sandwich with some Granny Smith apples. Blue cheese is great on digestive biscuits too *_* Also halloumi, but you have to fry or grill it

Cheese curds are soooo gooood but you can't get them here

Aaah, you've made me hungry 

[melodys_angel]

Try getting an actual triangle of parmesan. Use a peeler and peel a few slices off.  It goes well with grapes or chocolate.

I tend to like either provolone, cheddar or possably mozz or harvaiti myself for deli and will use feta for salads/baking and ricotta for just about anything.

Emmentol is a mild version of swiss and will go good when combined with elements of a sandwich but I hate the taste of it solo.

Try boccochini with basil and tomato.  Its kind of like a mozz sort of..

I don't really have anything 'exotic' in mind at the moment but give me some time and ill probably remember a few things.

[brightberry]

Havarti grilled cheese sandwhiches! So yummy.  I love all cheeses but tend to favor the hard crumbly cheeses cut into squares.  My favorite flavoring in cheese is habanero.  But obviously... not a cheese I can eat every day.  I couldn't eat goat cheese every day either.  It's very rich.  But it is amazing and comes in so many delicious flavors.

[Roccoriel]

I love cheese.  We have a cheese plate with dinner at least once a week (I married a Frenchman, so that helps in the need to eat cheese now department!)

I am a big fan of "the smellier, the better!" so we usually have at least one blue cheese.  I love Roquefort and Bleu d'Auvergne.  I also enjoy Chevre (soft goat cheese), Camembert, Delice de Bourgonge (OMG soooo good!)...okay, I just love them all!

In the winter, Raclette is excellent.  It is typically melted and eaten with potatoes and cured meats and pickles.  It's AMAZING, just wear something you can wash because otherwise you will smell like a cheese hahaha

[SunPony]

Oooo, what I loved about living in England was easy access to lots of fun cheeses!  I can still find most of them here but they are harder to find and pricier.  Some faves: Jarlsburg, it is a whitish, softish cheese (sooo technical ); Five counties, it is basically 5 layers of cheese stacked into one delicious mega-cheese; Red Leicester (spelling?) which is a darker orange cheese that is just delish!  Hmm, I also like Havarti and Gouda, mmmm.  Smoked Gouda, even better......mmmmmmmmm

All this is making me hungry for cheese and all I have is boring old medium cheddar XP