Any Cheese Lover's/Aficionado's

[maverick]

Who loves there cheese beyond Laughing Cow, Cheddar, or Gouda (mini, waxed)?
If you love hard cheese which one? Asiago, Pecorino di Filiano, or Parmigiano-
Reggiano?
Those of you who are cheese addicts, what cheese do you take your cheese fix?
Yes, softer cheese's will only last a day or 2, depending on the weather, unless
of coarse your out on a winter or early spring trip, but if you had 1 cheese to bring
what would it be?
I love a french cheese now called "Le Charteaux" made from raw cow's milk, and
Testun Ciuc al Mosto an Italian cheese for Piemonte is quite good too.
These darn cheeses are between $28-$33/lb, but worth every penny.
Unfortunately my favorite which was from Switzerland several years back is not
being imported into the US any more.
It was a semi-hard, very strong flavored cheese, and one you could smell a block away.

[ERIC]

Fagundes Old World "Hanford Jack" is a must for me.
Their smoked jack is tops, also, and lasts a bit longer on the trail. Plus it's super strong and takes very little to add to the flavor of a meal.

EDIT: I should point out, I'm not much of an aficionado...just a lover of cheese. Fagundes Old World Cheese is prolly right up your alley tho, Mav.

[oldranger]

The older the better (kinda like me ) but no particular one. Did find a 3 year old Gouda a couple of years ago but I haven't found it since.

Mike

[Troutdog 59]

As Eric said, I'm not what I would all an afficiando, I just like cheese. In fact, growing up in my house cheese was pretty actually boring. Various cheddars, jack, and swiss with those soft cheese spreads from a jar at XMAS and maybe a cheese ball from Hickory Farms as well. Parmesean for pasta came from a green cardboard tube!

That all changed for me when I met my wife. Shes a Canuck by birth, but here folks are german and cheese and breads play a large roll in their diet. Mostly milder Fontinas, Goudas, Harvartis (sp?), and lots I dont recall the names of served with ryes or heavy whole grain breads. A typical lunch at my in-laws has numerous cheeses and breads with really fatty meat spreads (liverwursts/braunswieger (sp?)), smoked meats, and funky blended lunchmeats. Its delicious!!!! Likley ups my chlolesterol a notch or two, but yummy none the less .

She also introduced me to the stinky cheeses like the various blues, gorgonzolas, etc (rememeber, not an afficianado) that make such fine sauces and contrasting flavors in dishes. It took me a bit, but I am now a big fan. Goat cheeses and fresh mozzerellas for salads and burgers and the green tube has long since been replaced by with the parmesean regianno, asiago, etc. We also buy some of the local organic jacks and mozzerellas including some really nice smoked cheeses that never last more than a day in my house if my kids see it. I try to hide it in the back of the fridge, but the buggers are relentless!!

Kinda funny, but Ive seen one of the regular posters here often mention the type of cheese I like for backpacking. I call it squeeze cheese and it comes in a can . While its likely not even cheese , I love the stuff with crackers backpacking and its been a long time since Ive had a trip without a can.

[rlown]

um.. If i use TehipiteTom's puttanesca recipe on a trip, I'll take a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano. A light-weight grater would be nice, but a little knife work gets it done.

The spray cheese is perfect for the lunch snack of a mini-sourdough roll, a couple slices of summer sausage and a slathering. The can lasts 7 days. No, I don't eat it at home, but on the trail, excellent. Not fond of a brick of melting cheddar in my can.

[Herm]

I would hardly call myself an "afficianado," but I do enjoy eating cheese.
On most of my backpacking trips, cheese and salame are essential. Typically, I will slice them at home, and wrap them in parchment paper, then put them in a ziplock bag. They are great at lunch, or as an appetizer before dinner, and go great with wine!
Hard cheeses that make the grade are parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano, or even asiago.
I particularly like Jarlsberg (a semi-soft cheese), as it goes so well with stone-ground wheat crackers that I get at Trader Joes (where I buy most cheese). I will even take the packaged string cheeses, which a friend taught me to love back in the 70's.
Probably thanks to the FDA, most Americans seem "afraid" of living foods, which is what cheese is, aside from the ultra-processed American varieties, which I would not consider cheese.
For years, I have enjoyed outdoor pursuits with a friend who is of Swiss ancestry, and he has always carried either Jarlsberg or French brie, without refrigeration.
I have carried cheese without refrigeration for up to a week, and never gotten sick.
Herm

[cahiker]

I love all cheese, except Velveeta (if you can call that cheese).

My current favorite backpacking cheese is Campo de Montalban, a fairly hard cheese from cow, goat and sheep's milk. It tastes somewhat like Manchego, but doesn't seem to get oily after a few days in a bear can.

We're heading to Pt. Reyes next weekend and think we should bring something from Cowgirl Creamery. Some Mt Tam, maybe?

[Oubliet]

I like bringing some fontina cheese and/or a manchego to go with my salami and bagel lunches on backpack trips.

I've taken them on weeklong trips. At high altitubdes, the cheeses chill down and harden at nighttime. Then, I wrap them in some mylar bubble wrap and bury the pack deep into my bear canister to insulate it from the day's heat.