ST. PATRICK’S DAY FOOD: Green Cheese
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“The moon is made of green cheese.” This expression began centuries ago in a fable for children. It’s in a story about a simpleton who sees a reflection of the moon in a pond, and mistakes it for a round wheel of cheese. The concept evolved to refer to people who are so gullible as to believe that the moon is made of cheese. In 1546, The Proverbs of John Heywood described convincing someone that “the moon is made of a greene cheese.” In those days, “green” referred to unaged cheese. An unaged cheese is soft, and hasn’t yet developed a rind. When we first saw the phrase, in our early childhood, it was in an illustrated book of tales that showed the moon in a shade of pale green, against a dark sky. We were years away from knowing that “green” also meant young or fresh; but as with other children, we delighted in the idea of a moon made of green cheese. Today you can purchase cheeses that have green-colored paste (i.e., the part of the cheese that’s under the rind). In this century, we’ve seen—and tasted—green cheeses, made by adding basil or other herbs to the vat. One cheese little-known in the U.S. dates back 1300 years. Others are more recent. A selection: Add another green cheese to the lineup! Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Murray’s Cheese has created Vermatcha, a colorful cheese made by mixing Champlain Valley Organic Triple Cream with matcha green tea powder (photo #1). The matcha is added and the cheeses are aged in Murray’s bloomy cave for approximately 10 days. The bloomy-rind beauty that emerges has a vibrant green paste under a thin, snowy rind, which is definitely edible and has earthy hints of mushroom. The paste (interior) is very creamy, with a luxurious velvet mouthfeel and a complex depth of flavor. It has a slightly herbal flavor from the matcha. It’s a unique and eye-catching cheese. |
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