I've thrown a lot of cheese away since coming to Switzerland last July -some stinkier than others. This stuff must be tasty to many or it wouldn't be sold. However, while I like strong cheeses, I don't care for the flavor or smell of this stuff. Basically, it smells like its been aged in an old boot.
Trouble is, I don't know what it's called, and the labels on the packages don't give me a whole lot of information (not knowing the language is a big part of the problem). I know about Limburger so I avoid that. Most recently I bought what I thought was a hard(er) blue cheese. While milder, it's of the same family of cheeses -or so it smells. This one was Blutenkase fromage aux fleurs. But i think I've had some stuff called Racliffe that was strong smelling like this as well.
Can anyone tell what I should avoid? Or, what to look for on the label that will clue me in that it's not what I want?
If this advice seems a little, well, odd, that's because you're a newbie here. Oldhand's advice is good, though! In case you didn't know, grumpygrapefruit is an all-knowing font of wisdom on all things cheese -- have a look here and send him a PM or email.
And if you already knew who gg was, well, ignore this!
I think your best bet is to try the market at marktplatz and ask for Manchego (spanish cheese) and provolone/provola (italian cheese). They have these kinds in the market, I do not like very old or strong cheese either but love Manchego and Provolone.
Manchego has more taste than provolone by the way. I am sure you can also ask them and they will make you try a bit.
I usually pick up Edam (Edamer here) cheese to make sandwiches with, the flavor is a bit in between Kraft "American" cheese and a white cheddar.
Speaking of cheddar, I know that Grumpygrapefruit sells some, as does Manor and some Coop stores (I've heard Migros as well but have not yet seen it there myself).
I agree with the Luzerner Rahmkase recommendation but there are a number of other Rahmkases -- Zurcher, Thurgauer, etc. that I like too.
And I don't know if this is telling what you already know but there are usually a variety of "strengths" of cheese. Like Gruyere, etc. They have a more mild and more strong version.
And be sure to AVOID Appenzeller. Oh my my! My partner LOVES the strongest stinkiest version and I can barely open the fridge when it is in the house. Even with a double bag and packed in a tupperware, it is still overwhelming!
As a kid, I sometimes was treated to Chääshörnli mit Suurchääs by my paternal grandparents form Buchs / Grabs. I absolutely hated it, but then, I was a strange kid anyway; I disliked every kind of cheese except Emmentaler. That changed a lot when I grew up.
As for Appenzeller: The milder varieties do not stink; actually they are considered bad jokes by real Appenzeller addicts because they don't. The stinkiest one is the "räässe Appezeller," not available at chain stores and not easy to find outside northeastern Switzerland. Its smell can fill a room within seconds, and it amazingly resembles human feces. Bon apetit.
if you are buying the generic Gruyere, Appenzeller, Tilsiter Emmental etc.... then you'll see the packaging has red and green labeling on it - the green i think says mild/dulce (sp?) and the red is the stronger smelly variety (not sure what the word is on these) I always choose any of the above 4 cheeses with the green labeling
Plus if you buy stinky cheese like appenzeller and it's stinking your fridge out just cut the rind off - it's the rind, not the cheese that stinks and Appenzeller actually tastes nothing like it smells
Nicky, what you wrote about colors is correct for chain stores, but not for dairy stores, where the cheese is cut from the wheel and wrapped by hand. A real cheese lover does NOT buy cheese from chains. They may have improved in the last ten years or so, but they are still far from the real thing. Same with bread.
As for the stinky Appenzeller -- that may apply to the chain store varieties, but not to the one from a dairy in an area where people know what real Appenzeller is. A cheese salad made with rässe-n-Appezeller stinks like heck, and there is not the slightest trace of rind in it.
ooooh get thee? sorry I must not be a REAL cheese lover - i thought i was just helping someone out whether they be a REAL cheese lover or a commoner supermarket cheese buyer (obviously as myself)
Anyway I am sure my post will help 'some' people out....
oh and judging the OPs post it sounds as if the OP is 'shock horror' in a supermarket wanting to read the labels on the 'packets' quick get the poncy food brigade out to forewarn them of this evil!
I'm sure your help is very welcome and useful. Hence my "Thanks." What I wrote applies to the real freaks.
By the way, there is a very funny misunderstanding in Swiss German concerning the terminology used for the age of cheese. You will often find the term "Rezent" on labels of prepacked cheese. Beware, that's the older, spicier variety, not the fresh (= recent) one!!!
Don't ask me how that came to be. "Rezent" is a very foreign word in German and Swiss German anyway, much more so than in English. About 50 years ago, not many people except scientists ever used it. Then, all of a sudden, it got used for spicy cheeses, and only for cheeses, mind you, not for spicy herbs and the like, from where it may have been adopted and where it makes perfect sense.
Of course, the funny thing is that the more recent a cheese is, the less spicy ("rezent") it is. It is sort of a one word oxymoron, and no one seems to notice it. Even Swiss cheesemakers use it in that wrong way. It reminds me of the way Americans use the word "anxious" -- "I'm anxious to see him," which actually means exactly the opposite of what "anxious" originally meant (Latin anxius = distressed, worried).
Yep, as Peg A and Sandgrounder have pointed out, you can buy cheddar in Swiss sypermarkets. I'm no kind of gourmet so I hadn't noticed that my Swiss cheddar was substandard! All I know is how to ask for cheddar in German (I had to ask one of the friendly Migros staff, since I couldn't see any cheddar on the shelves.)
well I am a cheese lover greybeard but i also at times buy cheese from the supermarket (i don't have pots of money to buy REAL cheese for cooking for example)
The rare times i do buy cheese for pleasure then i buy from Mike
I just found your post a bit condescending towards people who do buy supermarket cheese for whatever reasons they feel necessary
Anyway thank you for the interesting cheesy information