The Rind...
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Several weeks ago, I received a question from one of my readers named Brian. He was very curious about cheeses that were infused with flavor through the rind.
I remembered how many times that I have seen other rind questions in other resources, so I thought this would be a good time and place to discuss this topic.
Naturally, this topic made me immediately think of my friend Sara Arbabian, owner of The Rind, a cheese-centric bar that opened in 2013 in Sacramento’s hip “Midtown” area. The Rind has amazing cheese and cheese-based food, as well as wines, and beers.
Knowing that Sara is a fellow Certified Cheese Professional® from the American Cheese Society, I knew that she (and her restaurant) would be perfect to discuss the topic of the rind on cheeses.
Thanks to Jasper at the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop
Before we get into the age old question “Can I eat the rind on cheese?”, let’s first talk about the rind itself, and the many types of rinds that you can find out there.
I found that the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, had a simple description of the cheese rind:
What is the rind of cheese made of?
Cheese rinds generally fall into two categories. The first category of rind can be thought of like a bread crust; delicious and a key part of the journey of texture you’re about to embark on (unless you’re one of those crazy people that cuts the crust off).
This “First category” as mentioned above is known as a “Natural Rind” cheese and just as the example given above on how the bread crust is still actually bread (although much drier), then the outside rind of a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is just harder, drier Parmigiano Reggiano. While the rind may not be as desirable as the center of the wheel to some, there are others lining up to argue this point (just ask the folks at Eataly)!
The rind of the Parmigiano Reggiano did not develop overnight…In fact these wheels in the beginning are soaked in a saltwater bath up to 25 days to help develop this hard exterior. This exterior needs to be this tough, as it aged for a total of 12 months before the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium puts their official brand on these wheels.
More on Mimolette can be found here
Here are a few examples Natural Rind cheeses:
· Abondance
· Gruyere
· Comté
· Stilton
· Ossau-Iraty
These examples have tough exteriors, and while you may not want to eat them, you should try a bit of the cheese that is close to the surface and compare it to the center of the wheel. The closer that you get to the edge of the cheeses, the flavors will intensify, as the moisture level decreases. One last natural cheese rind example is Mimolette. It has a rind that is not meant to be consumed, as it is pock-marked by microscopic cheese mites that have been allowed to munch on the surface, ultimately altering the final flavor.
The Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin goes on to describe the second category of cheese rinds:
The second category of rind is more like a wrapping paper. It acts like a protective layer for the cheese during the aging process but is best removed when it’s time to enjoy.
While this second category is a good visual, I think that I need to give a few examples so you can better understand.
Rindless cheeses are those cheeses that do not have a tough “crust-like” exterior, and the exterior of the cheese should taste very close (if not identical) to the center. These include: blocks of Cheddar (wrapped in clear plastic), wheels of Blue Cheese (wrapped in foil), or tubs of Fresh Mozzarella (submerged in salted water). In these examples, the “wrapping paper” is their packaging.
I believe that a better example of the “wrapping paper” concept can be better illustrated in Waxed Rind Cheeses. There are some that have a heavy layer of food-grade wax like Goudas, Edams, or Danish Fontinas. These are really rindless cheeses that have been dipped in a food-grade wax that have the same properties as the plastic wraps on the rindless cheeses noted above. Once these wax seals are broken, air can dry them out.
Some natural rind cheeses have a very thin protective layer of food-grade wax that protects them, but they will not just simply fall off like the heavy wax layer cheese noted above. The wax on these thinner protective layers is sprayed (or brushed on) and include: Spanish Manchego (brown wax) and some imported Swiss Cheeses (yellow wax).
Waxed Rind Cheeses are part of a family of Non-Edible Rinds. These can be made from either cloth, paper, and sometimes bark. These should not be consumed. While they probably won’t hurt you, there’s no real reason to eat them.
The next type of rind that I want to introduce you to are called Surface Ripened Cheeses. These cheeses have been inoculated on the outside (or as part of their cheese cultures) and the cheese starts aging from the outside inward…developing the flavor, while breaking down fats and proteins as it goes.
There are three types of Surface Ripened Cheeses:
· Bloomy Rind – These include cheeses like Brie and Camembert. They are covered with a fine white mold of Penicillium Candidum or Penicillium camemberti (also known as fleuri). These rinds can be eaten, but some prefer to cut them away.
· Washed Rind – These include cheeses like Limburger, Epoisses, and Taleggio. These cheeses are washed with salted water, beer, or spirits and as a result Brevibacterium linens (or simply B. linens - a Bacteria) form which can give it an orange/pink hue, and a “sweaty sock” aroma. These cheeses may smell strong on the outside, but they are usually mild on the inside and these two opposites tend to balance each other out. These rinds are meant to be eaten.
· Wrinkly Rind – These include cheeses like Langres (see photo), French aged Crottins, and Sainte Maure. These cheeses have been inoculated with Geotrichum candidum, a yeast that can give a “brainy” or coral-like appearance. While these are most commonly found on goat’s milk cheeses, the Langres shown in the photo is made from a cow’s milk and the cheesemaker used a combination of Brevibacterium linens as well as Geotrichum candidum to get this unique look.
The final type are Infused Rind Cheeses. Most cheeses that use this added flavor apply it to cheeses that are Semi-Soft (or with a slight age)….Fresh Cheeses are mean to be consumed right away, Hard Cheeses will have already developed a tougher outer rind and the flavor would not really penetrate into the center. A young, higher moisture Semi-Soft cheese ensures that the flavoring can penetrate deeper into the wheel. Many of these flavorings are paste-like and smeared on the outside of the wheel (sometimes containing oil), then cryovaced to ensure that there is no-air, and that the cheese can “marinate” in these flavors. These will age this way for 60 to 90 days in this fashion.
Beehive Cheese created one of the best in this style – Barely Buzzed. They start with a wheel of their Promontory, then add a rub of local espresso and lavender, then seal it and age it for 6 to 8 months. First created back in September of 2006, this cheese has gone on to win 20 major awards.
Sartori, a fouth generation cheese maker has a similar story when they created Bellavitano Gold cheese then realized that by coating herbs and spices that they could “create” new and different flavorings. While this may be the current trend, it is far from a new idea. Queso de Murcia al Vino PDO (much better known domestically as “Drunken Goat”) is a Semi-Soft Goat cheese that has been soaked in Murcia wine. This cheese has been produced since the 1920’s in the province of Murcia in the south-east of Spain.
There are several Semi-Hard cheeses that use exterior flavoring. Here are a few that come to mind: Le Marechel(non-edible rind) from Switzerland, Blumenkäse from Switzerland, or Alp Blossom from Germany, and lastly Ossau-Iraty PDO is a sheep’s milk cheese that is sometimes coated with Espelette Peppers.
So as my visit with Sara winds down, we enjoyed a fine glass of wine and enjoyed talking about (and eating) some of the best cheese rinds around.
Cheers Sara!....My many thanks to you and your staff for welcoming me to your shop!
Until next week…
Trevor
