When I’m traveling, I become a cultural chameleon. I love a good pilsner when I’m in Prague, red wine in Tuscany, and a cheese course in France. For a cheese-lover, savoring Europe means savoring its cheeses — they’re not only part of the cuisine, they’re part of the culture. And some cultures — including French, Dutch, and Greek — are particularly pleasing for the cheesing.
France
In France, a love for beauty and tradition includes a fondness for artisan cheese that comes in wedges, cylinders, balls, and mini hockey pucks; and they’re sometimes powdered white, gray, or burnt marshmallow. As a traveler, I’m thankful that French cheese mongers tend to be evangelical about their fine and varied products.
Here, the cheese course is served just before (or instead of) dessert. It not only helps with digestion, it also gives you a great opportunity to sample the tasty regional cheeses — and time to finish up your wine. Between cow, goat, and sheep cheeses, the French produce more than 400 different varieties. Many restaurants offer a platter of cheeses, from which you choose a few. Whether at a restaurant or cheese shop, try at least four types: a hard cheese (such as Cantal), a flowery cheese (perhaps Brie or Camembert), a blue or Roquefort cheese, and a goat cheese.
Be sure to go local. On your way to the châteaux in the Loire Valley, look for signs that say fromage de chèvres fermier (farmer’s goat cheese). Or head to the Alps with a cheese map looking for les alpages, where you can taste hard, strong Beaufort or Gruyère-like Comté — and meet cheesemakers proud to show off their traditions.
(Photo by Cameron Hewitt)
Netherlands
The Dutch are probably better known for their cheese than for any other food, and are among the world’s top cheese exporters. To sample their cheese culture, visit Alkmaar (and its Friday morning market, running from April to August) or Edam (Wednesday morning market in July and August). Both cities are a short train ride away from Amsterdam.
Alkmaar is Holland’s cheese capital (and, perhaps, the unofficial capital of high cholesterol). This delightful city has zesty cheese-loving spirit, and is home to what is probably the Netherlands’ best cheese museum…and in this country, that’s saying something. The museum is in Alkmaar’s biggest building, the richly decorated Weigh House, used since the 16th century for weighing cheese.
Though Alkmaar is enjoyable any time, there’s no better time to sample a sliver of this proud wedge of Dutch culture than during market time. Early in the morning, cheesemakers line up their giant orange wheels in neat rows on the square. Prospective buyers (mostly wholesalers) examine and sample the cheeses and make their selections. Then the cheese is sold off with much fanfare, as an emcee narrates the action in Dutch and English.
During the Wednesday market in the cheesemaking village of Edam, farmers bring their cheese by boat and horse to the center of town, where it’s weighed and traded by Edamers in traditional garb. Edam cheese comes in softball-size rounds covered with red wax, so it travels well without refrigeration. Young Edam cheese is extremely mild, but it gets firmer and more flavorful with age.
Greece
Some studies show that Greece has the highest per-capita cheese consumption in the world — over 60 pounds a year. That’s mostly feta, which serves as one of the four staples here, along with olives, tomatoes, and crispy phyllo dough. Protected by EU regulations, Greek feta made with sheep’s milk, although a small percentage of goat’s milk can be added (but never cow’s milk). As you travel around Greece, you’ll notice that feta in the Peloponnese is dryer and crumbly, while feta made in Macedonia is mild, soft, and creamy. Even in big-city Athens, many markets still sell feta from the barrel — and you’ll find feta in everything from salad and sandwiches to savory pies and dips. Sampling endless variations on Greek salad, with its ripe vegetables under an enticing slab of feta and drizzled in olive oil, never gets old to me.
Greeks don’t live by feta alone. Graviera, a hard cheese made in Crete from sheep’s milk, tastes sweet and nutty, almost like a fine Swiss cheese. Kasseri, a mild yellow cheese made from either sheep or goat’s milk, is the most popular Greek cheese after feta.
No matter where you travel, get out of your culinary comfort zone. When it comes to cheese, delve into what’s stinkier, moldier, or simply less sandwich-ready than what you’d find at home. Instead of selecting what you already recognize, take some risks — it’s the only way to fully appreciate Europe’s rich cultures.
This article is used with the permission of Rick Steves’ Europe (www.ricksteves.com). Rick Steves writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours.
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