Azeitão is a DOP protected, handcrafted, unpasteurised sheep's milk cheese made at the foothills of the Arrábida Mountains in the south west of Portugal. It is a produced only in the demarcated municipalities of Setubal, Palmela and Sesimbra.

Azeitão is a cured cheese, of a buttery, pudding-like, semi-soft consistency, white or light yellow in colour, with few or no holes. Since the flower of the locally grown cardoon plant acts as a coagulant, it is truly a vegetarian cheese. Its taste has a mix of sour and salty with a continual herbaceousness. The cheese has a minimum curing time of 21 days.

Azeitao

Queijaria Simões

Morbier is produced in the village of Morez in the Jura mountains. Its creation dates from the 19th century. Its origin was for the personal consumption of the Comté cheesemakers. Each night, soot was sprinkled on the fresh curd that remained at the bottom of the barrel which prevented a rind from forming and kept the away. The next day left over pieces of cheese were put on top to make the Morbier. The cheese is uncooked and pressed and allowed to mature for two months. It is then brushed with salty water. The shape is round with sides that bulge slightly, it has a horizontal, black furrow through the middle. Its taste is savory and fruity.

Morbier Cru de Montagne

Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk. It covers a wide variety of cheeses produced around the country, but specifically it refers to four main varieties of Pecorino, all of which enjoy PDO protection. These hard ewes’ milk cheeses from central Italy and the island of Sardinia have established a very good export market outside Italy.
Of these four, Pecorino Romano from Sardinia, Lazio and Tuscan Province of Grosseto is the most widely known outside of Italy. The remaining three mature PDO cheeses are Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia, Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily and Pecorino Toscano from Tuscany.
Pecorinos are traditional, creamery, hard, drum-shaped cheeses. They come in a variety of flavours determined by their age. Aged Pecorinos referred to as ‘stagionato’ are hard and crumbly in texture with buttery and nutty flavours. Young or ‘semi-stagionato’ and ‘fresco’ Pecorinos feature a softer texture with mild, creamy flavours. A good Pecorino will have smooth, hard rind that is pale straw to dark brown in colour. The rind will vary in colour, depending on the age of the cheese, and may include a protecting coating of lard or oil. Its compact interior is white to pale yellow in colour, with irregular, small eyes.
Today, this classic Italian cheese is available in many flavours including Pecorino Pepato spiced with black peppercorns or red chili. Pecorino is a preferred cheese in many pasta cheeses and an obvious choice in Italian regions where the cheese is produced. Also, it served as a good substitute for the expensive Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Pecorino

Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Toscano

Mozzarella cheese is a sliceable curd cheese originating in Italy. Traditional Mozzarella cheese is made from milk of water buffalos herded in very few countries such as Italy and Bulgaria. As a result, most of the Mozzarella cheeses available now are made from cow's milk.
An Italian Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) food product, Mozzarella cheese is not aged like most cheeses. It is eaten fresh and within few hours after it is made.
Fresh Mozzarella cheese is one of those easy-to-make-at-home cheeses used while making variety of recipes, including salads, meats, seafood, and vegetables.
Other types of Mozzarella:Mozzarella di Bufala, also known as 'buffalo mozzarella', is made from domesticated water buffalo milk.
Mozzarella Fior di Latte is produced from fresh, pasteurised or unpasteurised cow milk, while Low-moisture mozzarella is made from whole or part skimmed milk. And last, but not least, Mozzarella affumicata is a smoked variety of Mozzarella.

Mozzarella

Azienda Agricola Gritti Bruno E Alfio S.s. Societa Agricola

Comté is a French cheese produced in the Jura Massif region of Eastern France. The unpasteurised cow's milk used is mainly from Montbeliarde Cattle or French simmental (or cross breeds of the two). This hard mountain cheese is matured to perfection in the silence and darkness of special caves where the cheese gets its unique taste, texture and colour. There are several maturing cellars in the region where Comté is ripened for a minimum of 4 months to 18 or 24 months. A few times, Comté gets its name from the cellar where it has ripened such as Comté Fort Saint-Antoine.

Comté was one of the first few cheeses to receive an AOC (Appellation d'origine controlee) status in 1958. It is one of the most popular AOC cheeses in France with around 40,000 tones of annual production.

Considered one of the finest cheeses in the world, a wedge of Comte reveals a pale yellow interior and a texture that can vary from silky, flabby to crystalline.
There are practically 83 flavours, which can be savored while tasting Comté. But the main aromatic flavours that delicately linger on the palate are a balance of brown-butter and roasted-nut aromas and a sweet finish.

Its ability to melt easily means Comté goes well with many recipes right from fondues to Croque Monsieur. The cheese pairs well with Rhone reds, a Palo Cortado or off-dry Amontillado sherry from Spain.

Fromageries Arnaud, the winner of Super Gold medal at the 2014 World Cheese Awards, is one of the top-notch groups in the world to make French certified-origin cheeses. Today, the Fromagerie counts for roughly 12% of the total Comté production. The cheese is distributed worldwide by British supplier Anthony Rowcliffe & Son. This celebrated cheese has been judged as one of the world's 62 best cheeses.In addition, Comte produced by Entremont also won a silver medal for its great taste and impeccable texture. Entremont makes Comte in three varieties – 1 year matured Prestige, fruity flavoured Fruité and Vieille Reserve made using traditional methods in 50 small village cheese dairies.

Gavin Vogel

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