Can you imagine eating food that had a strong, pungent and indescribable scent radiating from it? I bet you to most people the answer is a big “NO!” But did you know that in the world of cheese, the stinker the better! Aged cheese has always been said to be the best of its kind.
Now, the unpleasant smell of this food can actually make it taste yummier.
In this article, find out all about what the world says is the stinkiest cheese on earth. But surprised with the facts that you will find out upon reading this article and learn a little bit more about it than you already know.
What is the stinkiest cheese in the world?
According to scientists in Bedfordshire University, they named the stinkiest cheese on the planet to be Vieux Boulogne. If this is unfamiliar to you, well you aren’t alone.
This is a soft, yet firm kind of cheese that originated from northern France and it definitely beat all the other competitors. This cheese is made from cow’s milk and matured in a technique where it is washed with beer.
Scientists used an “electronic nose” to sniff it out along with 19 human testers. Upon doing all that analysing and testing, this cheese tops its kind in being the smelliest.
According to a senior researcher officer from Cranfield University, he said that the smelliest are the ones that are washed and rind cheeses.
Sally Clarke of “Fine Cheeses” from France quoted “Love it or loathe it, the sign of a fine one is often its characteristic smell as well as its flavour and texture and we wanted to find out it France’s reputation for producing smelly cheeses was true.”
The strong smell that comes from Vieux Boulogne is said to be because of the beer that reacts with the enzymes in it. Can you imagine that it even beat the “Epoisses de Courgogne” which was said to be so smelly that it was actually banned from being taken on public transportation in France.
The reason that this pretty much tops the charts of being the stinkiest cheese in the world is because of how it is made. Since washed-rind cheeses are usually have pungent and smelly characteristics and Vieux Boulogne is made in that method, it therefore fits the reason why it is one smelly kind.
Washed-rind cheeses are mostly rinsed in a salt water solution during the aging process.
In this method, it stimulates the growth of “brevibacterium” linens (a type of bactria that is unique to this technique).
It then results in a less acidic ones and that is the reason why it is typically pungent in smell. The longer the cheese is washed, the more intense the aroma and flavour is.
What Do i Think ?
So there you have it! The stinkiest cheese yet a very delicious cuisine to many individuals. Don’t be fooled by its aroma and don’t judge by its smell, because even with this irony, it is still very delightful.