Say Cheese!

Cheese has a long history in human dining and it is loved by omnivores around the world!

Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk. It also supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, phosphorus and FAT! According to researches, cheese is America's number one source of saturated fat, which is no good for health.

But, I don't care. I love cheese.

Just as the Chinese say 'everything in moderation', so as long as you are not having an excess amount of cheese, there's not much harm of having it. A study released by the British Cheese Board in 2005, even suggested that cheese improves sleep quality.

My favourite among cheeses is Brie, particularly, strong Brie. It is a soft cow's cheese originated in France. It is also named after the province, where it was first made.

There are different members in the Brie family. Mainly, strong Brie and mild Brie. Normally, the maturer the Brie gets, the stronger the taste.

I like strong Brie, the good ones of course, because it has a very special taste. How special? It's hard to tell but in one of the cheese websites, they describe the taste as 'ammonia'!

If you want to taste the 'ammonia' in strong Brie, you should have it with crackers. I recommend the Jacob's. The mild wheat-taste crackers elevate the taste of ammonia in Brie. The taste is nearly strong enough to make you sneeze.

I like Strong Brie with real oatcakes. As real oatcake has a very natural taste, which is basically the taste of oat. This very light taste of oat can bring out the good flavours of Brie. It makes the Brie taste like pine and carrot and a bit salty.

While mild Brie has a lighter taste, it is best with crackers. The mild taste and the crispy texture of the cracker help to bring out the flavors of light Brie. Just a tiny bite, as if, you are having a piece of soft creamy butter, yet with a more refined after taste. While the cheese is melting in your mouth, it gets creamier and starts to give out the savoury taste of cow.

And my sincere thanks to globalization! Now we don't have to go all the way to Brie in France to taste the queen of Cheese - Brie!