You have to give it to the French, they make some seriously good cheese and often it is the smelly ones that taste the best. So what is it that causes the sometimes overpowering aroma of cheese?

Cheese is generally produced from cows, sheep, goats or buffalo milk. The milk is curdled with enzymes (and sometimes vinegar) causing it to separate into curds and whey. Micro-organism’s such as bacteria, mould and yeast are then introduced to the curd assisting to break down the fat and the protein. The solid is then pressed into a cheese.

Of course there are many different variables in this process; some are left to mature for months and even years, some (particularly in France) are made with unpasteurised milk and others vary by the fat content or the strain of mould introduced and left to grow on the cheese.

In most cases it is the mould and the ageing process that create that powerful cheesy smell.

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Last week I visited the La Planchette stall at Kings Cross Organic Food Market and tried the two smelliest cheeses they had on offer (also at Double Bay on Thursday).

Roquefort – A tangy, crumbly and moist blue cheese with distinctive veins of green mould
Delicious crumbled in a green salad with pear and walnuts

Munster – A soft white brie which is traditionally matured in damp cellars for months and the rind is washed periodically helping to mature the bacteria
Serve the French way..after main course with toasted baguette!

French Cheese Etiquette – Did you know that it is considered impolite to cut the nose off a wedge of cheese. You should always cut cheese along the side!