If you are on the lookout for unique cheeses, your best bet is to turn to specialty cheese shops, not the grocery store. Santa Barbara’s newest cheese shop (which is actually appropriately and simply called The Cheese Shop) gives customers the opportunity to taste a variety of obscure and cheeses. When you go into a wine shop or a winery with a specific meal plan in mind, employees can steer you in the direction of the best wine pairing (at least this is the hope).
Same goes for The Cheese Shop. I went there for the first time looking for a spiced cheese that would be good for tacos. That’s all that I had to say before mid-sentence practically the guy behind the counter pulled out a cheese that fit the bill. With a cheese knife he sliced off a thin sliver and let me taste it. The cheese that he chose for me was Leyden Cheese (aka Cumin Cheese).
This is a light yellow to orangish-tan spiced cheese made in the Netherlands from partly skimmed cow’s milk. Caraway cumin seeds and sometimes cloves are added to a portion of the curd. A little bit of buttermilk is also added to enhanced the richness and depth of flavor. Its firm texture and subtle spiciness make it the perfect cheese to grate on your chicken tacos (which is my go to dinner that I make with leftover chicken or steak from the night before). Try it with a hearty red wine with soft tannins (because of the spiciness) such as Santa Barbara Winery’s Grenache Syrah, or a Corona.
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
0 Responses to “Leyden Cheese”
Leave a Reply