# Cheese with little bits of salt in **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616 "2007-03-26T22:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/1 "2007-03-26T22:27:32Z")
The other day I was visiting someone’s home, and one of the refreshments they served consisted in a sharp, dry, flaky cheese. I don’t know cheese from cheese, but I’m pretty sure this was either Parmesan or Romano cheese. But the interesting thing about it was it had little tiny crunchy bits in it, which I’m pretty sure were just grains of salt. In fact, I liked it. I liked it a lot. But I never got a chance to ask what kind it was. So now I would like to know, is there some particular kind of cheese which has grains of salt in it like this? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/2 "2007-03-26T22:29:15Z")
Sounds like Parmesano Reggiano to me. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/3 "2007-03-26T22:32:07Z")
From Cook’s Illustrated’s guide to shopping for parmesan: > [@](#): > > To ensure that you’re buying a properly aged (at least 18 months old) cheese, examine the condition of the rind. It should be a few shades darker than the straw-colored interior and penetrate about a half-inch deep (younger or improperly aged cheeses will have a paler, thinner rind). And closely scrutinize the center of the cheese. Those small white spots found on many samples are actually good things—they signify the presence of calcium phosphate crystals, which are formed only after the cheese has been aged for the proper amount of time . . . > > The aging also makes a difference in texture, creating a distinctive component that tasters described as “crystal crunch.” The crunch stems from proteins breaking down into free amino acid crystals during the latter half of the aging process. The crystals are visible, appearing as white dots in the cheese. No other Parmesan [than Parmigiano-Reggiano] had this effect. And yeah, them’s good eatin’. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/4 "2007-03-26T22:36:11Z")
[QUOTE=Unauthorized Cinnamon] From Cook’s Illustrated’s guide to shopping for parmesan:And yeah, them’s good eatin’. [/QUOTE] That must be it! Thanks! To Trader Joe’s with me! -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/5 "2007-03-26T22:36:15Z")
It’s a characteristic of several hard, aged cheeses, including some cheddars. It’s not salt, though. Someone mentioned what it was in a cheese thread from the last couple of weeks. Here’s one explanation, with bonus cheese babe included: [http://cheesaholics.blogs.com/cheesaholics\_anonymous/2006/07/crystal\_energy.html](http://cheesaholics.blogs.com/cheesaholics_anonymous/2006/07/crystal_energy.html) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/6 "2007-03-26T23:24:16Z")
one finds the crunchy bits of protein in a well-aged cheddar too. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/7 "2007-03-27T00:29:36Z")
[Saenkanter Gouda](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/06/WI139511.DTL) also has these crystals. It’s great great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-with-little-bits-of-salt-in/397616/8 "2007-03-27T01:31:51Z")
Mmmm, _at this very moment_ I’m eating a chunk of Parano with crunchy bits in it…