There actually are a good number of strong flavored American cheeses, but I haven’t had any luck finding them abroad. A lot of them are even hard to find in the States. While Maytag blue is practically available everywhere, Berkshire Blue is a great American blue made in Massachusetts. (I get a chuckle from their rather prickling statement on the About page that “for a factory cheese, Stilton isn’t bad.”) Rogue River Blue is another one that is a must to pick up if you like blue cheese, along with Bayley Hazen blue.This page has some good suggestions for more strongly flavored American-produced cheeses, including ewe’s and goat’s milk cheeses.
There’s plenty of great, stinky artisanal cheeses made in America, but I’m guessing they are not exactly widely distributed, so somebody across the pond is going to have difficulty finding them (if it is at all possible.) Overall, American tastes generally do skew bland when it comes to cheese, but liking strong-flavored cheeses like blues and the like isn’t exactly rare, either.
I have yet to meet a Cypress Grove cheese I didn’t love. Humboldt Fog is actually my third favorite, behind Lamb Chopper in second place and Midnight Moon in first. Ah great, now I am hungry and it’s 9:30pm. Thanks a lot, man.
Girl man, actually. And now I have two new cheeses to hunt down. I am in a Humboldt Fog group on Facebook that has very few members, but one of them is the keyboard player from Faith No More. We’ve emailed about places to find the Fog on the East Coast (Cardullo’s in Harvard Square usually has it.)
ETA: Just noticed you’re in my area. Stop n Shop in North Beverly also carries the Fog from time to time.
Damn, I’ve never had any of their cheeses. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for them. While the Humboldt Fog is American-made, according to their website, both the Lamb Chopper and Midnight Moon are European-made for Cypress Grove. That Humboldt Fog looks really nice, like a goat-milk Morbier.
There is a wonderful blue made here in Oregon at the Rogue Creamery. They call it Oregonzola and it’s buttery and blue and delicious. We just bought an entire wheel at the creamery this weekend.
Just saw that you are familiar with the Rogue Creamery.
Has anyone ever tried the Dunbarton Blue? This one looks really interesting to me–a cross between a cheddar and a blue cheese. I just stumbled across it while looking to see if there’s any good blues in Wisconsin, and I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t think of doing this last week, as I was within spitting distance of the creamery where it’s made this past weekend.
That explains why I am continually confused about whether Cypress Grove is an American cheese company or not. The Whole Foods where I shop for them is very particular about labeling country of origin on their cheeses. I believe I have seen Holland on Cypress Grove cheeses.
Dinner tonight: Jucy Lucy* with Oregonzola cheese. Yummmm.
For you furriners n’ such: A Jucy (sic) Lucy is two thin burger patties with cheese in between, the edges sealed to keep the cheese in. Fry on each side for about three minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the meat is medium. Invented in Minneapolis, MN.
When I think of mass-produced and potentially exported “American” cheeses I think of things that aren’t very strongly flavoured, that slice well and go well in sandwiches and hamburgers. That seems to be how a lot of cheeses are sold and marketed in the States and ties into the idea that “Americans like bland cheeses”. It’s a condiment, not a food to be had on it’s own.
I’m sure there are a ton of local artisan American-made cheeses that are either similar to or derivative of “original” European ones and are wonderful (just as there are tons in Canada…Québec in particular seems to love good cheese!) but they just aren’t the ones that are marketed and easily available in most markets. The Aldi near my friend’s house in Manchester UK had a more interesting collection of cheap no-name “everyday” cheeses than the “cheese” aisle at my grocery store (which is separate from the actual cheese counter with the artisan stuff).
The idea of a cheese platter with mild (or worse…orange!) cheddar, “swiss” and Monterey Jack makes me kind of sad. Worse, I’ve seen such a thing where the fourth cheese was marbled cheddar.
