There is an old saying that goes “age doesn’t matter, unless you’re a cheese”. .” But besides the humor in it, there is also a certain truth behind the joke. . Actually, aging in cheese (or ripening) is the most important part of making cheese.

Cheese are laid to rest in particularly controlled situations where they are allowed to develop the look, the texture, the flavor, as well as the aroma properties that make them unique. When ripened properly, the bloom blossoms on Camembert, the holes become the classic Swiss, and the veins transform into Gorgonzola.

As a cheese ripens, microbes and enzymes develop inside, breaking down the proteins and the milk fat into several complex combinations of amino acids, amines and fatty acids. In the end, these processes enrich the texture of the cheese as well as intensify its flavor.

Usually, cheeses are aged between two weeks to two yeas, sometimes for several years more.In principle, the longer the cheese is aged, the firmer, sharper and more distinctive its taste and texture becomes.

The Stravecchio Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for instance is aged for a year to three years, that is why it has a nutty-fruity taste and a hard, gritty texture. There are some cheeses that are eaten right away, fresh, and not ripened at all, such as the ricotta, cream, and cottage cheeses.

However, some cheeses are ripened mid-range often termed as semi-aged cheese for about 5 to 10 weeks. And one of the best tasting semi-aged cheeses available in the market today is the Bucheron cheese.

Bucheron is a goat’s milk cheese, a native produce of Loire Valley in France. The Bucheron is a very popular ingredient for salads and sandwiches because of its distinct taste and is readily available in most grocery stores. It has a soft, creamy center almost the same in texture to a typical chevre (goat’s cheese), but typical this cheese is not.

What makes Bucheron unique aside from its gooey and creamy taste is that it is made in short logs and aged before it is cut into much smaller rounds. Around its creamy center is a ring of a harder and tangier cheese that will tickle you taste buds with a unique sharpness and complexity, absent in typical chevre.

A very interesting characteristic of the Bucheron cheese is its structure it has a layer of gooey cheese around the large chalky core, and a thin bloomy layer of mold like that or brie cheese. Softly ripened cheeses age from the outside in, that is why they have an interesting center.

Thanks to the natural magic of mold, you get two cheeses in one block: a creamy, mushroomy center with a dry and clay-like and mildly tangy fresh goat milk cheese at the crust. Go ahead and try Bucheron cheese today! Pair it with Bordeaux’s or any dry whites and sink slowly into heaven.

Find out more about Bucheron.

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