The 2008 NCheeseAA Final: British Cheddar vs. Mozzarella
Beautiful Cheddar Gorge
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Bunting: I love pizza. I love it so much that even working in a pizza parlor for two semesters couldn’t break the bond I felt with one of mankind’s greatest culinary achievements. I also love insalata Caprese; when I went to Italy, I ate it every single day, and when I go out for Italian, I order it every single time. Obviously, then, I have nothing against mozzarella, except that it’s not a cheese that can really stand on its own: to shine, it needs to go on something, or in something, or with something. Yes, it’s a staple, but that doesn’t mean I think it belongs in this final. British Cheddar, by contrast, is a great snack with an apple; goes great on veggie chili; and is delicious all by its lonesome. I can’t sit here and tell you I wouldn’t eat mozzarella straight. I would; I have. It’s not a bad cheese, mozzarella. But “not bad” just isn’t good enough. The TGR/TN 2008 NCheeseAA Reader’s Medal Of Excellence should hang around the neck of a true, sharp champion: British Cheddar.
Keckler: I agree with my esteemed colleague from Brooklyn: mozzarella is good on a pizza. But for me, that’s pretty much all its good for. (Can’t stand the Caprese in Italy, in a gondola, on the lam — I CANNOT STAND CAPRESE SAM I AM!) Clearly, I’m revoltingly biased in this final match-up, especially since Brit Cheddar is my favorite cheese of all time. I appreciate mozzarella. I understand why other people like — even love — mozzarella. I just disagree with mozzarella. I want a cheese that is more than an ingredient. I want a snacker, a picnicker, a cheese that screams out from the fridge, “It is midnight and you are still up so clearly you need to partake of my sharp, smooth, deep deliciousness! Come, eat me on crackers, eat me with grilled scallions, or just eat me NAKED!” I want a cheese that doesn’t give up the rotting ghost if I forget it’s hanging out in my crisper. I want a cheese that doesn’t sit in its own juice like an old man in his sitz bath. I want a cheese that’s a champion, the winner of the TGR/TN 2008 NCheeseAA. I want Cheddar.
(Ready to vote? Click here! The poll stays open until Thursday morning.)
Tags: food
@Hellcat13 – “Cheese fridge”? CHEESE. FRIDGE. Oh, boy, does your family sound like my kind of people! In fact, there’s a good chance that I owe someone in your more-or-less immediate family a huge debt of gratitude for those unforgettable cheeses.
@Sandman – thanks for the tip on Maple Dale; I’ll have to search it out. Any ideas where they sell it in Toronto?
@Hellcat13 – You’re so lucky. I wish my family had a cheese fridge. I wish *I* had a cheese fridge – I don’t even have room for a wine fridge.
I wanted to add that this whole NCheeseAA has been a blast. My friends & I had a girls’ night last weekend and I was in charge of the cheese. On the tray was herbed chevre, gorgonzola, Saint-Andre, Red Leicester, 5-year old Cheddar, sharp orange Cheddar (for the more conservative), and raw-milk Pied-de-Vent (the Stanke Cheese of the evening; I considered Epoisses, but I’d never have gotten it home on the subway without getting arrested for causing a mass evacuation from the smell). Sars & Keckler, thanks for the inspiration!
My poor mozzarella is being blown out even before the cheese tip off. I am not going to argue because it is losing effort, but I have eaten mozzarella in everything from salads, pasta, in soups, with tomatoes in grilled cheese and by itself and I know that it is usually gone from my refrigerator within days of buying. British Cheddar while nice and sharp has been known to spend a week without my touching it, because I was not in the mood for it.
@cayenne: It’s quite a while since I lived in Toronto, so I’m not that up to date, but Summerhill Market in Rosedale’s supposed to carry it (including a raw-milk version). Pusateri’s, Queen’s Quay Loblaws, maybe even Whole Foods (if you don’t mind paying through the nose for it) are all likely bets.
I agree that this Cheese Bracket has been an absolute blast. Who knew that a cheese-off would evoke so much emotion? Well, Sars and Keckler probably had some idea. Thanks for all the stankë fun, you two.
Thou art most welcome! We had a lot of fun doing it.
Cheers!
@Keckler – if you’re ever in Ottawa, there’s an open invite for a wine and cheese. Cheddar, of course.
@Sandman – likely! I snooped your profile for your age – my dad was there from the time he was, like, 8 until the mid- to late-80’s, to give you a time-frame. Cheese-making runs in the family. My great-great-(great?)-grandfather was one of the farmers who opened the St. Albert cheese co-op, as well, which you’ll likely be familiar with. I sort of regret that none of the next generation (me/my siblings/cousins) got into it. Maybe it’ll skip a generation and our kids will take it up.
There’s something special about cheesemakers. One of the most powerful witches on Discworld makes cheese for a living.
Plus, Jesus said they were blessed. At least, that’s what someone heard.