Passing Muenster

This story about a man who either loved his cheese or saw the dollar signs caught my eye this week and I just knew I had to track Muenster down.

Monster Cheese Theft

I mean who does that?

Anyway, I found Muenster lurking in the dairy cabinet earlier this week and just knew I had to see what the fuss is about.

Here’s the thing. Muenster cheese is not as exotic as it sounds. It’s an American cheese, not to be confused with the French variety, Munster. The name Muenster is derived from an English transliteration of Münster, a city in Germany.

Muenster is a smooth textured cheese with an orange rind and a white interior. This washed-rind cheese is made from cows’ milk. The orange color is derived from vegetable coloring. It usually has a very mild flavor and smooth, soft texture. In some cases, when properly aged, it can develop a strong flavor with a pungent aroma. This cheese is commonly served as an appetizer. Because it melts well, it is also often used in dishes such as grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna melts, quesadillas, cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, and pizza.

I can see how this works, it is extremely mild but hardly life changing.

Meanwhile, I also picked up an English cheddar that had quite a bite.

I do love a good cheddar and this one was, in honesty, average, but managed to hit the spot. It was my second cheddar of the week. My other one was a lovely vintage I had on a cheese plate Hyatt Regency Chennai

Rumors of my cheese addiction went before me, when I was cheerfully asked by the staff if I wanted to take a photo of the platter. And I did…before devouring it.

Pictured here was a lovely brie that had been left out long enough to be the perfect consistency. There was also a very decent charcuterie platter, which for a pork fiend like myself was heaven…

I am closing on on my 100th cheese…any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!