The Class Where The Lactose Intolerant Were Weeded Out

Interesting Fact: The encouraging element in Gorgonzola cheese was originally the mold that was scraped off the walls of the damp and drafty Valassina caves in Lombardi, Italy.

Yes, yes. Last night was cheese identification. But before we got there I learned all about my options in culinary careers from our career advisor and got a full hour on the 9 steps to wise and efficient purchasing for a kitchen. (Its nice to know that we get some restaurant/ chef-as executive stuff along with the skills with the knives). And then it was on to the Cheese. We briefly discussed the process of making cheese and then dove right into the tasting. As I promised to spare only some details here are the cheeses we tasted (in the order we tasted them):

Group 1 - The Fresh Cheeses:
Chevre
Feta
Mascarpone
Polly-O Mozzarella
Fresh Mozzarella
Buffalo Mozzarella (named as such because the milk of a water buffalo is used)
Polly-O Ricotta
Fresh Ricotta

Group 2- The Soft/ Washed Rind Cheeses:
Morbier (probably one of the nastier cheeses I've ever had)
Bel Paese
Fontina (the real stuff, no imitations)
Taleggio (this one is not for the faint of heart)

Group 3- Soft Rind Ripened Cheeses:
Brie de Meaux
Explorateur (this one has a 75% fat content and tastes like good butter)
Pont L'Eveque - smells like hay after a sheep has slept on it for about 3 weeks

Group 4 - Hard Cheese
Vermont Cheddar
Manchego (was before and remains still one of my favorite cheeses)
Gouda
Gruyere (otherwise known as glorified Swiss cheese)

Group 5 - The Grating Cheeses:
Parmesan Reggiano
Pecorino Romano
Salata

Group 6 - The Blue Veined Cheeses
Roquefort
Gorgonzola
Stilton

By the time we were done I was greener than the mold in the stilton. While I love cheese, 22 in a row is a bit much for me. Although now I can at least consider myself an amateur cheese monger. And who doesn't like to say monger?

On another interesting note, there are 12 of us in my class - of that 12 - 8 of us are lefties. Tonight, I believe we get our knife kits!