Madison – You can’t judge a cheese by its aroma. Some cheeses are meant to
smell like a barnyard.
Stinky cheeses command respect at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest
being judged this week at Monona Terrace. Some of the most aromatic are in a
class all their own, considered to be among the world’s most sophisticated,
distinctive cheeses.
Two-hundred-pound wheels of Swiss may draw oohs and ahhs, but semi-soft,
smear-ripened cheeses such as limburger, Bergkse, Appenzeller and raclette make
up the largest class in this year’s world competition, which drew a record 2,318
entries. A world champion cheese will be crowned Thursday from among the winners
of 78 cheese classes, ranging from cheddars and Parmesans to Goudas and
Gorgonzolas, goat’s milk and sweet dessert cheeses.
Twenty nations from all over the world shipped a total of 50,000 pounds of
cheese to be judged at the biennial contest sponsored by the Wisconsin Cheese
Makers Association. Thirty judges from 15 nations will sniff and taste through
Thursday, when they’ll crown the champion.
Photo Caption: Neil Willman (right)and John Jaeggi judge the smear-ripened hard
cheese category at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest Tuesday in
Madison.
Photo Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff
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