Huma Siddiqui left Pakistan almost three decades ago, but memories of the aromatic spices that filled her home never left her.
So when Siddiqui and her two children moved to Mount Horeb 15 years ago to join her brother’s family, much of the culture shock was culinary.
“Everything here was so unbelievably bland,” her son, Samir Karimi said recently. “I grew up in London where curry was everywhere. I’d never seen a cow, and now I had friends who lived on farms.”
Aside from the fresh white cheese, paneer, and an occasional novelty import like Cheddar, cheese — that Wisconsin staple — was almost nonexistent in the Pakistani diet.
So the entrepreneurial mother and son team, who are now business partners, recently arranged a marriage of the Dairy State and Pakistani spices by introducing three new cheeses: cumin Gouda, made with whole cumin seeds and red chili flakes; tandoori Gouda, which includes spices like turmeric, chili powder, powdered tomato and beetroot, lemon peel, paprika, garlic and red chili flakes; and Sajji BBQ Gouda, dressed up with chipotle flakes, chipotle powder, oregano, onion, garlic and red chili flakes.
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