Ever heard of Wasabique? Or the “forgotten cheeses”?
The French Ministry of Agriculture is hoping to introduce the Hong Kong public to cheeses beyond cheddar and Camembert. (Wasabique, for the record, is wasabi-flavored fromage, while the “forgotten cheeses” are cheeses whose recipes have nearly disappeared.)
Over the past few weeks, the ministry, in collaboration with the Hullet House hotel, has been slowly shipping in a selection of rare cheeses from France in preparation for Hong Kong’s first Cheese Festival. The five-day event, which starts June 1, will showcase more than 200 unusual cheeses for tasting and purchasing. Also on deck: Philippe Marchand and Dominique Bouchait, two of France’s top raffineurs, or “cheese refiners,” who ensure the proper maturation and aging of cheeses.
Why bring a bit of France to the Far East? These days in Hong Kong, the cheese plate is becoming just as popular, if not more, than the dessert platter, says Philippe Orrico, chef at the Hullett House. At his restaurants, he sources close to 30 different cheeses. And unlike the U.S., which has restrictions forbidding unpasteurized cheeses, Hong Kong has import laws that are more relaxed, he adds.
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