Limburger cheese
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| Limburger | |
 |
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| Country of origin | Netherlands & Belgium |
|---|---|
| Region, town | Limburg |
| Source of milk | Cows |
| Pasteurised | Yes |
| Texture | Smooth, Creamy, Semi-Soft, light tasting |
| Aging time | 2-3 months |
Limburger cheese is a cheese that originated in the historical Duchy of Limburg, which is now divided between modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Limburger is especially known for its pungent odor. The bacterium used to ferment Limburger cheese and other rind-washed cheeses is Brevibacterium linens; this same bacterium is found on human skin and is partially responsible for human body odor.[1]
Herve cheese is a particular kind of Limburger cheese produced in the municipality of Herve.
Limburger cheese and its characteristic odor are a frequent butt of jokes and gags. In 2006 a study showing that the malaria mosquito (Anopheles gambiae) is attracted equally to the smell of Limburger cheese and to the smell of human feet[2] earned the Ig Nobel Prize in the area of biology. [3]
Despite its birth location, most of the Limburger cheese made today comes from Germany, and has been since about the nineteenth century. It was first produced by Rudolph Benkerts in 1867 in his cellar from pasteurized goat’s milk. [4] A few years later, there were about 25 factories that produced this cheese. The Chalet Cheese Cooperative, located in Monroe, Wisconsin, is the one company which makes this cheese in North America.[5]
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[edit] Description
Limburger cheese is most-well known for its very pungent aroma which is caused by bacteria that live in the rind. It has often been described as having the same odor as smelly feet. In its first month, the cheese is more firm and crumbly, similar to the texture of feta cheese. After about six weeks, the cheese becomes softer along the edges but is still firm on the inside and can be described as salty and chalky. After two months of its life, it is mostly creamy and much smoother. Once it reaches three months, the cheese produces its notorious odor.
[edit] Uses
After three months, when the cheese has ripened, it becomes spreadable. In Wisconsin, you can find it on the menu accompanied with raw onions and brown mustard on a sandwich. [6]
[edit] Nutrition Facts
100 grams of Limburger cheese contains about 327 calories and has 27 grams of fat, which is about 42 percent of the daily value of a person eating on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Although it does provide calcium, protein and Vitamin A, it also makes up for 30 percent of the daily value of cholesterol and 33 percent of the daily value of sodium. This assumes eating 3.5 servings of the cheese.[7]
[edit] Cultural Significance
Due to its distinctive odor, unpleasant to many people, Limburger cheese has achieved symbolic significance in popular culture. For example, it is the only known weakness of Mighty Mouse, and in The Beverly Hillbillies, the Clampetts reserve their wall safe for storing Limburger cheese; a detail that is used for comic effect in several episodes. Harry Langdon, on a bus ride in the silent movie 'The Strong Man', uses it (by mistake) as an ointment. The other passengers throw him off. The B-52's also reference the cheese in their song 'Dance this Mess Around' with the line "Why don't you dance with me? I'm not no Limburger!"
[edit] Notes
- ^ McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition). Scribner. ISBN 0-684-80001-2. pp 51-63, "Cheese"
- ^ Knols BG (November 1996). "On human odour, malaria mosquitoes, and limburger cheese". Lancet 348 (9037): 1322. doi:. PMID 8909415.
- ^ Ig Nobel Prize list of past winners
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.wisdairy.com/BuyWICheese/companydetail.aspx?companyid=52#
- ^ "Cheesetique April Newsletter". 2006-04. http://www.cheesetique.com/news/CheesetiqueApr06Newsletter.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-07.
- ^ Nutrition Facts and Information for Cheese, limburger
