There is a saying that goes “age doesn’t matter, unless you’re cheese.” Beyond its attempt to be funny, there is actually a certain truth behind such saying. . Actually, aging in cheese (or ripening) is the most important part of making cheese.

By letting the cheese to rest in carefully controlled conditions, they are able to develop the look, the texture, the flavor and even the aroma properties that make them unique. When ripened properly, the bloom blossoms on Camembert, the holes become the classic Swiss, and the veins transform into Gorgonzola.

During ripening, microbes and enzymes develop inside that breaks down the proteins and milk fat into different complex amino acids. Thus creating a cheese with a rich texture and an intense flavor.

Usually, cheeses are aged between two weeks to two yeas, sometimes for several years more. Therefore, the longer the cheese is aged, the firmer, sharper and more distinctive its texture becomes.

Cheeses like the Stravecchio Parmigiano Reggiano for example, are ripened for 24 to 36 months, giving it a nutty-fruity taste and a hard, gritty texture. The mildest cheeses such as ricotta, and cream and cottage, are eaten fresh right away and are not ripened at all.

But, some cheeses are ripened “half way through” these cheeses are known as semi aged cheese for about 5 to 10 weeks only. And Bucheron Soignon is one of the great tasting semi-aged cheese in the market today.

Bucheron is made from pure goat’s milk and is a native delicacy of Loire Valley in France. Widely available and absolutely tasty, the Bucheron makes a perfect ingredient for a salad or sandwich. It has a soft, creamy center almost the same in texture to a typical chevre (goat’s cheese), but typical this cheese is not.

Aside from its gooey and creamy taste, Bucheron cheese is also different because it is made in short logs and aged before cutting it into smaller rounds. Around its creamy center is a ring of a harder and tangier cheese that will tickle you taste buds with a unique sharpness and complexity, absent in typical chevre.

The Bucheron cheese has a very interesting characteristic it has a layer of gooey cheese around the large chalky core, plus a thin bloomy layer of mold like that of brie cheese thanks to its youth. This is because softly ripened cheeses are aged from the outside in, thus the interesting center of the Bucheron.

Buying the Bucheron cheese is like buying two different cheeses at once: a creamy, mushroomy center, and a dry, clay-like and tangy fresh goat milk at the crust. It tastes perfectly with Bordeaux’s or any other dry. Get some Bucheron cheese today and sink slowly into heaven.

Learn more about Bucheron.

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