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| The Veneto region in Italy. |
Move over Asiago, because this region is also home to the notable Sottocenere. Made with traditional rennet, Sottocenere is one of the few raw milk cheeses from Italy that's not associated primarily with cooking. In other words, it's a cheese that can be and often is eaten as a snacking cheese or as is, not grated on pasta dishes, though the truffle flavor lends itself well to cooking too. Some Sottoceneres are made with pasteurized milk, but if you can find the raw milk versions, grab one, because they tend to have a more pronounced flavor.
This cheese is wonderfully pungent. It even smells pungent, but it's not like traditional stinky cheeses. The aroma is more subtle. It's slightly musky, but pleasant, like the very light sweat of a significant other. This might seem like a strange comparison, but keep in mind that truffles are found by pigs (or dogs that don't get quite as excited) sensing the musk-like odor of the fungi, which contain the same chemical found in the testes of male pigs courting sows. It's a sex thing. It turns out that this chemical is also found in humans and secreted by their sweat glands. What's apparent when you first expose the cheese to air is that the truffle odor escapes before the bouquet of the cheese can be detected, and it's a breathtaking moment. The aroma of the cheese itself is extremely faint in comparison.
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| Truffle hog. |
With a goat cheese and truffle combination such as Truffle Tremor by Cypress Grove, the flavor of both the cheese and the truffles are potent, and that makes for a memorable, bold cheese. The two flavors play off of and, at times, compete with each other, but overall they are still well matched and balanced. With Sottocenere, on the other hand, the flavor of the cow's milk cheese is mild, so it easily and simply allows the slices of truffles throughout to be showcased. It is all about the truffles here. The flavor of the cheese is nearly lost. It's hard to describe, but the cheese becomes intriguing, almost addictive in its subtlety.
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| Slices of truffles are visible in Sottocenere. |
It's interesting how the flavor of the cheese develops and changes as you chew it. Just a hint of sweetness can be detected, most likely from the coat of nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, licorice, cloves and fennel on the ash rind. Though the interior is only very slightly spicy, the spices on the rind do enhance the flavor of the cheese. By the way, I wouldn't suggest eating the rind unless you are on the adventurous side. I happen to be, but this was a little on the bitter side to my taste. Plus, the texture is somewhat sandy, flaky and chewy which is in sharp contrast to the velvety smooth, somewhat sticky but firm interior. The texture of the rind isn't so much the issue; it's more that the intense flavor that's a lot like dirt detracts from the cheese.
By far the most prominent flavor of the fromaggio is the wonderful earthiness that emerges from the first bite and lingers long after the last swallow. It's tangy but not overly so. With goat cheeses, the sharp tang is prominent, but here there's just a hint of it. This little gem will go well with anything you can imagine from egg dishes and cooked pasta dishes to salads and gourmet sandwiches. As with most intriguing cheeses, I like it plain on a toasted baguette, so the subtle flavors can emerge. However, I could see that this cheese in a traditional Italian pasta dish or even in an upgraded mac and cheese would be phenomenal.
Sottocenere isn't dry like cheddar or aged goat cheeses or exceptionally strong, so medium-bodied wines or other wines from the Veneto area that won't overpower it make for good pairings.
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| Nobbiolo wines pair well with this cheese |
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