Today's Fromage Savage: Calabrese Table Cheese

Purchased from Corrado's, Clifton, NJ

Type: Semi-soft

Teat: Sheep's milk (I think--it didn't say on the package, but it has the right consistency and Calabria is known mostly for cow and sheep's milk cheeses)

Trappings: Everything I could carry from the Corrado's deli counter, including hot peppers stuffed with cheese and salami, homemade sopressata, arrancini (stuffed rice balls), and fresh Semolina bread



Taste: As you may or may not be aware, Italy is divided into regions, sort of like states. Each region is known for different styles of cooking. Each is also known for certain characteristics its residents are reported to exhibit. The Calabrese are known for being "hard-headed."

I can tell you from very personal experience that there is truth to this stereotype. So can anyone who's met me.

It makes sense somewhere in my fevered brain that a stubborn lot would have a fondness for spicy food (another stereotype I happen to personally prove out), and as you can probably tell from the photo, this cheese does not skimp on the hot stuff. But like any good peppery grub, the coating isn't blow-your-head-off hot--it's got a kick to be sure, but it's actually quite flavorful. It looks and tastes like the crushed red pepper was mixed with just enough oil to make a paste that was applied to the outside of the cheese.



I expected the inside of this cheese to be mild as a counterbalance to the peppers, but I was way off. It has the consistency of a provolone, but it has a salty, tangy bite to it, the way an aged cheese tastes. It's tasty, but the combo of the peppers with the almost Parmesan-y flavor of the cheese means this cheese is the ONLY thing you'll taste. I guess that makes sense for a "table cheese," which is generally put out with bread for people to munch on.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Calabria's table cheese as part of a cheese plate or tasting, but if you have the fortitude to mow your way through a cheese that'll bite back some, then as my Calabrese grandfather used to tell me (sorry for the phonetic spelling), "Rimanga con me, amico mio, e scoreggera fra le mutando fato de la seta": Stick with me, kid, and you'll break wind through silk underwear.