Torta del Casar. Photo: Cien de Cine, Flickr.
Like larger than life art (think Andy Warhol print), cheeses, such as Époisses, can have such an immense flavor that people either love or hate them. We recently rediscovered torta-style cheeses, including Azeitão and La Serena, which, when ripe, have a degree of vegetal tanginess that would top just about any pungency charts. Torta del Casar, a torta-style cheese hailing from the region of Extremadura in Spain, has a distinct animal smell (some might say stink) that's sure to get the attention of even the most obtuse palate.
Named for its city of origin, Casar de Cáceres, Torta del Casar's meaty intensity can be detected the minute it enters a room. Its gamey taste and potent smell can be attributed to the raw milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep, from which the cheese is produced. Another explanation for this particularly sharp, nutty vegetal flavor has to do with thistle flower. Instead of using animal rennet to coagulate the sheep's milk, producers of this cheese use flower thistle.
Besides its unique gargantuan taste, Torta del Casar's cake-like shape (torta means cake in Spanish) and consistency are exceptionally prominent and eye-catching. Beneath its light orange-yellowish rind, is a syrupy, decadently creamy paste. In Spain, people cut off the top of the cheese and then they dip bread into this terrifically aromatic stuff. In the U.S., the cheese meets a mixed reception.
"People either love or hate it," says Sergio Hernandez, manager of Bklyn Larder, a specialty store located in Brooklyn, NY. "While some customers are intrigued and fascinated, others are taken aback by the amount of flavor." Hernandez explains that there is not a specific type of customer who gravitates towards these sorts of cheeses, and that even the most knowledgeable customers can find the cheese's flavor to be too hostile. In short, it's not a cheese that people respond to with indifference.
So, those of you looking to wow guests with your stinky cheese knowledge should certainly serve a wheel or two of Torta del Casar. It can be purchased online from La Tienda. Or in New York, head to Bklyn Larder to try the torta-style cheese.
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