People the world over have special places they enjoy visiting and special foods they enjoy eating. The best places and best foods are in reality based on personal preferences. Cheese is among the many foods individuals consider the best brands or the best types of cheese. Not everyone likes brie, cheddar, pimento, parmesan, mozzarella or any of the healthy goat cheeses. Yet these cheeses are among some of the best cheeses in the world based upon the World Cheese Awards and other cheese contests held in several countries, annually.
Is there anything finer?
Every year more than one hundred twenty cheese experts gather to taste more than 2000 thousand cheeses entered in the annual World Cheese Awards. The awards took place in London, England in 2007; Dublin, Ireland in 2008 and the 2009 awards are in Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, September 30-October 3. There will be 140 taster/judges and about 2350 cheeses. Toward the end of October, a list of all the awards will be available. Interested viewers can see the 2009 World Cheese Awards live television and online.
One of the most popular cheeses and a consistent award winner is Brie de Meaux. In 774, Charlemagne took his first bite of Brie de Meaux, a cheese manufactured in the small province of Brie about 50km from Paris. Charlemagne henceforth called it the best cheese he ever tasted. The dying wish of Louis XVI was a bite of Brie de Meaux. It was the favorite cheese of Henry IV and Charles of Orleans believed it to be the best in world. Some historians believe brie cheese has been around since before 2000BC.
Brie-de-meaux is a really, really good one
The history of Europe defines the 1914 Congress of Vienna as the most important meeting of magistrates from all of Europe. Prince de Talleyrand was the host of the gathering, which included reigning princes, two emperors, kings, a queen, empresses and other royalty. Each magistrate brought the country’s favorite cheese to the Congress. Cheese was among the important topics discussed at the Congress of Vienna. The political side of the gathering resulted in one hundred years of peace between the countries, but the battle of cheeses rages on each year during the World Cheese Awards.
Among the cheeses championed in a lively discussion of these European politicians were English Stilton, Emmenthal, Edam and Italian Strachino. Eventually, the Prince of Talleyrand introduced Brie de Meaux. Before the evening banquet was over Talleyrand declared Brie de Meaux, “Le Roi Des Fromages” which means The King of Cheeses. This perhaps was the first Cheese Contest ever held anywhere.
A cheese competition?
The World Cheese Awards organised by the UK Cheese Guild about twenty years ago is the premier cheese event of the year. At least one hundred twenty cheese experts present 490 awards: Gold, Silver, Bronse, the World Champion and 13 other champion trophies including the Pilgrim’s Trophy. The cheeses fall into one or more of 90 different categories. Once the judges select the cheese award winners, buyers and retailers will gather this year at the first World Cheese Congress to taste the winning cheeses. The buyers and sellers will decide if they agree with the judges choices for the 2009 World Cheese Awards.
The 2006 winner of the trophy for the World’s Best Cheese was Jim Boyce’s Rouge et Noir Triple Crème Brie. The best place to go for this cheese is the Marin French Cheese Company in Petaluma, California.
This is rouge-et-noir
The 2007 winner of the World’s Champion Trophy for the World’s Best Cheese was Brie de Meraux by Renard Gillard, Lorraine, France. The same year the Gold Medal for the World’s Best Cheddar went to USA’s Fiscalini Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar, the only non-British cheddar to win the title of Best Cheddar during the World Cheese Awards held in London in 2007. The Marco Polo Reserve won a Gold Medal for Hard Pressed or Repressed Cheddar with Savoury Additives in 2008 and the Bronze Medal in 2007.
In 2008, the Pilgrims Choice Trophy during the World Cheese Awards in Dublin Ireland went to Best Mature Block, Glanbia Mature White Cheddar entered by the Irish Dairy Board. The Cathedral City Trophy for the Best Mature Traditional Cheddar went to Montgomery’s Cheddar produced by JA & E Montgomery, Great Britain. The same company also won the Wyke Farms Trophy for Extra Mature Traditional Cheddar.
Cheddar, a classic cheese
The Traditional Cheese Co. Trophy for Best Cheddar in the Show went to Vintage Farmhouse Traditional Cheddar produced by The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co., England where cheddar cheese originated. The Foodhouse UK Trophy for the Best Italian Cheese went to Mozzarella di Bufala, produced by Fattorie Garofalo entered by the Sheridans. The CMA UK Trophy for the Best German Cheese went to Bergrebell produced by Schönegger Käse-Alm GmbH & Co., KG.
Among the best new cheeses of the world for 2008 was Sartori Reserve Raspberry BellaVitano, awarded a gold medal as the best new cheese with additives. The best hard cheese or semi-hard cheese was Sartori Reserve Bella Vitano. SarVecchio Parmesan wins an award almost every year. The Best American Cheeses come from Madison, Wisconsin, the Cheese Capital of USA.
During the 2008 World Cheese Awards, the judges presented gold awards to Mossfield Organic Farms for the Best Irish Specialty; the Organic Mature 9 Months Sponsored by Bord Bia is a Gouda-style Cheese. The Swaledale Cheese Company’s Best Specialty from Yorkshire & Humber, Sponsored by deliciouslyorkshire was Swaledale Goats’ Milk Cheese.
Gouda
Another cheese many proclaim as the best cheese in world comes from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The cheese is Queso Arico curado pimentón’ a goat cheese made by the co-operative Sociedad Canaria de Formento. Brushing the cheese at regular intervals with paprika and gofia, a powdered cereal favored in the Canary Islands provides a distinctive flavor to this award winning cheese.
You can find the latest cheese news and interesting articles, recipes and more at All about Cheeses; Recipes and more at the British Cheese Board; Cheese Slices; Cheese Poet; Curd Nerds and the Cheese Lover. The announcement of 2009 winners will be in October 2009.