This cheese is reputed to be King of the Blues, edging out Roquefort for the title of the strongest, sharpest, most pungent blue cheese in the world. At the urging of the nice lady at Artisan Cheese, Katrina and I sampled the King on Friday. Cabrales is a dark, gritty gray in color, with bumpy veins of purple-ish blue. It looks like gravel. Sadly, it tastes much the same. Imagine gravel on the side of a busy highway, home to roadkill and trash. Eating cabrales is like having your taste buds molested by an old man. The feelings of repulsion and disgust take years to go away. Cabrales is a cheese that lingers on the palate. 20 minutes later there will be some entirely new nasty taste in your mouth. No me gusta.
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3 replies on “Cabrales”
My taste buds are scandalized. The mere suggestion of (that terrible thing that you suggest involving an old man) makes me want to screen every cheese that I buy. I need to ensure that my taste buds will not be taken advantage of by some random cheese from the Rainbow cheese counter. Does anyone have a security protocol that they'd like to share?
I agree, it is a terrible thing to have done to one's mouth. The best security protocol would be to always have on hand some palate-cleansing protectant, like a piece of fruit or a beer or anything other than a dairy (or dairy-esque)-based beverage. Also, if the cheesemonger starts talking about blues and strong, powerful flavors and the intensity of the mold, etc. BE WARNED.
I would like to amend some of my former statements about cabrales. It is possible that Katrina and I ran into a Cabrales turned mean, and that it was not representative of the cheese as a whole. Just as the behavior of Senator Strom Thurmond and his fondness for young ladies is not representative of South Carolina as a whole. I had cabrales in a salad at Alma last week, and it was very nice. Pungent and flavorful but not overwhelming or nasty. I think it is a cheese best appreciated in the presence of spinach, apples, etc., and not by itself.