Savoring Decay: Berthaut Epoisses

Savoring Decay: Berthaut Epoisses

I was enjoying an odoriferous slab of Epoisses last weekend (a cheese so smelly my daughters make me cover it between slices so as not to render the kitchen atmosphere unbreathable) and I took in a deep breath only to realize that the predominating smell I detected was…ammonia. Under the circumstances, this was not at all an unpleasant sensation, and it underscores an element in our enjoyment of many foods: the taste of rot, the flavor of bacteria attacking a food and rendering it intense.

Epoisses, called the “king of cheeses” by Brillat-Savarin, is very spreadable, a feature I also appreciate, and it is at once both a sophisticated fromage and a barnyardy bust in the chops. Legend has it that it was dreamed up by Cistercians, yet another culinary contribution made possible by guys who, while at least nominally denying themselves earthly pleasures, sought elevated enjoyment in food.

It is not at all hard for me to understand why younger, more sensitive palates rebel at the thought of eating something that, under other circumstances, would be judged vile, but I just love the brain-clearing slap on the tongue provided by the Berthaut round that I picked up at Whole Foods for about $15. I’m not sure I’d recommend eating this cheese “in” other food items, but all alone, with crusty bread, a green salad and a glass of sturdy red wine, it is funk fit for angels.



Hammond

I've always been advised that an ammoniacal smell in cheese is a tip off that it's spoiled or very near to being spoiled. It's probably a very good indication that it hasn't been cared for properly.

There was a post on the other board that discussed an ammoniacal smell being related to plastic wrap, which doesn't allow the cheese to "breathe" and the ammonia smell to dissipate. It was referred to as "le parfum de Windex".

The treatment was simple: remove the plastic wrap and replace it with waxed paper to allow it to "breathe".

mchodera wrote:I've always been advised that an ammoniacal smell in cheese is a tip off that it's spoiled or very near to being spoiled. It's probably a very good indication that it hasn't been cared for properly.

I believe there are probably degrees of decay, and while it's undeniable that this cheese had a putrid smell, it seemed...controlled, somehow, and agreeable.

The epoisses I wrote about was opened up some days before, removed from its plastic sheath, and stored in paper and its wooden box. However, I just noticed that some wicked person (a child, I'm guessing) double-wrapped it in plastic like some toxic waste. I have freed it and intend to eat more of it tonight.

Hammond

Though I havent had it in a while, I like the Epoisses too, but I think that the ammonia smell is from more that normal aging. I think that it is a sign of spoilage (bad) rather than decay (good). When I get ammonia smelling cheese, I either dump it or attempt to trim away the offending part. I have no idea if it is unhealthy to eat, but I find the smell wrecks any potential enjoyment. In several trips to france, where I ate lots of stinky cheese, I never came across any ammonia odors. Are there any unusual mold blooms? I seem to come across ammonia smell with yellow and red mold blooms on some of the Whole Foods soft cheeses.

-Will

WillG,

No blooms, and the ammonia notes, though present, were not off-putting, which may only mean, of course, that I like rotten cheese.

Hammond

Getting home tonight from "Ratatouille" (enjoyed it), I opened up the infamous cheese and examined it top, bottom and sides: no blooms, very white and creamy interior, and no "off-smells." Now, the whiff of ammonia was there, as was, according to The Wife, "a barfy, kind of predigested" smell, but it tasted pretty much as it did last week. Some strong stuff but not, I think, gone bad.

If The Wife had described it as a "flatulent, kind of predigested" smell, I believe that she would have been technically correct, since that is what the bacteria are doing.
I believe that Epoisses are washed with Marc de Bourgogne, as is one of my favorite all time cheeses, L'Ami du Chambertin (which I have never seen in this country.) This creates the color, and a bit of the flavor, but it doesnt seem to impede the bacterial ripening.

-Will

WillG wrote:If The Wife had described it as a "flatulent, kind of predigested" smell, I believe that she would have been technically correct, since that is what the bacteria are doing.

She actually said it was more barfy than farty, and, yes, the predigested quality would be due to the fact that bacteria are digesting the milk product.

I've done a little research on the ammoniation quesiton, and it seems a question of degree. Cheese will (like all organic matter) begin to decompose, and ammonia is formed; some ammonia is acceptable, but at some point in the cycle it becomes too much. In a sense, it seems a question of personal taste, though eating cheese that is too far gone would probably be a health concern. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board notes that " A hint of ammonia is not objectionable, but heavy ammoniation is,"* which kind of makes it sound like a question of aesthetics.

* http://www.wisdairy.com/AllAboutCheese/ ... Terms.aspx

I agree that the ammonia smell is mostly a flavor and not a health issue, but I would be curious what really causes it. I have had ammonia smelling fish, but not red meat or poultry, at least that I remember. Your link suggests that it is most likely with white mold cheese so maybe it is a natural byproduct of the mold that only becomes detectable as it over-ripens or is poorly stored. I see it more on wet surfaced cheeses, epoisses or La Tur, than drier cheeses, though that wetness may be caused by the storage method. I dont see any mold on ammonia smelling fish, though it is usually wet. An interesting mystery.

-Will

WillG wrote:I seem to come across ammonia smell with yellow and red mold blooms on some of the Whole Foods soft cheeses.

I just returned two cheeses I bought at WF on Roosevelt last night because of the intense ammonia funk. Although I've purchased probably 2-3 other ammoniated cheeses from this WF, I was usually too busy or lazy to return them. Now, it's a matter of cheese principle. I'm willing to let a whiff of funk go without complaint, but these two cheeses stank up the place, and burned up my nose palate...if that makes any sense. I was smell/tasting that sharp, ammonia cloud for hours.

One of the pieces (a Capriole Old Kentucky Tomme) also had an orange-ish mold on it...I've been told that the yellow/red/orange molds are the ones to stay away from; the brown/blue molds aren't harmful and, if objectionable, can be cut away.

The girl at WF customer service accepted the return with no problem, and called one of the managers over to hear the complaint. The way he explained it, the ammoniation is common in the softer cheeses that are cut and re-wrapped in plastic...which begs the question (although I didn't ask it): why don't they leave wheels whole and only cut pieces to order?

I'm sure it's a matter of time/money, but if a good portion of your stock is going bad (not "kill you" bad, but bad in the sense that that's probably not the flavor/aroma cheesemaker was going for), would cutting to order solve the problem?