Cheese Primer
by Steven Jenkins
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Book Reviews of Cheese Primer
Book Review: Essential!
Summary: 5 Stars
The book is required reading for anyone claiming to have a serious interest in cheese or, for that matter, food (excepting certain dietary restrictions, of course). After explaining the history, manufacturing and aging processes, and identifying and describing the various cheese categories that result from those processes, Jenkins then takes the reader on a world tour of important cheese-producing countries, and on a region-by-region basis introduces him to the important indigenous cheeses, their variations, their histories, and which other cheeses--if any--are similar. Tips on how to buy (including what to look for and what to avoid), serving suggestions, and the wines and side dishes that best partner each selection are also included; the storage tips are invaluable (and most cost-effective). Also included are some easy, KICKIN' recipes, including one for the best corn chowder I've ever tasted (cut the dill by half, though). The reader is not only made aware of the existence and availability of cheeses of which he's never heard, but which--based on their description--he might be most inclined to enjoy. In fact, if this book possesses any flaw at all (excepting the crummy paper already noted by previous reviewers), it's that it could really use an update--many cheeses have come and gone since its first appearance, and some listed are now--horrors--made from pasteurized milk.
It's indeed unfortunate that our government, in its infinite wisdom, has taken upon itself the responsibility for protecting us from the dangers of <60-days-old cheeses made from raw milk. I suppose their hands are tied though, in view of the fact that consumers in other, less-enlightened parts of the world are dropping like flies due to their consumption of these deadly cheeses. Indeed, one is forced to wonder how, in light of such devastation, anyone is even left to manufacture these lethal foodstuffs. Fortunately, we'll be avenged for Pearl Harbor: European cheese producers can't keep up with Japanese demand for raw milk cheeses. (Is my bitterness at this stupidity apparent yet? Forgive me; a Libertarian-type rant, especially where my tastebuds are concerned, is often a good catharsis.)
I'm lucky enough to be able to pick Steve's brain personally while doing my shopping at Fairway in NYC, and have been doing so at every opportunity for the last several years. This is not only rewarding for the most obvious reason--that I learn from a master about the four foods that most interest me: cheese, olive oil, honey, and balsamic--but it also provides the ego-enhancing benefit of having him take my own food tips and experiences seriously when I have any to pass along. Fairway is a unique shopping experience that can be likened to visiting friends who happen to purvey an eclectic range of foods at great prices; indeed, it really is "like no other market." It's the pleasantest, most rewarding food shopping in Manhattan and I'm proud to include Steve as a friend.
FLASH! Cheese Primer is now a shiny hardcover! All else is the same, but it's now more or less kitchen-proof and a lot sturdier. Nice touch!
Book Review: Comte = very few small holes Emmentaler = lots of big holes
Summary: 4 Stars
I worked as a cheesemonger for five years, have shopped at Mr. Jenkins counter at Fairway in NYC, and have attended American Cheese Society conferences where he has spoken. When I've heard him speak, he has always admitted that there is incorrect and out of date information in this book - it was published in 1996, and since then, some cheeses that were unavailable in the U.S., or only available in pasteurized versions have become available or additionally available in raw milk versions. For example, on p. 159, he states that Bleu d'Auvergne is only made with pasteurized milk. There are versions now that you can buy in the U.S. made with raw milk and have been for at least five years.It's not a huge problem for a casual reader that there are errors in the book - though some of them are factual, many of them are changes caused by the growth in interest in good cheese in the U.S. Availability is changeable, and we get to eat more delicious treasures because of greater interest in cheeses here in America, which includes the promotion of cheeses by Mr. Jenkins. I've heard that he's working on a second edition, but that was a couple years ago, and a revision of a work like this is certainly a long process.
That being said, the picture on p. 116 *is* captioned incorrectly. The text above the picture is about Emmentaler. A wheel of Emmentaler (originally from Bern, a bulging Swiss cheese with holes produced by the action of innocuous bacteria added to the curd in production and a smooth, brushed rind) is identified as a wheel of Comte (a cheese from the Franche-Comte region of France with a few small holes, and a flat, bumpy, natural brown rind, pictured on p. 114). This is obviously an editing mistake. Believe me, your average book editor is not going to be identify cheeses by sight at ten paces as a cheesemonger can. If you turn the book upside down and look closely, you will be able to read the words "Grand Cru" on the top of the cheese. It's Grand Cru Emmentaler.
Mr. Jenkins tells us himself, "I'm opinionated about flavor and pull no punches." He is opinionated, and his likes and dislikes come through strongly. Don't decide to dismiss a cheese entirely because he doesn't like it, or accept it just because he loves it. You just can't do that with food. This is a chatty, enjoyable, conversational read, but if you want to learn about cheese, don't just read this book. Read others too, and *most importantly*, go out and meet your local cheesemonger and taste all the different types of cheese you can!
Book Review: Put your money where your mouth is, Steve
Summary: 3 Stars
Steve Jenkins is one of the most opinionated cheesemongers in the country, and therein lies his problem. Throughout the book his prounouncements and his boasting make him look foolish if not petty. The book is rife with errors and --thank goodness-- is apparently being revised as I write this. Among my favorite errors in the book is a photograph on page 116, "With a sweeping gesture, this cheese shop clerk cuts into a wedge of Comte with a wire cutter." Clearly the cheese is Grand Cru Emmenthal, not Comte. Perhaps he suffers from bad editing, but there is no need to make us all suffer with him. Particularly insufferable is his "American Treasures" section of his overview of American cheeses. Laura Chenel's chevre may have been a 'treasure' 10 years ago, but the stuff available in most markets today, both domestic and norwegian produced, is flaccid, tasteless, and unimaginative. Just perfect for the US market, right Steve? His "Great Cheeses" section has produced a generation of sheep haunting their favorite cheese counters with requests for the grossly commercial Explorateur, the equally commercial rouzaire Gratte Paille, the gruesome Leyden (just try selling that in your cheese counter...bet you will be stuck with it for years!), and boring Boursalt. His top cheeses are all pretty mundane, and unfortunately many novice cheesemongers fill their cases with his recommendations. I tell all my cheese neophyte friends to buy Cheese Primer for a basic education, but they must form opinions about quality themselves. And they shouldn't believe everything Jenkins puts forward-- the fact checker must have been out the day he submitted his manuscript. One other thing to keep in mind is that some cheeses which Jenkins describes as rare or not imported into the US no longer applies. Don't take his word for it. Just go to your favorite cheese shop and ask for one of those cheeses (start with REAL epoisse or Vacherin Mont D'or). But don't ask at one of those places where Jenkins' book is the only one on display. They wouldn't know.Book Review: A good guide, but don't let it intimidate you
Summary: 4 Stars
If Anthony Bourdain's motto in "A Cook's Tour" is "Eat what the locals eat," the author of "Steven Jenkins Cheese Primer" (no apostrophe) might add the corollary, "Don't eat what the locals eat if you're not where the locals are." For one of the most important, if depressing, pieces of information in this info-packed book is that we in this country are banned, through the wisdom of our government, from eating authentic European cheeses the way they were intended to be eaten (i.e., made from unpasteurized milk). As a result, many "European" cheeses sold in the US, Jenkins tells us, are pallid and bland -- if not downright heretical -- imitations of their European namesakes. If we want to try, for example, a "real" Camembert, we'll just have to wait until we get to France.(Interestingly, Camembert cheese is not made in the village of Camembert, Jenkins informs us, nor is cheddar cheese made in the English town of Cheddar. Not any more, anyway. And needless to say, "real" cheddar cheese is apparently a very different thing from the mass-produced yellow bricks we find in our grocery store.)
The cover of this book describes Steven Jenkins as "America's most opinionated authority" when it comes to cheese, and I've no doubt that's true. His opinions do in fact come through loud and clear. As with any "authority" on matters of taste, you can give his opinions as much weight as you think they deserve. There's no question, though, that Jenkins is immensely informed about his topic. And if you feel a little self-conscious carrying this Primer to your local *crémerie*, rest assured that it would still be easier than trying to memorize all the facts, tips, recommendations, and warnings the book contains.
Book Review: The Best Introduction to Cheese
Summary: 4 Stars
Steven Jenkins has written 'a passionate guide
to cheese'. He may well be, as the cover copy
claims 'America's most opinionated authority'.
What makes this book the most important volume
on the subject right now is that the man has
tasted most of the world's cheeses and has or-
ganized his careful tasting notes in a way that
makes them easy to access.
His geographical sections are sprinkled with
sidebars that are often interesting or useful
and his writing style is bubbly and fun.
It's true that this book is in no way a primer.
It's not about first principles, and some of what
it has to say is just plain wrong. Fat doesn't
float because it's heavier than water, (p.15)
for instance and the best wine to serve with
a cheese is only occasionally one from the
same region (many of the best dairy lands aren't
in wine country).
Of course, any book that calls itself opinionated
is going to have opinions that provoke disagreement.
There are also going to be holes in the en-
cyclopedic fabric. (Steve, how could you have missed
Austria's Voralberger Bergkäse?)
Quibbles aside, this is an author who cares about
one of the good things in life and has devoted his
time, taste and intelligence to sharing that thing
with the rest of us. The result is a book that will
bring a lot of pleasure and be used as a reference
for many years. For less than the cost of a pound
of Reggiano, this is a great buy.
Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE
and the forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Press.
(ISBN 1601640005)