What are some terms I can use to describe cheese?
The following is from the French affineur Hervé Mons' teaching materials.
The appearance
- cracked
- moist
- moldy
- waxed
- dry
- chapped rind
- color*
- shape*
- fluffy
The texture
- sticky
- firm
- chalky
- buttery
- runny
- dry
- elastic
- hard
- crunchy
- mealy
- opened
- sandy
- creamy
- rubbery
- moist
- stringy
- shiny
- slick
- chewy
- crumbly
- grainy
The smell**
- sour
- floral
- complex
- flat
- grilled
- burnt
- barny
- smells like:
- ammonia
- mushroom
- butter
- lactic acid
- fruit
- cooked milk
- fresh milk
- yeast
- blue mold
- cream
- earth
- malt
- mold
- smoke
- wood
- leather
- hay
- straw
- goat
- sheep
- cow
- fresh cut grass
The taste**
- acidic
- sour
- bitter
- salty
- sweet
- pungent
- tangy
- metallic
- fresh
- piquant
- fruity
- moldy
- astringent
- tastes like:
- caramel
- butter
- cream
- dried fruits (nut, wanut, apricot)
- fresh fruits (grapes, apple, pear)
- honey
- soap
- mushroom
- cooked milk
- fresh milk
*the different colors of the rind can come from its age, its family and the mold developed on the cheese. It can go from yellow to bright orange. And it's completely natural! The shape gives you information about the cheese type or family.
**it's interesting to notice that each main sensation coincides with the origin of the cheese:
- Grass: floral, hay, straw
- Milk: buttery, creamy, lactic acid, whey
- Animal: goat, cow, sheep
- Caves: mushroom, woody, earthy