One of my favourite highlights of the EX was the cheese seminar courtesy of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. When I first heard of the cheese tasting, I immediately wanted to check it out. I grew up eating cheese as a snack in my elementary days, especially cheddar cheese which would always be my go-to comfort food.
The cheese seminar was held at the Home Pavillion at the Direct Energy Centre. When my friend and I took our seats, the awesome reps gave us some brochures and journals that would help with the seminar. During the seminar, all 30 guests were given 6-7 different cheeses to taste while Anne-Marie Shubin, international cheese expert, explained the differences in their taste, texture and smell. We started off with the milder cheeses such as the mozzarella and then tried the boursin, Havarti and of course the blue cheese. I was surprised to hear that Anne-Marie uses a small amount of blue cheese (in addition to the mozzarella cheese) while making spaghetti. It’s because blue cheese gives that aroma of creamy cheese without overloading your spaghetti with cheese.
We were also given pieces of bread, which we were encouraged to chew between each tastings. According to Anne-Marie, the bread cleanses your taste buds so you can really taste the differences between each cheese. The cheese seminar was extremely educational and I certainly have a new found appreciation for cheese farmers in Canada! I hope to go to my local farmer’s market this weekend and try some of my favourites – must have havarti on the list!
Written by: Sumaya Khan