Cheese Question

[bigbanana]

What is it about British cheeses that give the different flavours? I don't mean the difference between mild and mature versions as I know this is down to ageing. Nor do I mean the different tastes of say Double Gloucester with a cheddar, where the two types are obviously different in colour and texture.

What I mean is the different flavours of two or more cheeses of the same type such as Wensleydale, Cheshire and Caerphilly. All these three cheeses are white, look the same, are crumbly yet taste totally different.

Why can you have two different cheddars for example that are made in the same area, both aged for say five years, yet taste differently?

I know these cheeses might have slightly different salt content, but is it down to that alone? Surely the process of making such cheeses is very similar so they should taste the same.

Thanks

[dzug]

Whilst the process may be very similar, what goes into them may be very different according to where the cows live and what they feed on. So the soil and its mineral, etc content will have an effect.

And the culture/bacteria can come in many different varieties

[bigbanana]

I appreciate what you've said dzug, but at the end of the day, cows eat grass which is more or less the same everywhere. I can't imagine a regional variation in grass taste or chemical structure that would influence the flavour of cheese to such a dramatic effect.

This would mean that if I took a Cheshire cow up to a field in Wensleydale for a week, I'd be able to make Wensleydale cheese out of it's milk on the return and I'm honestly not trying to be facetious.

You may be right about the influence of the cultures though.

[heathfield]

http://www.madsci.org...3/952032986.Bc.r.html