Savor Culture

Formaggio Kitchen piles it high.

 
Our recent trip to Boston included a visit to a revered institution in Cambridge, populated with model specimens from home and abroad.  I speak, of course, of Formaggio Kitchen, one of America’s pioneering purveyors of gourmet foodstuffs.  Now in its thirtieth year, FK offers a bounty of fresh produce, breads and pastries, beverages and wines, tea and coffee, chocolates, jams, pastas, oils and vinegars, sauces… and of course, cheese.

There’s no need to stoop as you peruse the impressive collection of domestic and imported cheeses: the aged wheels are arranged neatly at eye level, atop the refrigerated cases that house the more perishable soft cheeses and hams, terrines, and sausages.  Everything is beautifully trimmed and faced, the freshness of the cheeses a testament to the store’s high turnover.  Because the cheeses are kept at room temperature, their fragrances and flavors are readily apparent; reach out, pick up one of the hundreds, and take a deep sniff.  If it appeals to you, ask for a taste!  

Each item is labelled with a descriptive tag, filled with handwritten phrases such as, “palate-coating texture,” and “a hint of oystery brine.”  However, you won’t need your reading glasses, as several knowledgeable, friendly cheesemongers are likely to be close at hand.  We appreciated the personal attention that we received, as one cheesemonger provided samples of our requested cheeses, recommended her favorite gouda, and made sure we had everything we needed before helping her next customer.  

While representing several New England artisan producers, the cheese assortment at Formaggio Kitchen is notable for its imported varieties, including many small-production and seldom-exported cheeses from Europe.  Examples include Comté of four ages from Marcel Petite; Stichelton, a blue similar to Stilton, but made with raw milk; Taupinière, a unique goat’s milk cheese from the Loire Valley, which is recommended by Loulou; cheeses from Austria and Germany that you won’t find anywhere else in the US.  In their mail order catalog, owners Ihsan and Valerie Gurdal also highlight producers who utilize sustainable, organic, or biodynamic practices in the creation of their foodstuffs.

Here are the cheeses that we selected during our visit to Formaggio Kitchen:

Reypenaer VSOP, a cow’s milk gouda aged eighteen months from the Netherlands.  Deep and robust, with flavors of browned pie crust, butter toffee, and roasted root vegetables.

Tomme Fedou, a cellar-aged, sheep’s milk wheel from Languedoc-Rousillon, France.  Semi-firm, with sharpness of pine sap and a full, nutty flavor. 

Charmoix, a washed-rind, raw cow’s milk from a Belgian cooperative (read more here!).

I’d love to return to Formaggio Kitchen regularly, as a good number of their 300 varieties of cheese are unfamiliar to me.  However, our visit to Boston was a last hurrah before leaving New England.  We’ve moved to middle Tennessee, where I plan to make my own regional cheese discoveries, and to progress in cheesemaking at home.  I do have, however, a copy of Formaggio Kitchen’s current mail order catalog, which I heartily recommend as excellent bedtime reading.  You can also order from their online store, of course– but a catalog can be placed conspicuously on the table, where your loved ones are sure to see it (Wonderful Husband Charles, are you paying attention?).

Formaggio Kitchen
244 Huron Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.354.4750
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com

Satellite locations in Boston and New York City.

Tags: artisan cheese, Cow's Milk Cheese, Food culture, Massachusetts, raw milk cheese, sheep's milk cheese