cheesemaking (9)

Making Cheese in a Tropical Setting, A Visit to Quesos Monte Azul in Chimirol de Rivas, Costa Rica

Finding our way to Quesos Monte Azul, Chimirol de Rivas, Costa Rica

When we have visited Costa Rica in the past, we noticed that most of the cheese here falls into the “fresh category” but never really put much thought into why that might be. We usually just chalked it up to which foods are popular here and that a wedge of hard, funky cheese didn’t really fit in. Once we discovered the Monte Azul brand of cheese as something more relatable to our palates and one that was possible to pair with wine, we found out the information we had been missing. Cheese is different in Costa Rica for good reason! It just so happened that Monte Azul was near where we were staying so we arranged for a visit there. Our entry will share the things we learned that day.

Cheeses Named after Places

Cheeses Named after Places 1
Cheeses Named after Places 2

After learning last week that Gouda cheese is named after the town of Gouda where it was originally traded, we decided to continue down the same path and find out what other cheeses are named after the places where they originated.

Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex

Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 1
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 2
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 3
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 4
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 5
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 6
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 7
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 8
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 9
Making Goat Cheese with Lexi and Alex 10

As you may remember, Neil and I made chèvre about a year ago and dazzled our friends. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/making-goat-cheese/) Since I am visiting my niece and nephew in western Massachusetts, I thought I would share the fun with them. The kit we purchased from Belle Chèvre (http://www.bellechevre.com/) had more than enough supplies remaining from last time so we just had to find some goat milk. This did prove to be a bit challenging but luckily there was a Trader Joe’s to pick up our last ingredient.