Something Tasty: A cheese pairing to try

Roquefort

All eyes are on Paris for the Olympics, so let’s talk about one of the most iconic French cheeses- Roquefort.

Roquefort is known as one of the more spicy and pungent blues, and it’s definitely one of the most historic.

Most people (especially in the U.S.) are used to blue cheese made with pasteurized cow’s milk. Some of Roquefort’s strength is due to it being a raw sheep’s milk cheese. This gives a more robust flavor and a texture that’s extra creamy but with the added structure that comes with sheep’s milk.

Since 1411, this cheese has been made in the Combalou Caves in the Southern village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

You read that right- 1411!

And it was the first to receive a French protection of designation origin (AOC) in 1925. So it’s officially been made in the same way for almost 100 years!

Anyone want to make a trip for the 100th anniversary???

The cheese is so famous, the strain of blue mold is named after it (Penicillium roqueforti) and is used in many other blue cheeses.

Try it with something sweet and fruity like pears or bring out that spice with gingersnaps, or my favorite- any kind of fortified wine (especially Madeira).

Something True: A truth about myself

How to Travel

Here’s the truth.

Last year, Adam and I decided we wanted to figure out a way to go to Paris for two weeks together.

I’m a pretty seasoned traveller, and used to leave the country once a year with my family, almost every year since I was six.

But I haven’t been outside of North America since 2019.

Depending on how you look at it, it’s only been five years, or IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS. More importantly, this also means I haven’t taken an actual vacation in five years. Freelance life, especially during and post-covid means even if you aren’t getting paid, you’re still always working.

I’m constantly on planes going back and forth between NY and CA but…

…part of me is wondering if I’ve forgotten how to travel? How to exchange currency the most effective way? How to not be a cranky dehydrated mess after international flights? How to be somewhere where I don’t speak the language (beyond what I’m feverishly trying to squeeze out of that Duolingo owl)?

My brain often worries about logistics in lieu of worrying about something else, normally something less tangible or not fixable or unplannable.

I think what I’m actually considering is…

Have I forgotten how to roam? How to be kind and curious in a new place? How to be a good travel partner, and a good foreign guest?

I will be fine, and I’m soooooooooo excited (I’ve already started planning what to pack, don’t judge me). But I have definitely embraced more of my introverted creature comforts the past five years. I haven’t lost that explorer part of myself, but she has been laying dormant for a bit.

I’ve felt kind of like Roquefort, adventurous by nature, but very comfy in my own cave.

So this is not just a very needed vacation, or a long-awaited trip with my partner. It’s also an opportunity to grow in all the joys and woes that come with travel. A chance to experience and discover what the 2024 version of myself is like in a new place with a lot of “firsts”.

We’re going in November. More on this next week ❤️ 

Farm to Fable: How food shows up in storytelling 

Gymnastics and Parmiggiano Reggiano

This is just too good not to highlight. You know me, I think everything is a story at the end of the day, so Olympic news counts.

Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa just won her team a silver medal, and because of that, old photos from a few years ago have gone viral from when she was sponsored by Parmiggiano Reggiano.

HERE is a great article about it.

Fellow cheese friends like Christine Clark and I have long said that cheese is “nature’s powerbar”. I’m glad the world is finally taking note.

Until next time,

Anne-Marie

P.S. - Sunday Scaries

A terrifying AI image to help us all rest knowing AI bots could never replace a real human artist:

This week the prompt was “France and Italy competing at the Cheese Olympics.”

I hate every part of it.

www.annemariepietersma.com