Arethusa Diva
- Producer
- Arethusa Farm
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Connecticut
- Size
- 4 in x 4 in x 1 in
- Weight
- ¾ lb
- Website
- www.arethusafarm.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Washed
- Style
- Washed-Rind
When the Arethusa management team asked the farm’s entire staff to name a new cheese, Arethusa al Tavolo restaurant server Jenya Fraga had an inspired moment: “the cheese sang out to her like a great opera singer,” says manager Erin Hubbard. “Like a diva!” With a glance at the voluptuous cream-colored paste oozing out of this washed rind cheese, that image makes perfect sense.
Award-winning Diva cheese is made at a Litchfield, Connecticut-based farm that’s been around since 1999. Its founders, George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis, began by making milk—as well as breeding and raising show cows. Cheesemaking is a newer venture here, with a full-fledged creamery launched in 2011 and a repertoire that now includes nine different cheeses, plus yogurt, ice cream and butter. The farm opened its on-site restaurant, Arethusa al Tavolo, in 2013.
The square-shaped cheese is washed periodically as it ages for 1-2 months.
Tasting Notes
Exuding heady aromas of cooked onion and nuts, flavor is much milder than the smell suggests, with a balanced saltiness, sweet and slightly tangy.
Pairings
Pair it with a light-bodied, semi-dry red wine, a sour ale or a yeasty farmhouse ale.
