Don’t be fooled by the words “beer cheese” — this snack is no spread, and it’s not from Kentucky. Hailing from Russia and recently distributed in the US via Kickstarter, the “beer cheese” phrase in the name merely refers to the snack’s ability to pair well with beer. Madame Fromage sampled some; read her thoughts below.

I ferried Chechil to a food blogger party, along with a six-pack of Eastern European beers. Light and sweetly yeasty, these flavors offset the salty, smoky taste of the cheese. An Armenian expat friend (Karina Ambartsoumian, below-left) who sampled Chechil called it “authentic,” and within a half hour two braids of Chechil were devoured by about a dozen people.

Read more on Madame Fromage’s blog

Photo by Madame Fromage

Rebecca Haley-Park

Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.