If you have yet to make that list and check it twice, here’s your friendly reminder that you’ve got just 21 shopping days ’til Christmas (which sounds like loads of time, but let’s be real …). Culture is happy to help you find the best gifts for the turophiles on your list (isn’t that everyone, really?) with our Ultimate Cheese-Lovers Holiday Gift Guide. It features more than 50 gift ideas, from the practical (Boska’s Partyclette for raclette on the go) and the whimsical (mac and cheese bow tie) to the philanthropic (a donation to Cheese Culture Coalition) and the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for cheese hound (100 Cheeses Bucket List Scratch Poster).
In other cheese news:
- Stacker rounded up a list of the world’s 10 smelliest cheeses and why they stink. Among them are a few made in the US: Hooligan, from Cato Corner Farm in CT; Good Thunder, from Alemar Cheese Co. in MN; Bossa, from Green Dirt Farm in MO; and Off Kilter, from Mt. Townsend Creamery in WA. Learn more about American-made stinky cheese in our story here.
- Veterinarian turned artisanal cheesemaker Rachanikorn “Kai” Srikong is Thailand’s first female cheesemaker. In this charming video from the English-language Asian news outlet CNA, Kai shares her love for her goats and explains how she learned how to make more than 20 varieties of goat cheese at Little Goat Farm and Cheesery, about an hour’s drive from Bangkok.
- Residents of Berkley, Michigan, have a good reason to celebrate this season, the opening of a new Mongers’ Provisions location in their neighborhood. The new shop is nearly three times larger than the original in Midtown Detroit, and will offer a specialty grilled cheese menu for takeout in addition to a large selection of cut-to-order cheeses, charcuterie, craft chocolate, and more.
- Ever wondered why Green Bay Packers fans are called cheeseheads, and why they wear hats shaped like Swiss cheese? Apparently, Wisconsinite Ralph Bruno was inspired to create the now-famous foam headgear after he saw a fan wearing a cardboard hat shaped like a wedge of cheese at a Packers game in 1987. Read all about it here.
- General Mills is joining the animal-free market with the launch of the brand Bold Cultr. The brand’s cream cheese alternative is made in collaboration with Perfect Day dairy-protein that’s structurally similar to that of cows’ milk without the cow. Learn more about the cheesemaking process of this new brand here.
- More news from the plant-based world: Violife has launched Grill Me! a vegan halloumi-style cheese, and Single Origin Food Co. has rolled out Un-Honey, made from plant nectars and available in Blonde (delicate and floral), Amber (warm and fruity), and Copper (chocolate and caramel) flavors.
Susan Axelrod
Susan Sherrill Axelrod is a former editor of Culture. Her love affair with cheese began at age 12, when she bicycled to a gourmet shop to taste an exotic newcomer—French brie. She lives with her partner in midcoast Maine, where she enjoys a well-made cocktail, hiking with their dog, Lucy, and spending as much time as possible on the water.
