Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Dutch Prima Donna Cheese and Writing Update

     Today I'll be talking about Prima Donna maturo cheese, which is made in Holland.  This was yet another find from my local Shop-Rite supermarket.
     Prima Donna cheese is made from cow's milk, and is a hard cheese.  It's known for having a sharp flavor, and a yellowish color.  Primarily it's used as a cheeseboard offering, and topping and base for soups and sauces.  It's also prized as an effective grating cheese.  As with Manchego cheese, (see my August 29, 2015 post), there are four subtypes, based on how long it's been aged.  These are leggero, fino, forte, and maturo.  I think in that order, least to most aged, but the websites I looked at were irritatingly vague.  This cheese has distinctive white dots, or stripes in it, which are salt and protein crystals.  One source also listed a history of sorts.  A Dutch cheese maker traveled to Italy.  While there he was blown away by their cheeses, especially Gruyere (see June 30, 2018 post) and Parmesan.  Inspired, when he returned home he created an amalgam of these, mixing the best parts of each into a new and unique cheese.  Prima Donna is harder than Gruyere, but softer than Parmesan.  Its maturo type is more Parmesan-like, while it fino is more Gruyere-ish.  However, when I tried to learn who this person was, or when it happened, etc., I couldn't find this information out, even from the actual Vandersterre website, who made the cheese I tried.  Eventually I discovered some more detail, which was rather anticlimactic.  Prima Donna was developed in the early 1990's, so its history is somewhat depressingly recent.  Regardless, the cheese has become quite popular.  It's enjoyed in at least 70 countries around the world, including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and South Africa.
     The company info was a little terse, but the De Graaff Kaas cheese company was begun in 1929.  In 2009 it combined with the Vandersterre Groep.  Other popular cheeses made by them are Landana and Ouwe Jongens.
     My sample's label claimed it was a flavor pairing of Gouda and Parmesan, instead of the usual Parmesan and Gruyere.  It also was a Gold Medal winner as the Best European Cheese at the Global Cheese Awards in 2013.  The color was yellowish-white, with an orange rind, and the texture was firm.  I liked it.  I thought the flavor was a little sweetish and buttery, more so than the Gruyere.  And while I enjoyed both Prima Donna and Gruyere, I think I preferred the former ever so slightly.  I detected a Gouda-ish flavor in the Prima Donna, but I didn't really get the Parmesan.  However, my father tried some, and said he did, so maybe it's my insensitive palate again.  Anyway, as with basically all cheeses, I recommend Prima Donna maturo cheese.  I'll certainly buy it again, and will try its subtypes if/when I get the chance.


     I have a writing update, too.  My publisher just told me than the issue of Horror Bites Magazine featuring one of my contributions is due out very soon, probably within two days.  So check back here for more details soon.