Happy new year! I thought I'd start off 2026 with an example of my favorite food type ever--cheese. Today's offering is the black garlic infused sheep's milk cheese from the Solera brand. Which, as the title informs, is based out of Spain.
I couldn't find an official website for Solera. However, there was one for its American importer and distributer, Specialties, Inc., out of New Jersey. Alas, it provided no real information on Solera's origins. But, after Googling it I was able to learn a bit. Solera was founded in 1967, by the husband and wife team of Mariano Verdeju Solera, and Generosa Monfort Orti. And their factory was based in---oops. That's what the AI explanation was. However, a little more online checking indicated that this was for another company of the same name. One which appears to be involved with connectors, mounting, breakers, and other electronic products. I've heard that AI is often questionable with its accuracy, and this seems to be the case here. Anyway, I couldn't find out much of anything about the cheese-making Solera company. So, moving up the chain, the incredibly generically-named Specialties, Inc. company began in 1991, and its focus is on importing and distributing European cheeses and cured meats. Aside from the Spanish Solera, which includes both cheeses and meats, the brands handled are Bellentani (Italian meats), Hotos (Greek cheese), and two French brands--Ermitage (cheese), and La Bistro (meats). Other Solera products include Manchego cheese, Iberica cheese, Mahon cheese, and two infused goat cheeses--Winey Goat and Rosey Goat. Plus more cheese made from three different animals' milk--one infused with chili, one with red berry, and one with truffles. Also, if you're curious, "solera" is Spanish for "on the ground," but it refers to "a process for aging liquids, by fractional blending," chiefly used with wines, brandies, beers, sherries, and vinegars. (The "on the ground" part indicates the lowest level of barrels used for the mixing.) So either this cheese company wanted to associate its cheeses with fine mixed wines and spirits, as some of its cheeses are also mixed and blended, or maybe the founder's name was Solera, just like the other company named Solera.
Solera black garlic infused sheep's milk cheese: This had a pale yellow color, with streaks and edges of black. It had a mild cheese odor. The texture was semisoft. The flavor was mild, with the garlic taste evident but not overpowering. I had some of this plain, and some as part of a sandwich. Overall it wasn't among the best cheeses I've had, but it also wasn't among the worst. And, as I've stated many, many times, even the "worst" cheeses are still pretty good--none that I've tasted are actually bad. But this one was a more mild cheese, without a strong, distinctive flavor.
I should be doing a video interview with the publisher of my last anthology, "It's Dark in Their Minds," soon. Details forthcoming.
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