The Cheese ExperienceBy Erika Wright
The ECC has cheeses from all over Europe. With the addition of new countries into the European Union, the ECC is currently researching cheeses in those areas to include in the center. The ECC operates as a distribution center solely in Germany in addition to functioning as an educational facility and offering a wide range of events. They claim to be the only cheese experience center in all of Europe.
The Cheese Village is set up to give the visitor a visual idea of the types of European cheeses and the places where they come from. There are various pieces of furniture and décor which give the ambiance and feel of each region as well as plastic or wooden forms of what the cheeses look like. Among the various artifacts from the different regions was a sled-like contrivance that was used for carrying cheese. There were displays for French, British, Belgian, Dutch, Scandinavian, Italian ... oh so many cheeses!
Every Wednesday from 2PM to 7PM the ECC is open for cheese and wine tasting and buying. In addition, there are regular themed events offering more in depth information, like “Cheeses of France” or “Cheeses of Italy” which also pairs the cheeses with regional wines. That costs 33 Euros per person and lasts about 3 hours. If you are interested less in the information behind the cheese and the wine pairing, and you just want to taste and compare cheeses from all over Europe, you might opt for the 2 hour buffet for 15 Euros per person which does still include “expert consultation.” Finally, for 10 Euros for 2 hours you can enjoy a tour of the Cheese Village, information about cheese production and 5 samples of cheese. Most things at the ECC and on the website are in German, but they would be happy to arrange an English guided group if you call or email ahead to arrange it. Information Telephone: 49 (0) 5225866626 |
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Karin says that cheese is “interesting” and that it is “like a culture in Europe.” Indeed, as she walked me through the Kaesedorf or “cheese village” she explained the different histories, tastes and ways of making cheese throughout the European regions. For example, there are no fresh cheeses coming from the Alps because they could not grow food in the winter – cheese was an essential staple of their diet during those long cold months. Karin says that there are approximately 3,000 different kinds of cheese which are all made slightly differently.
And then … we stepped up to a case which had some “other” cheeses in it. I was fascinated by the packaging for camel’s milk cheese until I saw right next to it … a metal container of Easy Cheese! Oh no! Right across from the grand daddy of cheese making, France! Karin told me with amusement that everyone knows about the runny cheese in a can from America. They are fascinated by it. Although she told me that she’d been reading quite a bit about Wisconsin cheeses and was familiar with other cheeses around America and she knows that there are great cheeses in the US too.
Having lived in Germany, I know that Germans love cheese and there are cows everywhere, so I was kind of surprised to learn that German cheese has a bit of a bad reputation. An undeserved reputation, according to Karin, who thinks that part of the problem is that Germans travel so much that they tend to want what they have experienced afar when they come home. But there are approximately 200 varieties of German cheese, and the ECC is working to increase the awareness and appreciation of those cheeses.