We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
thread on stinky cheeses.

I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?

I've only tried Limburger one other time. I was a young pup away from
home and looking for a new taste treat in the food wasteland that was
then fast-food Nashville (Oh yeah ...they bragged on it!). Me and my
service buddies stumbled across an obscure German restaurant down by
the tracks, and being sick to death of burgers, pizza, and fried
chicken, we forged bravely in. It was a real dive. It was called the
Gurst House and the old fat fraulein screaming bloody murder in German
while rattling (throwing?) pots and pans back in the kitchen every
once in a while left no doubt as to it's authenticy.

On the second visit I noticed a Limburger sandwich on the menu and
decided to take a chance. The order arrived at our table and was
nothing but two slices of white bread with thick slices of Limburger
within, sitting on an old Navy-style plate. While I was kind of
disappointed by the presentation, there was no mistaking its content.
It absolutely reeked! Smelled like the inside of a unserviced
port-a-potty on a hot day. My buddies were looking at me with
disbelief and disgust and a little bit of resentment for subjecting
them to this olfactory effrontery, as the pungent aroma knew no
bounds. But, I wasn't about to be deterred. I'd ordered it and
by-gawd I was going to eat it. My buddies were more than encouraging,
no doubt figuring the the sooner it was in me, the sooner they'd not
have to endure it. So I did. Amazement gave way to enjoyment as I
realized it didn't taste at all like it smelled. It was actually
good. Who knew!

Well, that was many years ago. Since then I've contented myself with
other stinky cheeses, primarily Tilsit and Bierkaese. I'd considered
Limburger a time or two since, but was always put off by the rather
soft puss-like feel of the package, like something had putrefied
within. This German Limburger I've found seems to be substantial, so I
broke down and bought it. News at 11:00.

nb

On Sun 21 Aug 2005 11:47:57a, notbob wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
> thread on stinky cheeses.
>
> I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
> forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
> onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
> very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?
>
> I've only tried Limburger one other time. I was a young pup away from
> home and looking for a new taste treat in the food wasteland that was
> then fast-food Nashville (Oh yeah ...they bragged on it!). Me and my
> service buddies stumbled across an obscure German restaurant down by
> the tracks, and being sick to death of burgers, pizza, and fried
> chicken, we forged bravely in. It was a real dive. It was called the
> Gurst House and the old fat fraulein screaming bloody murder in German
> while rattling (throwing?) pots and pans back in the kitchen every
> once in a while left no doubt as to it's authenticy.
>
> On the second visit I noticed a Limburger sandwich on the menu and
> decided to take a chance. The order arrived at our table and was
> nothing but two slices of white bread with thick slices of Limburger
> within, sitting on an old Navy-style plate. While I was kind of
> disappointed by the presentation, there was no mistaking its content.
> It absolutely reeked! Smelled like the inside of a unserviced
> port-a-potty on a hot day. My buddies were looking at me with
> disbelief and disgust and a little bit of resentment for subjecting
> them to this olfactory effrontery, as the pungent aroma knew no
> bounds. But, I wasn't about to be deterred. I'd ordered it and
> by-gawd I was going to eat it. My buddies were more than encouraging,
> no doubt figuring the the sooner it was in me, the sooner they'd not
> have to endure it. So I did. Amazement gave way to enjoyment as I
> realized it didn't taste at all like it smelled. It was actually
> good. Who knew!
>
> Well, that was many years ago. Since then I've contented myself with
> other stinky cheeses, primarily Tilsit and Bierkaese. I'd considered
> Limburger a time or two since, but was always put off by the rather
> soft puss-like feel of the package, like something had putrefied
> within. This German Limburger I've found seems to be substantial, so I
> broke down and bought it. News at 11:00.
>
> nb
>

I love limburger! Small bits of it on a triscuit, or nice slices of it on
black bread with a slice of onion.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.


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On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 13:47:57 -0500, notbob wrote:

> We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
> thread on stinky cheeses.

So, you want to be known as the Stinky Cheese Man?

notbob wrote:
> We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
> thread on stinky cheeses.
>
> I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
> forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
> onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
> very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?
>
> I've only tried Limburger one other time. I was a young pup away from
> home and looking for a new taste treat in the food wasteland that was
> then fast-food Nashville (Oh yeah ...they bragged on it!). Me and my
> service buddies stumbled across an obscure German restaurant down by
> the tracks, and being sick to death of burgers, pizza, and fried
> chicken, we forged bravely in. It was a real dive. It was called the
> Gurst House and the old fat fraulein screaming bloody murder in German
> while rattling (throwing?) pots and pans back in the kitchen every
> once in a while left no doubt as to it's authenticy.
>


I've only had limburger once; I bought a little package of it when I was
in college. I ate it in the dorm room with some crackers. I thought it
was pretty good, but too salty. Everyone else on the hall thought a
bucket of pigshit had been dumped in somebody's room (that happened
occasionally)

I haven't tried it again because of the saltiness, not because of the
smell (which was awful, but you got used to it.)

Best regards,
Bob

> notbob wrote:
.. It was called the
> > Gurst House and the old fat fraulein screaming bloody murder in German
> > while rattling (throwing?) pots and pans back in the kitchen every
> > once in a while left no doubt as to it's authenticy.
> >
>


The Gerst Haus is still in business in it's 3rd location within walking
distance of the Titans stadium.

On 2005-08-21, Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

> I love limburger! Small bits of it on a triscuit, or nice slices of it on
> black bread with a slice of onion.

Well, I love it too, Wayne. Been munching on it all afternoon and
it's great. Surprisingly, my memories don't bear out the reality. It
really doesn't stink all that much. In fact, this particular brand of
Limburger is much more pungent tasting than smelling, quite the
opposite from what I remember. Maybe it's just I've become accustomed
to the smell of strong cheeses over the years. Whatever, I'm hooked.
BTW, the brand I'm enjoying is Halali bayerischer Limburger. Yum!

http://www.simontonscheese.com/Detail.asp?id=633&cat=17

nb

On 2005-08-21, itsjoannotjoann > wrote:
>
> The Gerst Haus is still in business in it's 3rd location within walking
> distance of the Titans stadium.

Wow! ...that's a pretty good run. I was there back in the late 60's.

nb

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
>
> I love limburger! Small bits of it on a triscuit, or nice slices of it on
> black bread with a slice of onion.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*
> ____________________________________________
>
> My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
> unless there are three other people.

Yeah, cause the Limburger alone isn't stinky enough, gotta have the onion
too<G>

Lynne A


>
>

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
> thread on stinky cheeses.
>
> I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
> forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
> onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
> very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?

A nice, real, sour rye, and in my case, a caraway rye. . .or even those
little loaves you find at the deli counter that claim to be pumpernickel.
And onion of course, buttered bread and salt and pepper. Beer is the
correct beverage. You might want to keep it in a glass jar in the
refrigerator. Plastic will not contain the smell.
Janet

On Sun 21 Aug 2005 04:54:33p, notbob wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On 2005-08-21, Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>> I love limburger! Small bits of it on a triscuit, or nice slices of it
>> on black bread with a slice of onion.
>
> Well, I love it too, Wayne. Been munching on it all afternoon and
> it's great. Surprisingly, my memories don't bear out the reality. It
> really doesn't stink all that much. In fact, this particular brand of
> Limburger is much more pungent tasting than smelling, quite the
> opposite from what I remember. Maybe it's just I've become accustomed
> to the smell of strong cheeses over the years. Whatever, I'm hooked.
> BTW, the brand I'm enjoying is Halali bayerischer Limburger. Yum!
>
> http://www.simontonscheese.com/Detail.asp?id=633&cat=17
>
> nb

My dad also loved limburger and we had it around the house occasionally.
Even as a kid I kinda liked the smell, but at that age the flavor was a
little too pungent. Some brands may have a stronger smell than others, but I
don't find any of them offensive. Now you've piqued my appetite for it and
I'll have to get some soon! Thanks for the link. I've eaten that brand
before, as I recognize the package, but I haven't seen it for sale where I
now live.

When I lived in the Cleveland area, there was a German restaurant that served
a salad dressing made with limburger. Even many non-limburger eaters liked
it :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.


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On 2005-08-22, Janet Bostwick > wrote:

> A nice, real, sour rye, and in my case, a caraway rye. . .

I'm using a fresh dill rye. Yum!

nb

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:10:06 -0500, zxcvbob > wrote:

>> I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
>> forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
>> onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
>> very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?

Limburger is a "male bonding thing".

Get a block of limburger ( the stinkier the better )
some crisp wheat crackers, sliced mild onions
and Moosehead beer.

Let the cheese come to room temp on the kitchen table.
That'll clear out the wimmen and children.

Limburger should be enjoyed with good friends,
late-nite bull sessions, and gross jokes.

( but don't get any of that wimpy NewYork state Mowhawk cheese. ( blech ! )

Best limburger was a block from Cherry Creek (?) Wisconsin.
Two freezer bags, and a sealed canning jar, and you could still smell it !


<rj>

notbob > wrote:

>We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
>thread on stinky cheeses.

Several years ago, I was into 1st century Roman food and decided one
day to have a typical breakfast from the time. I boiled an egg made a
recipe of "ancient Roman bread" (white, rye and wheat flour mix, hard
as a rock), black olives, wine to dip the bread into, and the only
cheese I could come up with was a good hard Parmesan. My daughter
walked into the room and almost puked. She said "Gross - it smells
like FEET in here". I said "oh, really - do you know what good cheese
smells like?". Next week, I got some Limburger. Now she knows <G>.

--
The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret.
At least now I have an excuse.

notbob wrote:

> We seem to be on a cheese kick this week, so I thought I'd start a
> thread on stinky cheeses.
>
> I just picked up a small brick of imported German Limburger. Looking
> forward to giving it a try later today. Need to find some sweet red
> onions and an appropriate bread. Any suggestions? Got the beer, a
> very malty American IPA. Any Limburger fans out there?

When I lived in California, I set out to find really strong cheese, and
Limburger (fram Safeway) was the best one I found. Not like the ammonium
cheese we have in Denmark, but quite marvellous. I had it with a 1991
Sequoia Grove Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and some Berkeley based organic
unbleached bread with olives.

Bubbabob wrote:
>
> Limburger with a good wine is a waste of a good wine, IMO. That's like
> drinking wine with curry.

It's not THAT strong.

Port wine is also known as good companion to strong cheese (such as blue
cheese), and to me napa cabs are great as well (kinda shares
characteristics of port: bombastic, sweet, fruity, very fullbodied).


>Limburger's meant to be accompanied by a good
> dark malty beer. Dark rye bread and a slice of onion are traditional, too.

That'd be good, too.

> Tell us more about ammonium cheese. I missed out on that one when I was in
> Denmark.

Our cheese is usually compared to swiss style semifirm yellow cheese.
Often it is labelled mild, medium, aged, extra-aged, selfish, running on
its own, etc
When you move past aged it can chase people away being wrapped up in 6
plastic bags and a tubberware container. It has a kinda ammoniom flavour
and it stings in the mouth, sometimes downright painful.
Wine does not work for that kind of cheese. Serve it on bread, butter,
and some blackcurrant jam on top.

However, we do add ammonium in some of our candies, I brought some for
California and people were afraid to eat it

Michael Nielsen wrote:
>
> Our cheese is usually compared to swiss style semifirm yellow cheese.
> Often it is labelled mild, medium-aged, aged, extra-aged, selfish falling apart, skunky running on
> its own, etc

Ooh, Limburger on that scale is extra aged.
The danish cheeses that are known internationally a Haverti (crap,
for kids), Port Salut (boooring, for kids), Danablue (can be very good,
especially Thise Organic 60+, aged-xaged on the scale).

On 2005-08-24, Michael Nielsen > wrote:
> The danish cheeses that are known internationally a Haverti (crap,
> for kids)....

I was first introduced to stinky cheeses by trying a cheese labeled
"havarti tilsit". It was kind of like a limburger lite. After a
couple years, the store that introduced it stopped carrying it and I
never saw it again. Much later, I discoverd "tilsit" cheese at German
deli's. So, is there such a thing as havarti tilsit, or was that just
mislabeling by the stupormarket? BTW, I liked the havarti tilsit, but
the other havarti's that are still around are pretty much like you
say, dull and boring cheese for the masses.

nb

Bubbabob wrote:
> It should be, unless its just an anemic imitation (American) Limburger,
> toned down for the tastes of the Lowest Common Denominator.

Well, it was in SafeWay I found it. It was the strongest cheese I ever
found in America (and ChrisDabney took me to a huge Berkeley cheese shop).

> Bleu is not Limburger. I can't think of any strong surface-ripened cheese
> that goes well with wine. The enzymes are just wrong. De gustibus non est
> disputandum.

I didn't mean that limburger is a blue cheese, but that blue cheese can
be quite strong and traditionally served with port wine.

>> Often it is labelled mild, medium, aged, extra-aged, selfish, running
>> on its own, etc
>
> Selfish???

The last ammonium stinky cheese I bought was called "Egoist" ("selfish
person"). Smelled like ammonium and sour feet. My hands were stinky even
after washing them with soap.

> That sounds interesting. I've never seen it in the US. Is it exported?

I could never find it.

notbob wrote:
> I was first introduced to stinky cheeses by trying a cheese labeled
> "havarti tilsit". It was kind of like a limburger lite. After a
> couple years, the store that introduced it stopped carrying it and I
> never saw it again. Much later, I discoverd "tilsit" cheese at German
> deli's. So, is there such a thing as havarti tilsit

I have never had that. But I see on google that it is in fact real:

http://creativecheese.com/?showdetai...lsit%20Havarti