Muenster, Munster, or Monster? A Big Cheese.

Sounds like a picnic!

Muenster cheese is my favorite variety of cheese, next to brick cheese, which I can no longer find anywhere.

Oh, look! It's on the Internet →

I had thought that brick cheese had gone the way of minced ham and tutti frutti ice cream. I have never seen either of those latter two items for sale anywhere, but i have heard stories about them.

Prior to the 1950s, minced ham was a luncheon meat that was taken off the market because the government discovered that it contained added injected water. Today, it would not be such a problem as to cause its removal. Many meats are labeled as having injected water or broths added. Minced ham was said to be delicious, but I will never know.

Tutti fruitti is a complete mystery to me, but I remember an Ozzie and Harriet rerun that showed the family trying to add all sorts of fruits to vanilla ice cream in the (unsuccessful) quest for tutti frutti flavor. If anyone knows more about this variety of ice cream, do share in comments below. Thanks!. Now for the cheeses...

Muenster (cheese) is named after a German town, while Munster refers to a different cheese made in a particular region of France. Children call either one of these cheeses Monster before they can pronounce the subtle difference between the o and the u. In that respect, Muenster with its orange rind is fun to serve for Sci-Fi, Halloween, or similar costume parties for kids.

This is an easy way to make the mispronunciation fun rather than to make it a frustration or sticking point for small children that cannot yet form the sounds. Happy Muenster Day!

(The entertaining video above is a parody of Snoop Dog's Drop It Like It's Hot with printed lyrics at AtomWinston.)

CONSUMER ALERT

Unfortunately, Muenster cheese is mostly fat - about 75% worth.

Adding a slice of Meunster is almost like adding a pat of butter to a sandwich. Some sandwich makers like to add a slice of Meunster, a couple of pats of butter, and a tablespoon of mayonnaise to a meat-filled sandwich and may not realize how much fat the sandwich then contains. Then they like to add a liberal portion of salt as well, which reduces the health benefits of the ingredients even further.

On Ohio farms of the 19th and early 20th centuries and elsewhere in the Midwest, when cheese was not readily available, farmers sometimes placed a slice of lard on a sandwich instead of cheese, butter, or mayonnaise. I've read several stories and newspaper clippings that describe these sandwiches made from home baked breads, lettuce, sliced farm tomato, and a generous slice of lard. On Public television, World War II Veterans recently decribed such sandwiches and how they miss them today.

CONTENTS

According to information received from my physician's office, one slice of Muenster cheese roughly 4 inches square contains:

103 Calories

• 76 Calories of this come from fat. Some lo-fat brands are also available.

Types of Fat Content

• Total Fat: 8.4g - 13% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA)
• Saturated Fat: 2.5g - about 12% of the RDA
• Monounsaturated Fat: 5.4g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: negliglble

Cholesterol: 27mg or 9% RDA

Sodium: 175mg and 7% of the RDA

Carbohydrates

• Total Carbohydrate; negliglble
• Dietary Fiber: none

Protein: 6.6g and 13% RDA

Vitamins

• Vitamin A: 6% RDA
• Calcium: 20% RDA

The video above comes to you from Behind the Burner.

At Artisanal Premium Cheese company, cheese professionals not only offer a wide array of classic and unique cheeses, but recommend specific cheeses for various parts of the day as well as specific accompaniments for meal elements and wines.

Top cheeses are shipped to the company from France. These French cheeses incubate in the refrigerated cheese cave of the company for 1 to 3 weeks as required by the variety of cheese involved. A young cheese can be chalky and dry in comparison to older cheeses that become creamier during the aging process. Cold temperatures in refrigeration delay the aging process in order to provide control over and specific changes desired in textures and surface finishes of the cheeses. Muenster and related cheeses are developed along specific lines of flavor and texture at Artisanal.

Another element in the cheese processing at Artisinal and othrr cheese developers is called the smear. It is a type of cheese bath and each smear is created specifically by a professional affineur (cheese ager/developer). This the same process by which great chefs create masterpiece dishes and a smear is on a level of a secret recipe of a skilled chef anywhere.

Twice weekly, cheeses are immersed in smears of one of several types, depending on the cheese. The smear develops and ripens flavors according to a specific design in order to bring about a particular, delicious, and pleasing result.

The featured affineur of the above video is Denis Cottin, who prefers mountain cheeses. These are said to have pungent and salty flavors that many people enjoy.

Artisanal Premium Cheese as a professional maker and seller of gourmet cheeses deals in mountain cheeses as well as blue, hard, raw milk, and nearly all other cheese varieties.

Although the company does not provide the German style Muenster cheese, they create a French Munster variety. This is a Petite Munster from Alsace, made from cow's milk and having a soft rind washed in Alsatian wine, unlike the orange rind of Muenster cheese. The French Munster derives its name from the word for monastery, where this cheese has been made for many years. There is also the town of Munster in Northeast France.

Muenster is a German town and regional differences can be tasted in this cheese, compared to Munster, although both are semi-soft. Munster (French) may become the softer of the two cheeses with age.