Today I learned +

[Dannyalcatraz]

There has to be someone else who makes an identical cheese. I don't buy into Europe's magic land voodoo for one second. Yes the soil affects the plants, yes the plants affect the cows. But the soil and the plants ca both be duplicated. There's nothing special about them.

While terroir may not be hard science, there’s definitely something going on. In all likelihood, there’s some trace element or overlooked critter involved in the creation & fermentation of the cheese- and many other foods- that cheese makers elsewhere haven’t accounted for.

And it doesn’t necessarily take much.

Hell, it might even be a factor the cheese makers in the protected region are unaware of, like a particular trace mineral found in the caves where cheeses are ripened, or a slight evolutionary divergence in the bacteria, molds, mites & yeasts used to make the cheeses.

 

[overgeeked]

I already knew that 1984 was the best year ever because that’s the year I started playing RPGs. But here’s a list of other reasons why 1984 is the best year ever.

 

[MoonSong]

While terroir may not be hard science, there’s definitely something going on. In all likelihood, there’s some trace element or overlooked critter involved in the creation & fermentation of the cheese- and many other foods- that cheese makers elsewhere haven’t accounted for.

And it doesn’t necessarily take much.

Hell, it might even be a factor the cheese makers in the protected region are unaware of, like a particular trace mineral found in the caves where cheeses are ripened, or a slight evolutionary divergence in the bacteria, molds, mites & yeasts used to make the cheeses.

I think there was a bread variety that can only be made in NY because the yeast would change anywhere else in the world and lose the specific bitter tase or something?

 

[Pedantic]

While terroir may not be hard science, there’s definitely something going on. In all likelihood, there’s some trace element or overlooked critter involved in the creation & fermentation of the cheese- and many other foods- that cheese makers elsewhere haven’t accounted for.

And it doesn’t necessarily take much.

Hell, it might even be a factor the cheese makers in the protected region are unaware of, like a particular trace mineral found in the caves where cheeses are ripened, or a slight evolutionary divergence in the bacteria, molds, mites & yeasts used to make the cheeses.

Wine and coffee are the classic examples. For coffee, we only drink 2 varietals, robusta and arabica, and the Turner is larger reserved for instant. Where they are grown (especially ambient temperatures and altitude) makes all the difference in how any given batch tastes.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think there was a bread variety that can only be made in NY because the yeast would change anywhere else in the world and lose the specific bitter tase or something?

You may be thinking of California’s sourdough. I’ve had some good sourdough breads in Europe and other parts of America, but the stuff I had in Cali had a definite tanginess I’ve rarely tasted elsewhere.

 

[Pedantic]

I think there was a bread variety that can only be made in NY because the yeast would change anywhere else in the world and lose the specific bitter tase or something?

The influence of New York's water is often claimed to make the bagels and/or pizza crust distinctive.

 

[Bohandas]

Where they are grown (especially ambient temperatures and altitude) makes all the difference in how any given batch tastes.

Yeah. I agree that they couldn't be grown elsewhere in a field. My point is that you can build a climate controlled greenhouse. You can change the temperature and the air pressure.

 

[Pedantic]

Yeah. I agree that they couldn't be grown elsewhere in a field. My point is that you can build a climate controlled greenhouse. You can change the temperature and the air pressure.

Sure, it only takes years of experimentation to get close to right, consumes far more resources to produce smaller quantities and isn't scalable. There are technically small batches of arabica being grown in the UK, but they aren't replacing my bag of single origin Kenyan.

 

[MoonSong]

Yeah. I agree that they couldn't be grown elsewhere in a field. My point is that you can build a climate controlled greenhouse. You can change the temperature and the air pressure.

In theory, one could reproduce conditions in an almost lab-like environment. In practice, there are lots of little known factors that make a big difference and we can't truly control them. (Like the little cave that was ruined by a lone cheetos envelope)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sure, it only takes years of experimentation to get close to right, consumes far more resources to produce smaller quantities and isn't scalable. There are technically small batches of arabica being grown in the UK, but they aren't replacing my bag of single origin Kenyan.

And likely never will. It may not be feasible to grow those beans (and other foods that seem to have a terroir aspect) unless & until their natural environments experience some kind of damage. Those environments have an advantage…