Added: 06/02/2006 |
Dry Jack cheese: enjoy the American sortThe ancient recipe of this sort of cheese came to North America at the beginning of the 18th century together with the Franciscan monks arrived from Spain via Mexico. Studying different documents scientists made a conclusion that the oldest version of Monterey Jack was popular in Roman Empire and the recipe got to Spain from Italy. At the time when the monks made the cheese on the territory of the continent its name was 'queso del pais' which is in English 'country cheese'. But the problem is still not solved. Who invented the Jack cheese? Perhaps, this was the Hotel del Monde, which made cheese for its rich clients in its own dairies. Of course, the cheese possessed the name 'Del Monde' at that time. There was also Dona Juana Cota de Boronda who made cheese and sold it door-to-door to earn money and to feed her 15 children and crippled husband. Her cheese had the traditional name of 'queso del pais'. Each of them could be declared as the inventors of the cheese if the land owner from Scotland had not appeared in Monterey County and had not begun to produce the enormous quantity of cheese for trade. So, nowadays the very this person - David Jacks - is considered to be the 'father' of the popular American cheese.
Dry Jack cheese is a type of the Monterey Jack. It has a wonderful grassy flavor and is really beautiful in cooking of different dishes. The flavor of the cheese gets light nutty and sweet notes when aged enough, which makes it even more attractive and suitable for different salads and soups. Dry Jack Cheese is as common at farmhouses as it is in luxurious restaurants all around the world.
Like any other sort of this product Dry Jack cheese has two different variants and is used in cooking according to them. The first variant is young. A piece of cheese is to be matured about a month only to become young. It has high moisture level and is the best from the best if you want, indeed, a tasty sandwich. In case the cheese was aged about six months and more you have an aged, or Old Jack cheese, which has distinguishing pale yellow color and firm texture. Sometimes cheese makers add garlic or different herbs to it with the purpose to make it tastier and more special.
Dry Jack cheese resembles Parmesan, and people often mix these two sorts. Though, it's not a problem or mistake at all. Each Jack Cheese recipe can be used when cooking with Parmesan. And you may surely buy Jack if you need Parmesan for a special dish, but cannot find it at a supermarket.
American cheeses are really very tasty and their status of popular products is, indeed, merited. And the fact that the country itself has invented only four types of cheese makes them even more tasty and interesting for people. Of course, there are a lot of cheese sorts on the shelves at the shops, but you won't regret if buy the very American Monterey Jack and cook something with it or just eat it as a breakfast snack. Why not try? Besides, the flavor promises to be really wonderful. So, find this cheese - and who knows: maybe, next time you will be looking for especially this sort.
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