Fontina Cheese

IMHO, Danish Fontina does not compare with the Italian. A similar
cheese from Northern Italy is Fontal which is available at TJ's for
about $7 a pound. And yes, they are both sinful... You should try the
Italian and see for youself.

D.M.

"D.A.Martinich" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
> IMHO, Danish Fontina does not compare with the Italian. A similar
> cheese from Northern Italy is Fontal which is available at TJ's for
> about $7 a pound. And yes, they are both sinful... You should try the
> Italian and see for youself.
>
> D.M.
>
Um,

Danish "Fontina," if it's made in Denmark and not by some Dane in Podunk, is
illegal. Fontina, like a great many other European foodstuffs, is DOP
(Denominazione di origine protetta -- don't know the English equivalent),
which roughly translates as Denomination of Certified Origin, in other
words, only the people in the traditional production area who follow the
traditional production techniques can use it. If you're a cheesemaker in
neighboring Piemonte you can't make Fontina (not that you'd want to,
considering the richness and variety of Piemonte's cheeses) and you
certainly can't make it in Denmark.

It's high time the US and other non-European areas started using local names
for their foodstuffs, rather than aping European names. Vermont and
Wisconsin Cheddar, for example, can be superb, but if you've ever had the
real stuff from England you'll realize they're not Cheddar. Perhaps just as
good, but different because the cattle are different, as are the forage
(sp?) and the air. So why not give them names that people will recognize and
seek out. Say, Cabbot cheese for Vermont? It will take food producers a
while to build up their reputations, but it will be worth it. Smithfield
means ham in the US, much the way Parma means Prosciutto or Parmigiano for
lots of people worldwide.

Kyle
http://italianfood.about.com

"Kyle Phillips" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "D.A.Martinich" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:[email protected]...
>> IMHO, Danish Fontina does not compare with the Italian. A similar
>> cheese from Northern Italy is Fontal which is available at TJ's for
>> about $7 a pound. And yes, they are both sinful... You should try the
>> Italian and see for youself.
>>
>> D.M.
>>
> Um,
>
> Danish "Fontina," if it's made in Denmark and not by some Dane in Podunk,
> is
> illegal. Fontina, like a great many other European foodstuffs, is DOP
> (Denominazione di origine protetta -- don't know the English equivalent),
> which roughly translates as Denomination of Certified Origin, in other
> words, only the people in the traditional production area who follow the
> traditional production techniques can use it. If you're a cheesemaker in
> neighboring Piemonte you can't make Fontina (not that you'd want to,
> considering the richness and variety of Piemonte's cheeses) and you
> certainly can't make it in Denmark.
>
> It's high time the US and other non-European areas started using local
> names
> for their foodstuffs, rather than aping European names. Vermont and
> Wisconsin Cheddar, for example, can be superb, but if you've ever had the
> real stuff from England you'll realize they're not Cheddar. Perhaps just
> as
> good, but different because the cattle are different, as are the forage
> (sp?) and the air. So why not give them names that people will recognize
> and
> seek out. Say, Cabbot cheese for Vermont? It will take food producers a
> while to build up their reputations, but it will be worth it. Smithfield
> means ham in the US, much the way Parma means Prosciutto or Parmigiano for
> lots of people worldwide.
>
> Kyle
> http://italianfood.about.com
>
Thank you for your reply. I had an inkling about this Denmark Fontina
cheese when I was buying it that it was not the Fontina that Giada was
using. I'll be on the lookout for Fontina from Italy. I try to use cheeses
from the areas named for their areas, as you write about. This will be a
new search for me, not living in a metropolitan area; although I do get to
"civilization" now and then. In the end, there's always ordering on-line -
during the proper months of the year.
My appreciation,
Dee

Mi e' parso che Kyle Phillips abbia scritto:

> Danish "Fontina," if it's made in Denmark and not by some
> Dane in Podunk, is illegal.

Our DOP system is worth only in European Union. So in the USA or
in AUS you can find also copies. It happens for many foods, for
example in canada "parma ham" is a trademark of a canadian, who
sells canadian ham.

> Fontina, like a great many
> other European foodstuffs, is DOP (Denominazione di
> origine protetta -- don't know the English equivalent),
> which roughly translates as Denomination of Certified
> Origin

Perfect translation

> , in other words, only the people in the
> traditional production area who follow the traditional
> production techniques can use it. If you're a cheesemaker
> in neighboring Piemonte you can't make Fontina (not that
> you'd want to, considering the richness and variety of
> Piemonte's cheeses) and you certainly can't make it in
> Denmark.

Probably this "danish fontina" is all exported out of the EU.

> Smithfield means ham in the US, much the way Parma
> means Prosciutto or Parmigiano for lots of people
> worldwide.

I quote.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Vilco" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
> Mi e' parso che Kyle Phillips abbia scritto:
>
> > Danish "Fontina," if it's made in Denmark and not by some
> > Dane in Podunk, is illegal.
>
> Our DOP system is worth only in European Union. So in the USA or
> in AUS you can find also copies. It happens for many foods, for
> example in canada "parma ham" is a trademark of a canadian, who
> sells canadian ham.
>

I agree that it can be done in the absence of a law forbidding it. However,
the Canadian can't export the ham to Europe -- a huge market, and getting
bigger as Eastern European countries join the EEU, and he's setting himslef
up for a fall elsewhere as well. Why would a Japanese or an Australian (or
anyone else outside the company's distribution area for that matter) want to
buy Canadian imitation Prosciutto di Parma when they can get the real stuff?
If you're buying an imported product, you might as well buy the real thing,
and this is especially true of products that achieve cult status. Much
better to work to establish a local name for your product. Then, all of a
sudden, you get tourists coming to see where it's made, and buying local
things, and staying there, and... The area takes off. Wine is the most
obvious example of this, but truffles are a huge draw in many Italian areas,
and there are people who visit cheesemakers too.

> > Fontina, like a great many
> > other European foodstuffs, is DOP (Denominazione di
> > origine protetta -- don't know the English equivalent),
> > which roughly translates as Denomination of Certified
> > Origin
>
> Perfect translation
>
> > , in other words, only the people in the
> > traditional production area who follow the traditional
> > production techniques can use it. If you're a cheesemaker
> > in neighboring Piemonte you can't make Fontina (not that
> > you'd want to, considering the richness and variety of
> > Piemonte's cheeses) and you certainly can't make it in
> > Denmark.
>
> Probably this "danish fontina" is all exported out of the EU.

I would expect the true Fontina people to put up a fight to stop the Danes.
By European law they could force the Danes to change the name of the cheese,
I think. That's why the stuff made in Germany (and exported) is called
Parmesan and not Parmigiano. They (the Germans) tried to get DOP status for
their imitation last year but failed.

Kyle

Kyle Phillips wrote:

>
> It's high time the US and other non-European areas started using
local names
> for their foodstuffs, rather than aping European names. Vermont and
> Wisconsin Cheddar, for example, can be superb, but if you've ever had
the
> real stuff from England you'll realize they're not Cheddar. Perhaps
just as
> good, but different because the cattle are different, as are the
forage
> (sp?) and the air
So why not give them names that people will recognize and
> seek out. Say, Cabbot cheese for Vermont?

I think there is a misunderstanding here. "Cheddar" or "cheddaring"
refers to the -process- by which a certain type of cheese is made. It
does not refer to a locality, or specific breed of cow. In fact, the
cheddar cheese producers in England are spread out over a fairly large
area. Certain cheddar cheeses in England are especially esteemed, such
as the farmhouse cheddars produced by Montgomery, Keen, or Horlicks.
But the cheeses produced by Cabot, Grafton, Shelbourne, etc are true
cheddars if made by the cheddaring -process-. Some of those cheddars
are excellent and can rival the best of the English farmhouse cheddars.
You're probably also aware that excellent cheddars are also produced
in Canada, Australia, New Zealand...the cheddaring -process- is used to
produce the cheese.

Mac

<[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
>
> Kyle Phillips wrote:
>
> >
> > It's high time the US and other non-European areas started using
> local names
> > for their foodstuffs, rather than aping European names. Vermont and
> > Wisconsin Cheddar, for example, can be superb, but if you've ever had
> the
> > real stuff from England you'll realize they're not Cheddar. Perhaps
> just as
> > good, but different because the cattle are different, as are the
> forage
> > (sp?) and the air
> So why not give them names that people will recognize and
> > seek out. Say, Cabbot cheese for Vermont?
>
> I think there is a misunderstanding here. "Cheddar" or "cheddaring"
> refers to the -process- by which a certain type of cheese is made. It
> does not refer to a locality, or specific breed of cow. In fact, the
> cheddar cheese producers in England are spread out over a fairly large
> area. Certain cheddar cheeses in England are especially esteemed, such
> as the farmhouse cheddars produced by Montgomery, Keen, or Horlicks.
> But the cheeses produced by Cabot, Grafton, Shelbourne, etc are true
> cheddars if made by the cheddaring -process-. Some of those cheddars
> are excellent and can rival the best of the English farmhouse cheddars.
> You're probably also aware that excellent cheddars are also produced
> in Canada, Australia, New Zealand...the cheddaring -process- is used to
> produce the cheese.
>

You're right, I had thought that cheddar was more geographical than process
related. In this sense, it's like Grana padana, which derives its name from
the grain of the cheese rather than location in the strict sense, and is
made in Trentino Alto Adige as well as about half the Pianura Padana. I
still think, however, that those outside the traditional production area for
cheddar would be better off coming up with other names for what they make,
because the impression of the uninformed consumer is that what's made
elsewhere is an imitation of the English cheese, and because many people who
will buy imported cheeses (including cheddar) may not see any reason to buy
a non-english cheddar from elsewhere if they have a local cheddar that's
half way decent. After all, it's not the original. In the long run, regions
will benefit greatly for becoming known for top quality, unique products.
Not for things that are made everywhere.

Kyle