Cheese Summary

Allende first saw cheese being made at a rustic dairy in Venezuela when she was an immigrant in a foreign country. It was made in the heat from curdled, bacteria-filled milk. Don Maurizio, a gigantic man, stirred the curdled milk into cheese with his bare hands, molded the curds into round, loaf shapes, and left them to set in the shae for a few hours, after which they were ready to be sold and eaten.

Allende then visited an industrial, computerized processing plant where hygiene was of the utmost importance, and the cheese was not as perfect or as tasty as that made by Don Maurizio.

There are more flavors and consistencies in cheese than there are countries in the world, and each region has its favorites that are central to their recipes and diets. Both dry, strong-flavored cheeses and softer, milder ones...