30.- BEST CHEESE BOOK

There are more and more cheese books, with a clear increase worldwide this year. Cheese is developing its own worldwide global culture, as wine did for decades. It will take time for cheese to reach the same level as wine, but it is on the way.

2003 Belgium – Michel Van Tricht (Lannoo)

2004 Finland – Jukka Sinivirta (Otava)

2005 Switzerland – Didier Schmutz (Infolio)

BEST IN THE WORLD

 April 7, 2007

FINALISTS

1.- CANADA

Parmigiano Reggiano

 Igor Brotto, Elvio Galasso, Pasquale Vari

 (Editions de l’Homme-Quebec)

Parmigiano Reggiano is the best-known Italian cheese worldwide. This book from French Québec is a little gem.

2.-FRANCE

Route Gourmande des Fromages d’Auvergne

 Bertrand et Nathalie Legay

 (Revoir Editions)

The cheese regions of France are developing their own cheese books. This one is from the mountains of center of the country, with the objective to encourage cheese tourism.

3.- ICELAND

Ostur – The Best Cheese and Butter Recipes

Bjarni Gunnar Kristinsson

Ragnar Ómarsson

Photos: Gisli Egill Hrafnsson

 (Vaka Helgafell – Edda)

Cheese and butter has long traditions on Iceland and comes to use in this modern gastronomy from starters to desserts. 

4.- INDIA

A Cheese Cookbook

Say Cheese for a Better Health

In English

(Purobi Babbar)

Cheese is important in Indian cuisine, which has great respect for its cows. Cheese here is seen as important for health, which other books usually ignore.

5.-THE  NETHERLANDS

Echte Kaas

 Dutch Quality Cheeses

 Eric Van Veluwen

 Pintos Aldwin Izarin – Hans van der Linde

 (Dutch Quality Cheese)

The quality of Dutch cheese is well known internationally by all experts. The quality cheeses are diverse and many, which is well explained here.

6.- SINGAPORE

Crave – Cheese Desserts to Die For

 Mac Woo and June Lec

 (Marshall Cavendish – Singapore)

Cheese is starting to have a following in South East Asia and the Far East. In parallel to desserts, it is a strong trend for the future.

7.-SPAIN

España y sus Quesos

 Spain and its Cheeses

 L’Espagne et ses Fromages

 José Manuel Escorial

 Photos: Felix Soriano

 (Cata y Degustación – ICEX – Fe.Nil)

There are hundreds of cheeses in Spain, thanks to a very strong local and regional culture. They are starting to be exported. ICEX is the Spanish public institution that promoted Spanish food exports, this time with the Spanish Cheese Federation as co-publisher.

8.- SWEDEN

En god bok om konsten att njuta av ost och vin

Michael Jamais

Photo: Johan Kalén

Layout: Stenmark & Co

(Grenadine)

By showing how to find combinations between some of the world’s best wines and cheese, Michael will inspire you to go on for new combinations.

9.- TURKEY

Turkiyé nin peynir hazine leri – The Treasury of Turkish Cheese

 Suzanne Swan

(Boyut Kitaplari)

Also in English

The cheeses from Turkey are not well known yet outside the country. This will change, with the help of books like this one.

10.- UK

French Cheese

 Eyewitness Companions

 Foreword by Joel Robuchon

 Consultant: Randolph Hodgson

 Written by Kazuko Masui and Tomoko Yamada

 Photography: Yohei Maruyama

 Wine Consultant: Robert Vifian

 (Dorling Kindersley)

This guide to French cheese is a model for what many countries could and should do. Its distribution is great at tourists’ outlets.