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Mercantile
Article from Antiques & Collecting
by Ralph & Terry Kovel
by Ralph & Terry Kovel
In the 19th century, before the days of plastic
containers and refrigerators, cheese-keepers kept the
cheese from drying out. These covered dishes also
kept the odor of the cheese from spreading through a
room. But a cheese dish always had a small hole in
the top to discourage mold.
Several different types of cheese-keepers were made.
By 1850, the large, cylindrical Stilton cheese popular in
England was kept on a large round dish that was just
the right size for the cheese.
A tall dome about the size of the cheese was placed
over the dish. It fit inside the dish's raised rim. A
smaller cheese dish became popular in the 1860s. A
cheese course was served at dinner parties between
the pudding and the dessert. Cheese was cut into
squares and passed around on a footed glass or
pottery dish. Some cheese was crumbly, it was served
in a large wedge on a rectangular plate with a
rectangular, triangular or wedge-shaped cover.
The dishes were usually made of pottery, including
creamware, ironstone and majolica. A few glass
cheese dishes were made. By the 1870s, cheese
dishes were made to match sets of dishes. They
remained popular until about 1920. A few are still being
made.
containers and refrigerators, cheese-keepers kept the
cheese from drying out. These covered dishes also
kept the odor of the cheese from spreading through a
room. But a cheese dish always had a small hole in
the top to discourage mold.
Several different types of cheese-keepers were made.
By 1850, the large, cylindrical Stilton cheese popular in
England was kept on a large round dish that was just
the right size for the cheese.
A tall dome about the size of the cheese was placed
over the dish. It fit inside the dish's raised rim. A
smaller cheese dish became popular in the 1860s. A
cheese course was served at dinner parties between
the pudding and the dessert. Cheese was cut into
squares and passed around on a footed glass or
pottery dish. Some cheese was crumbly, it was served
in a large wedge on a rectangular plate with a
rectangular, triangular or wedge-shaped cover.
The dishes were usually made of pottery, including
creamware, ironstone and majolica. A few glass
cheese dishes were made. By the 1870s, cheese
dishes were made to match sets of dishes. They
remained popular until about 1920. A few are still being
made.
Excerpts from The Cheese Plate, Max McCalman and David
Gibbons and photographs by Susan Salinger, © 2002.
Artisanalcheese.com
Gibbons and photographs by Susan Salinger, © 2002.
Artisanalcheese.com
In France, Italy, Switzerland, and other European
countries, humans and beasts have adapted to
seasonal extremes with the miraculous
migratory trek called transhumance, wherein
herd and herders gradually move from
sheltered mountain pastures in summer. In
spring, when the snows at lower altitudes have
melted and given way to green pastures, the
animals are let out of their barns and begin to
eat their way up the mountainsides, reaching
altitudes of nearly 10,000 feet by mid-August to
graze in pastures above the tree line. By the end
of September, when temperatures begin to drop
and the occasional snowstorm descends, the
herds have eaten their way back down to the
valleys; the pastures they ate in the early spring
are green again, renewed in the animals’
absence.
The mountain pastures are dotted with chalets,
where herders, often hired hands known as
bergers in French, make cheeses. These
alpage cheeses represent the elite, coming
from happy bovine gourmets who have partaken
of the fresh air, sunshine, pure mountain water,
and natural plant delicacies all summer long.
countries, humans and beasts have adapted to
seasonal extremes with the miraculous
migratory trek called transhumance, wherein
herd and herders gradually move from
sheltered mountain pastures in summer. In
spring, when the snows at lower altitudes have
melted and given way to green pastures, the
animals are let out of their barns and begin to
eat their way up the mountainsides, reaching
altitudes of nearly 10,000 feet by mid-August to
graze in pastures above the tree line. By the end
of September, when temperatures begin to drop
and the occasional snowstorm descends, the
herds have eaten their way back down to the
valleys; the pastures they ate in the early spring
are green again, renewed in the animals’
absence.
The mountain pastures are dotted with chalets,
where herders, often hired hands known as
bergers in French, make cheeses. These
alpage cheeses represent the elite, coming
from happy bovine gourmets who have partaken
of the fresh air, sunshine, pure mountain water,
and natural plant delicacies all summer long.
Cheese Course menus entice one to explore cheese at
every sitting from breakfast to after-dinner courses.
"Breakfast Plate: Baguette slices, jams, preserves.
Cheese: Roncal with Agave Nectar drizzled directly on the
cheese.
Picnic Plate: Caerphilly is the ideal picnic cheese: it's
moist, durable, and portable--you can even carry it in your
pocket like the Welsh miners did."
-
The Cheese Course
The Cheese Course
THE Campaign ... The Journey ... The Etude
Indulge in an Etude on Artisanal Cheeses served in your collection of
antique cheese-keeps ... subject for a life-time campaign with a bite
here and there along the way.
Indulge in an Etude on Artisanal Cheeses served in your collection of
antique cheese-keeps ... subject for a life-time campaign with a bite
here and there along the way.
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Cheese Etude Notes
Cheese Etude Notes
Kingwood, TX 77339, Office: 713-829-1224
www.sallebac.com, © Sallebac 2007
www.sallebac.com, © Sallebac 2007
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