127 CHEESE WATCH

Calum Hodgson enjoys Kau Piro, a smelly but satisfying brine-washed cow’s milk cheese from Grinning Gecko Cheese.

STINKY CHEESE CAN sometimes be a conundrum. Maybe it’s because our usual cheese is so boring and we need to get out more. It’s true the smell and the taste are often mismatched. So many times I have argued with the voices in my head; “Man that smells, but I want to have it inside me as well.” Or could it be my own bacterial colony demanding the stinky cheese? We know bacteria can smell, taste, see and feel, too, working with cheesemakers to produce something stinky but incredibly loveable, much like the bacterial jubilee that produces their character. Told you it was a conundrum. Zev from Grinning Gecko Cheese works with bacteria to produce Kau Piro, a beast of a cheese from Whangārei. The combined cheesy whakapapa at play does give rise to that yum/yuck conundrum. Kau Piro is an unctuous, organic cow’s milk cheese which is aged to a pudgy, custard pudding-like texture. It is washed in a brine, developing a strong pungent aroma. The resulting rind is thin and tender, adding a savoury earthy thing to the texture. The paste is meaty and sometimes bacony, becoming a lot more complex and robust with age. This is a cheese that gives back so much when eaten at the right time. Be brave – Kau Piro stinks, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it. CALUM HODGSON – THE CURD NERD

Calum Hodgson is cheesemonger at Massimo’s Italian Cheeses