“With the awakening of the South African cheese palate, milder flavours make way for more complex cheese,” says Brigit Bergh, product manager (cheese) for Simonsberg and Parmalat.
That’s why the Simonsberg cheese masters select the best, and then nurture the cheese throughout its life. Maturing the Gouda for a minimum of 6 months and the Cheddar for at least 12 months develops a unique character that sets them apart from their younger, less-matured peers.
Simonsberg Mature Cheddar has some classic qualities of handcrafted Cheddar with a distinctive flavour with a sweet, nutty and a lingering of pepper. It has a soft texture and is quite light on the palate for 12 month matured cheddar.
The Gouda, a semi-hard, white cheese, has a nutty-savoury taste with a note of salt and pepper aftertaste and has a more distinctive taste than the cheddar. Those looking for a bit of kick in the aftertaste will enjoy this Gouda tremendously. The black wax coating protects the cheese from drying out during its 6 months maturation process that adds to its unique flavouring.
The desired nutty and ‘umami’ taste profile results from the aging process, assisted by the exclusive cheese cultures – personally selected over the years by cheese specialist Alan Fourie – which break down the milk proteins, rendering it more digestible.