Categories: Food & Wine

The World’s Smelliest Cheeses

Stinky cheese has been a beloved food item (for many people) for a long time. Which cheese has been labeled the most pungent? If you guessed Limburger, you are wrong, though Limburger does rank high on the list. The world’s smelliest cheese comes from France and I will tell you about this pungent delicacy here.

First of all, there are a lot of stinky cheeses– far too many to list here. Some of the well-known stinky cheeses, besides Limburger, are Munster Fermier and Gorgonzola. None of these stinky cheeses, however, can compare to the world’s smelliest cheese, Vieux Boulogne.

In 2004, scientists at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire U.K. conducted a sniff test (using an electronic “nose” along with human testers) and proclaimed Vieux Boulogne to be the smelliest cheese. A study in 2007 confirmed the cheese as the world’s smelliest. According to the BBC article, ” ‘World’s smelliest cheese’ named “, viewable here, Vieux Boulogne “…even beat Epoisses de Bourgogne, a cheese so smelly it is banned from being taken on public transport in its native France.”

And, according to the same article, there doesn’t appear to be a correlation between smelliness and aging or type of milk used. However, Dr Stephen White, a researcher at Cranfield University, is quoted in the article and said “The smelliest cheeses were washed rind cheeses “.

What are washed rind cheeses?

Washed rind cheeses are cheeses washed, several times during the ripening process, in a salt solution and/or beer, brandy, or other alcohol solution. Washed rind cheeses were traditionally made in monasteries. The washing promotes much stronger flavors by promoting the growth of certain kinds of bacteria.

One kind of bacteria promoted by this method is the same bacteria that causes stinky body odor. The bacteria are called Brevibacterium linens. This is what gives stinky cheeses such as Limburger their familiar pungent odor (an odor often described as “stinky feet”) For Vieux Boulogne, a type of “blonde” beer is used in the wash. This beer adds flavor and helps promote the distinctive bacterial growth. Vieux Boulogne is aged approximately 8 weeks (which means it is a young cheese). The milk, which is unpasteurized, for this cheese comes from Normandy cows.

If you are interested in learning about other cheeses that made the top list, be sure to visit the link in the resources section.

The smelliest cheese I eat is Feta, which means I am a wimp in the cheese world. I am fine with being a cheese wimp. For those of you who are more courageous, you should try the smelliest cheese (it may not be easy to do if you live in the United States. Since Vieux Boulogne is made with unpasteurized milk, it is considered unsafe and is, therefore, difficult to find here). If you are able to try the stinky cheese, warn your family members so that they can leave the house beforehand.