Tnuva Hard Grating Cheese
Since Tnuva products landed on these shores, I’ve been wholly unimpressed. All of their cheeses I’ve tried have been bland, over-commercialized, and uninspired. And Tnuva’s “Hard Grating Cheese” (their take on Parmesan) isn’t much different.
I first tried it in small chunks at room temperature, and I could hardly taste anything except the flavor of stale bread. Only for a brief moment after lots of chewing and determined tasting could I detect a slight bit of Italian cheesiness.
Not to be discouraged, I tried grating the cheese over a plate of pasta, and, when hot, detected a bit more flavor.
The price (on sale at the Butcherie for $2.50, normally $2.99) made it less than half that of Miller’s genuine Parmigianno-Reggiano, but Miller’s superior taste and texture is worth every penny.
Since Tnuva is Israel’s largest producer of kosher food, I figure I must be missing something. So I cast aside their English-language website and went for the straight dope… the Hebrew. In Israel, it seems, they sell a wider line of cheeses, including cheddar, provolone, and roquefort — varieties I’d be excited to try. Instead, they stick us with umpteen mediocre kinds of “feta-style” cheese. Go figure.
I agree with your take on their cheese. I have been suprised also with the length of time it has taken them to reach the market with their product. I suspect that if they can continue to achieve a lower price point then the market will embrace the product.
Miller’s doesn’t hold a candle to the Italian parmesan sold at Fairway, but it’s quite good for the price.
I believe that’s the brand of Parm they sell at Whole Foods up here… I’ll have to give it a try.
I’ve found their kashkeval cheese before–it was very good in a spinach pie (though I’ve never had any other kashkeval cheese, so I don’t have anything to compare it to).
Has anyone learned the what kosher cheeses are manufactured by Sartori Cheese Co. Their web site suggests they produce Kosher cheese and given that many of their cheese is vegetable rennet based, I was hoping that their parmesan would be a new option to our community.