Food - Drink
Stinking Bishop: The Cheese Named After A Less-Famous Fruit
By CASSIE WOMACK
Stinky cheese might bring to mind French Camembert or German Limburger, but the UK is home to one of the world’s stinkiest cheeses, aptly named Stinking Bishop.
Stinking Bishop actually shares its funny name with an equally unique fruit. The cheese's origins begin after World War II, which devastated the British cheese industry.
After the war, a new generation of cheesemakers began to revive traditional techniques, ushering in an era of British cheesemaking known as “the Great Cheese Renaissance.”
One cheesemaker, Charles Martell, was on a mission to revive the dying British breed of Old Gloucester cattle, which led him to develop Stinking Bishop cheese in 1994.
Martell named the cheese after the Stinking Bishop pear, which doesn't stink, but is named after Frederick Bishop, a 19th-century pear farmer with purportedly questionable hygiene.
Today, Stinking Bishop cheese stays true to its name. The outside of each wheel is washed with a sweet cider made from Stinking Bishop pears, a beverage known as “perry”.
Today, Stinking Bishop cheese stays true to its name. The outside of each wheel is washed with a sweet cider made from Stinking Bishop pears, a beverage known as “perry”.
Stinking Bishop is still made with Old Gloucester cow's milk, mixed with vegetable rennet. The curds are packed into molds, bathed in perry, and aged for two to three weeks.
Though it was crowned the smelliest cheese in England in 2009, Stinking Bishop is surprisingly mild, with a nutty, slightly sweet taste and a creamy, spreadable texture.