Location: Home » Wine Books » General » Cheese Primer

The Oenophile Network Blog & Forum Links

Wine Blog
Wine Forum

Cheese Primer

enlarge

Author: Steven Jenkins
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$16.95~~
Buy Used: $1.80
You Save: $15.15 (89%)

New (42) Used (35) Collectible (2) from $1.80

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

30 reviews
Sales Rank: 15929

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1.2

ISBN: 0894807625
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.373
UPC: 019628017628
EAN: 9780894807626
ASIN: 0894807625

Publication Date: November 1, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Reading copy only -- all pages intact -- Visible liquid damage -- Visible wear-marking-shelf wear

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 30

« PREV

1 2 3 4 5 6

The Best Introduction to Cheese November 9, 2006
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

Steven Jenkins has written 'a passionate guide
to cheese'. He may well be, as the cover copy
claims 'America's most opinionated authority'.
What makes this book the most important volume
on the subject right now is that the man has
tasted most of the world's cheeses and has or-
ganized his careful tasting notes in a way that
makes them easy to access.

His geographical sections are sprinkled with
sidebars that are often interesting or useful
and his writing style is bubbly and fun.

It's true that this book is in no way a primer.
It's not about first principles, and some of what
it has to say is just plain wrong. Fat doesn't
float because it's heavier than water, (p.15)
for instance and the best wine to serve with
a cheese is only occasionally one from the
same region (many of the best dairy lands aren't
in wine country).

Of course, any book that calls itself opinionated
is going to have opinions that provoke disagreement.
There are also going to be holes in the en-
cyclopedic fabric. (Steve, how could you have missed
Austria's Voralberger Bergk�se?)

Quibbles aside, this is an author who cares about
one of the good things in life and has devoted his
time, taste and intelligence to sharing that thing
with the rest of us. The result is a book that will
bring a lot of pleasure and be used as a reference
for many years. For less than the cost of a pound
of Reggiano, this is a great buy.

Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE
and the forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Press.
(ISBN 1601640005)

3 out of 5 stars

Not what I was looking for June 16, 2006
11 out of 22 found this review helpful

It was nice to know the different types of cheeses, regions, and history but what this book lacked, and what I was looking for, was an explanation of tghe cheese process behind making these cheese. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the history and geography lessons, but I wanted to know more about the actual cheese. I mean what kind of milk do you start with, what additives, what temperature, what types of processing. So, for me it was the wrong book.

5 out of 5 stars

Have Cheese Will Travel February 16, 2006
5 out of 15 found this review helpful

Although I wont be taking the trip the book was intended for for a couple of more months, I've found it to be a wonderful read, loaded with the who, what where of cheese, but much more useful information as well to help plan a trip. Mr Jenkins really knows his cheese and how to write an interesting book.

4 out of 5 stars

More of an epicure's guide than an introduction. January 18, 2006
33 out of 36 found this review helpful

`Cheese Primer' by a leading American `fromagerie' (sic), Steven Jenkins is a typical Workman Publishing slick treatment of a subject in a relatively inexpensive trade paperback format which is great to look at and promises lots of useful information on it's subject. This, like most of Workman's similar titles largely delivers on its promise, but it does not quite live up to its moniker as a `Primer'. The primary reason for this is that it does live up to the promise that the author is `America's most opinionated authority'.

There is no question that Monsieur Jenkins knows his stuff. He is especially well versed on artisinal cheeses from around the world, especially in France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. In fact, one of the most salutary discoveries in this book is that the good old U. S. of A is developing a really decent artisinal cheese industry, California cows notwithstanding.

The main problem with the book is that it did not answer in a good `Cheese for Dummies' way, some of the primary questions I had about cheese. For example, there was no spiffy table giving the primary characteristics of the world's major cheeses. This is expecially important as France alone, with its more than 400 named types of cheeses have dozens which fall into the same general type. This is expecially important when we find that our A-list cheeses may not be available, but a differently named cheese with very similar properties is available and at a substantially reduced price. The author very accurately states that it is simply not possible to pidgeon-hole all cheeses into particular types, as there is so much overlap. This is why we need a tabular presentation of cheese properties. What, for example makes Camembert, Brie, and Roquefort similar and what makes them different from one another.

One of my greatest affirmations from this book is the fact that while France enjoys the reputation of being THE great cheese making country of the world, Italy actually imports a lot more by weight than does France. This is really not too surprising as most of France's great cheeses are soft and do not travel that well, while the stars of Italian cheesemaking are the hard grana-like cheeses, lead by the regal Parmisano-Reggiano and the princely Pecarino Romano. Italian cheeses are one of the four legs on which it's great cuisine sits, along with its wine, charcuterie, and pasta, with a special mention due to its bread making, which is exported more in concept than in substance.

This book is great as a second book on cheese, serving as a reference on the salient features of our most important cheeses. It's recommendations on serving cheese are just a bit too fussy for everyday use. I noticed this especially when I saw Jenkins recommend for a cheese platter a cheese which was very difficult to obtain anywhere in the country except in the very largest cities with major cheese shops.

I was also surprised that the book gives no list of sources, even if they are only good for the locals. Where is the plug for the Texas outfit which makes mozzarella or my favorite DePaolo cheese shop in New York's Little Italy. Where is the plug for Murray's Cheese, also in New York City. We only get mentions of places where Mr. Jenkins has worked.

If you love cheese and you can get a copy of this book for under $10, this is a good buy. Otherwise, keep looking.

4 out of 5 stars

Encyclopedia of Cheese But . . . September 11, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book has more information on cheeses world-wide than I've ever seen gathered in one place. It discusses cheeses from each of the major (and not so major) countries in the world. And in my favorite section, Mr. Jenkins does a state-by-state inventory of artisan cheeses. There are also sections on how to enjoy cheese and what to enjoy it with. On the down side, there are no color pictures and many of the black and white photos are of lesser quality. But all in all, an excellent book for those relatively new to cheese.

Powered by Associate-O-Matic

Customer Service

Contact Customer Service
Ordering
Tracking Your Package
Shipping Information
Domestic Shipping Rates
International Shipping Rates
Returns
Gifts & Gift Certificates
Privacy & Security

Subcategories

•	Mass Market
•	Trade

Untitled Document Disclaimer: This is an Amazon storefront - the products referenced on this site are manufactured and sold by parties other than the Oenophile Network. The Oenophile Network makes no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products. Any questions, complaints, or claims regarding the products must be directed to the appropriate manufacturer or vendor, or to Amazon.com.