Yak Cheese From the Himalayas. $8 or so per lb. at Grapevine. Yes, this cheese really comes from Yaks, which basically look like prehistoric wooly-mammoth cows with huge horns. I couldn't believe I was eating a cheese from this wild animal. It came in a big, tough, light brown wheel with some light bark-looking stuff on the outside. Towards the rind, it is a dark green straw color. The rind looks like bark. It is about the size of an Appenzeller. It looked like a mountain cheese and had a tough, almost grainy texture. The smell was strong. It didn't smell stinky like a washed rind or Appenzeller, but rather, of elephants! Oddly enough, the taste was pretty mild. It is salty and hard, but it really has a weird aftertaste. My friends who will not eat the likes of Tête-de-Moine had no problem with this cheese. It was ok, but I couldn't get over the zoo aftertaste. It was just like being at the elephant cage.
Yodeling Goat Gouda $9.99 lb. at Whole Foods, $3.60 for a nice wedge. Young, white with a white wax and some coloring. This cheese tastes perfumy and floral. It is a little sweet and buttery, and the goat flavor is very faint. When I breathe out, I taste nuts and it tingles a little on the tongue. It tastes rich and almost fatty. This is a sweet little cheese, literally. It has a tiny bit of sharpness on the finish with some salt, but overall, this is super mild and would be great for parties and as well as an introductory goat cheese. Overall, what I'm left with is flowers and butter and a hint of nuts and grass. Vegetarian with vegetarian rennet. I can't find out much information on this online, but I believe it is from Holland.