top of page

Why Do Europeans Eat Cheese After Dinner?

Madison

Most of us associate cheese and a charcuterie board as the perfect hors d'oeuvre. According to the French, cheese doesn't belong as a crowd-pleasing grazing selection before dinner, it is supposed to be eaten after the meal.


Why do so many Europeans eat cheese after dinner, instead of beforehand? There are several good reasons. To begin with, the savory flavors can go better with after-dinner drinks and help bring out their sweetness without overloading on sugar. If you have already eaten, you're less likely to stuff yourself with decadent cheeses.


Some people believe that cheese is alkaline and by neutralizing the acids in the food, can aid digestion. However, this is not true: cheeses have a lower pH than unprocessed milk and are also acid-forming, meaning they can trigger acid reflux. Although, one of the acids in higher-fat cheeses is conjugated linoleic acid, which has been linked to reduced inflammation and a stronger immune system - just one of the many reasons you should eat more goat cheese!



The biggest reason of all you should consider eating cheese after dinner has nothing to do with how it affects you: It's all about the cheese. Cheese is best at room temperature, so the European tradition can help it taste the way it should.


Taking cheese out of the fridge - just to wait to eat it!? Sounds like torture, I know. But, room-temp cheese is better for a variety of reasons, so the European custom of eating cheese after dinner instead of beforehand can actually improve the cheese experience!


Similar to many foods, the delicious flavor in cheese comes from fat-soluble molecules. Under warmer conditions closer to our own body temp, the volatile aromatic compounds are more easily detectable by our senses, so we're better able to pick up nuanced flavors.


Like wines that are decanted, cheeses need time and space to breathe too. Creating a full barrier between your cheese and air is a mistake. So, when you set your cheese on the counter to adjust to room temperature, drape something loosely over it like plastic wrap, cheese paper, or parchment paper.




Comments


bottom of page