This year we decided not to spend time and effort sourcing our traditional western Christmassy comfort foods.
Instead we followed the well trodden, and historical, path of a Noche Buena offering of 'local' delights starring Queso de Bola and Christmas Ham
To be honest I had never sampled either and went about some serious investigation as a route to discovering the very best-of-the-best.
I love cheese. All kinds.
Sadly the Philippines is not the easiest of places to find a selection of decent cheese, although it is possible some good ones.
I finally settled on buying a small red Queso de Bola called Marca Pato. It's imported from Holland. There's another one called Marca Pina but most folks said the Marca Pato has a better taste and is not so salty.
I'll try both next year just for comparison.
Well I have to say this Marca Pato was a true revelation. Wow, a hard crumbly Edam cheese ball wrapped in a red paraffin wax coat made specifically for the Philippine Market.
For me it has a great taste, texture and a really good sharpe 'bite'. In short I love it.
In fact I love it so much I bought 2 more balls so I can enjoy it for a while longer.
It's really a world apart from the softer 'fresher' Edam usually available in the UK
There's a long and interesting history behind the development and importation of this unique cheese going back over 100 years.
If you're fond of cheese I recommend you give this a try.
It's easily hard enough undergo some fine grating which would give more versatility for sandwiches, toppings and cooking.
Quote Reply
Originally Posted by mickcant
