CHEESE, a favorite food of school kids and sophisticates
alike, has been on the culinary best-seller list for centuries.

Dairying and the art of cheese
production came to Canada with
European settlers -— after the first
successful shipment of cattle was
completed.

Although Baron de Lery
brought livestock with him in 1518
when he tried to found a perma-
nent colony, hts attempt to
establish a settlement failed and
he abandoned the cattle on Sable
Island.

It wasn't until Samuel de
Champlain came to Quebec in ei-
ther 1608 or 1610 that cattle was
effectively introduced to Canadian
soil.

Later, in the 1660s, more cattle
were imported from Normandy
and the ‘Canadienne’ breed is
believed to be descended from this
stock.

Records of the early settlements
make reference to cheese produc-
tion; the early French colonists
made ‘fromage raffin” in an at-
tempt to follow the soft-cheese
process of France,

K’s also believed that tn 1630
the Acadians made cheese for the
returning French fleet. However,
the earliest cecord of cheese pro-
duction isn't until the year 1764,
when six tonnes of cheese were
exported from Nova Scotia.

When the United Empire
Loyalists settled in the north, they
brouvht with them their art of
cheese-making, cheddar-style. Re-
cords of Kingston, QOnat., show
that supplies of cheese were being
exported to the United States as
early us 1801.

From this date and through the
next century, Canada's cheese in-
dustry developed at a frantic pace.
This is the cra that would see the
esiablishment of the first cheese
factory, credited to being the
‘Pioneer,’ which opened in 1964
with the help of American techno-
logy.

Actually, a number of factories
opened that same year. By 1867,
there were 200 factories in Ontario
alone, and by the end of the cen-
tury there were cheese factories in
every province.

With this substantial amount of
cheese production, it only makes
sense that export of cheese was a
key interest. And whea you want

By Peggy Trendel!-Whittaker
News Reporter

to sell something, you advertise.

Canadian cheese fell — literally
— into world prominence at
Chicago’s World’s Fair in 1893.

As an innovative advertising
campaign, Canadian cheese-
makers produced the ‘‘Mam-
moth’ cheese, a 9.6 metric tonne
block of cheddar, for the World
Fair. It attracted much attention
— even more so when it crashed
through the exhibition floor.

The factory system allowed
Canada to reach its peak export
year in 1903-04. In that year
alone, Canadian production
reached an estimated 250,000,000
pounds, 235,980,7!6 of which
were exported,

ft was also the factory system
that may have limited the in-
troduction of speciality cheese.
Cheddar, with its origins from the
English village of Cheddar in the
County of Somerset, was the “one
variely particulary adapted for the
factory system,’’ and was,
therefore, the choice of the new
cheese-miakers.

With the exception of Oka,
speciality cheese production was
somewhat delayed until after the
First World War for some
varieties and until after the Se-
cond World War for the majority.

The sudden rise af speciality
cheeses is due to the massive in-
Mux of European tmimigrants into
Canatta after the Second Workl
War.

In the late 1950s, Italian im-
migranis in Canada were hungry
for their ftalian cheeses. such as
Mozzarella and pizas
Dutch immigrants wanted Edam
and Gouda; Greeks sought Feta;
the Swiss, Eramenthal and Gruyere:
the Danes, Havarti; Norwegians,
Jarisberg; the Germags, Muenster,
Limburger and Quark cheeses; the
French locked for Camembert and
Brie; and othe British wanted
Stilton.

ht didn’t take long betore
enterprising businesses started an-
swering the call for all the
speciality cheeses available in our
supermarkets today.

The faces

think cooking is
consider the
Phan-

IF YOU
only recipes,
case of Chocolate
tasmaporia.

The name is as decadent as the
dessert, ano ethereal combinauen
of chocolate cake, hasetiar butter
and chocolate ganache, surround:
ed by sauce Anglaise Misored with
Gentoman Jack Rare Teroessce
Whiskey, and aoosay scoop or
Double Mocha Siaduess tee
Crean,

Chocolate Phardusanigetia aan
created by Marcel Desaulittess, of
the Preths Restaurant oon
Willamsbune,  Wivponig. EP was
served at the tookbook  Nwareds

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NEWS photo Terry Peters

CANADIAN CHEESE first became known internationally at the Chicago World's Fair in 1693.
Cheesemakers praduced a 9.6 metric tonne block of cheddar especially for the exposition.

of Phantasmagoria

the conference of
Association of
recenuy

Gala dinner at
the International
Culinary Professionals
hei! in Vancouver.

Recipes receive ue most atten-
tion in cooking. But in our con-
fern fos jastructions and propor.
tions, we often forget that food
has other fascinating faces. Tech-
nique, cave, nutrition, and
peesenteiien cach play oan
everyoring we cook

Nbr Leis net even con

anaiysing ochre calories and

Hatrivnts of Chis ate Rich desscris

Holy dor) Denett anes treads,
Bui sometimes mo indulges as rien
Stele

And most aucedtoiists world
eeree that sarivty and moderation

trots oetahe dich Gail mare

than the occasional splurge.

hen there's the focus
quisitive cooks in’ understanding
how eges, fut, chocolate, sour
cream and cake flour interact.
Knowing why things rise, why
chovolate sometimes seizes, the
effecr of temperature, and under-
sanding Ure balanees of ingredionts

“tars another dimension to cook:

qT wie ail omatters of
scenes,

Cansifer, feo. Che impact af
white ching on black iablecloth-,
votive candies and a saftty spore

ed centrepicce of fresh onchids,
sind etre pieany

The contrast beuveen is dessert
imast the celor of sfnaebe and
siiky cAngtaise catches te oye. it

sedi tively beckons one fo thas!

Then the explosion of flavors in
chocolate, whiskey and 9 cream
leases one ne choice but to tinkh!

This is the art of presentation.
Among foud  professionais, it’s
called Mnod stuting. The table set-
ting. the way foods are arrad
the ovolors, teature, und
aroma ali play a part in
ihe tastebuds,

And finally, ‘Tirstele
DSU OUD,
Marcel Desgubtiers. and Nis pastry
chef drove for tS hours afmost
Hon--top, facing foul weather a
eras | Cubans
Oversee HS prepitralias,

Phabifesunavotna gs a showsstse
dlesserp of Tood'’s ober faces

athe cf se STE Oa GG,