American processed cheese that can be mixed up with anchovies or any fish from whitebait to whale, made like a sausage and sold in handy links.

Ancien Imperial _Normandy, France_

Soft; fresh cream; white, mellow and creamy like Neufchatel and made in the same way. Tiny bricks packaged in tin foil, two inches square, one-half inch thick, weighing three ounces. Eaten both fresh and when ripe. It is also called Carre and has separate names for the new and the old: (a) Pet.i.t Carre when newly made; (b) Carre Affine, when it has reached a ripe old age, which doesn't take long--about the same time as Neufchatel.

Ancona _see_ Pecorino.

Andean _Venezuela_

A cow's-milker made in the Andes near Merida. It is formed into rough cubes and wrapped in the pungent, aromatic leaves of _Frailejon Lanudo_ (_Espeletia Schultzii_) which imparts to it a characteristic flavor. (Description given in _Buen Provecho!_ by Dorothy Kamen-Kaye.)

Andechs _Bavaria_

A l.u.s.ty Allgauer type. Monk-made on the monastery hill at Andechs on Ammersee. A superb snack with equally monkish dark beer, black bread and blacker radishes, served by the brothers in dark brown robes.

Antwerp _Belgium_

Semihard; nut-flavored; named after its place of origin.

Appenzeller _Switzerland, Bavaria and Baden_

Semisoft Emmentaler type made in a small twenty-pound wheel--a pony-cart wheel in comparison to the big Swiss. There are two qualities: (a) Common, made of skim milk and cured in brine for a year; (b) Festive, full milk, steeped in brine with wine, plus white wine lees and pepper. The only cheese we know of that is ripened with lees of wine.

Appet.i.tost _Denmark_

Semisoft; sour milk; nutlike flavor. It's an appetizer that lives up to its name, eaten fresh on the spot, from the loose bottom pans in which it is made.

Appetost _Denmark_

Sour b.u.t.termilk, similar to Primula, with caraway seeds added for snap. Imitated in U.S.A.

Apple _U.S.A._

A small New York State Cheddar put up in the form of a red-cheeked apple for New York City trade. Inspired by the pear-shaped Provolone and Baby Gouda, no doubt.

Arber _Bohemia_

Semihard; sour milk; yellow; mellow and creamy. Made in mountains between Bohemia and Silesia.

Argentine _Argentina_

Argentina is specially noted for fine reproductions of cla.s.sical Italian hard-grating cheeses such as Parmesan and Romano, rich and fruity because of the lush pampas-gra.s.s feeding.

Armavir _Western Caucasus_

Soft; whole sour sheep milk; a hand cheese made by stirring cold, sour b.u.t.termilk or whey into heated milk, pressing in forms and ripening in a warm place. Similar to Hand cheese.

Arnauten _see_ Travnik.

Arovature _Italy_

Water-buffalo milk.

Arras, Coeurs d' _see_ Coeurs.

Arrigny _Champagne, France_

Made only in winter, November to May. Since gourmet products of the same province often have a special affinity, Arrigny and champagne are specially well suited to one another.

Artichoke, Cardoon or Thistle for Rennet _see_ Caillebotte.

Artificial Dessert Cheese

In the lavish days of olde England Artificial Dessert Cheese was made by mixing one quart of cream with two of milk and spiking it with powdered cinnamon, nutmeg and mace. Four beaten eggs were then stirred in with one-half cup of white vinegar and the mixture boiled to a curd. It was then poured into a cheesecloth and hung up to drain six to eight hours. When taken out of the cloth it was further flavored with rose water, sweetened with castor sugar, left to ripen for an hour or two and finally served up with more cream.

Asadero, or Oaxaca _Jalisco and Oaxaca, Mexico_

White; whole-milk. Curd is heated, and hot curd is cut and braided or kneaded into loaves from eight ounces to eleven pounds in weight Asadero means "suitable for roasting."

Asco _Corsica, France_

Made only in the winter season, October to May.

Asiago I, II and III _Vicenza, Italy_

Sometimes cla.s.sed as medium and mild, depending mostly on age. Loaves weigh about eighteen pounds each and look like American Cheddar but have a taste all their own.

I. Mild, nutty and sharp, used for table slicing and eating.

II. Medium, semihard and tangy, also used for slicing until nine months old.

III. Hard, old, dry, sharp, brittle. When over nine months old, it's fine for grating.

Asin, or Water cheese _Northern Italy_

Sour-milk; washed-curd; whitish; soft; b.u.t.tery. Made mostly in spring and eaten in summer and autumn. Dessert cheese, frequently eaten with honey and fruit.

Au c.u.min _see_ Munster.

Au Fenouil _see_ Tome de Savoie.

Au Foin and de Foin

A style of ripening "on the hay." _See_ Pithiviers au Foin and Fromage de Foin.

Augelot _Valee d'Auge, Normandy, France_

Soft; tangy; piquant Pont l'Eveque type.