Good Taste: Oma cheese is one of LaBan's favorite things
Cheese of the Month "Do you sing?" is something Sebastian von Trapp, 35, has been asked his entire life. With the Sound of Music now celebrating 50 years, the grandson of Werner von Trapp ("Kurt" in the movie) has his reply down: "
"Do you sing?" is something Sebastian von Trapp, 35, has been asked his entire life. With the Sound of Music now celebrating 50 years, the grandson of Werner von Trapp ("Kurt" in the movie) has his reply down: "The singing gene skipped me over. I turned into a cheesemaker."
But what a cheesemaker!
Since Trapp turned his family's Vermont dairy farm into a creamery in 2009, his signature creation, Oma, has fast become one of America's best cheeses.
Named after Sebastian's grandmother, Erica von Trapp, it's reminiscent of a firm Taleggio or big Reblochon, a two-pound wheel of raw cow's milk curds ("the cheeeeese is alive!!") that gets brined, washed and turned, then finished up to 60 days in the underground cellars at Jasper Hill.
With a sticky orange rind and semisoft center that bulges (but doesn't quite ooze), it's a perfect combination of creamy satisfaction and savory, beefy washed-rind umph. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kitten are fine, but a stinky wedge of Oma is one of my favorite things.
- Craig LaBan
Von Trapp Farm-Jasper Hill Oma, $25 a pound, Talula's Daily (208 W. Washington Square, 215-592-6555) and most Di Bruno Bros. locations.