Stinky Cheese (Stinkekäse)

I just had a great lunch of melted Vacherin cheese over cooked potatoes.  Just add a bit of salt and peper, and voilà.   This is the season for Vacherin, which is produced in Franche-Comté, France under the names Vacherin du Haute-Doubs and Vachering Mont d'Or, and in Switzerland, under the name Vacherin Mont d'Or.  We bought a Vacherin Haute-Doubs in a round box similar to the one shown below.  The Vacherin du Haute-Doubs is a raw milk cheese.  The cheese already was runny when in the fridge, so I spooned it over the potatoes and warmed them in the microwave.  In Alsace, Münster cheese (not to be confused with its American cousin) is served this way in restaurants, and the taste and odor are similar.

The Swiss Cousin, Vacherin Mont d'Or.
 "The older the vacherin gets, the stronger the smell of
 ammonia due to microorganism activity in the cheese."

Stinky cheeses are an acquired taste.  My grandfather, who grew up in Swabia before emigrating to the US, always kept Limburger cheese in a sealed jar in the fridge.  When he took it out, we scattered.  I still don't have cravings for Limburger or Münster cheese, but at regularly intervals we have cheeses such as Münster and Vacherin at home, and I, too, enjoy them as a change of pace.