Andrew Zimmern Says This Smuggled Cheese From Paris Smells Like 'God's Feet'
When it comes to cheese, the stinkier the better, or in Andrew Zimmern's case, the more forbidden the better. Considering one of his favorite cheeses of all time is casu marzu, an illegal maggot-infested cheese from Sardinia, it comes as no surprise that the former "Bizarre Foods" host went so far as to smuggle yet another type of illegal cheese, this time all the way from Paris, which he proudly shared via his Instagram.
The cheese in question, of course, is no ordinary cheese. According to the caption on Zimmern's video, it's French aged Camembert, and its wonderful stench can best be described as "the smell of God's feet," which assumedly is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a cheese by an aficionado like Zimmern. After taste-testing cheese from all around the globe, from Oaxacan string cheese in Mexico (via YouTube) to Wisconsin Limburger (via Travel Channel), the smelliest cheese in America, it's safe to say Zimmern knows what he's talking about when it comes to good cheese — or at least cheese worth shipping in from another continent.
The bacteria makes it reek
Unlike Zimmern's other beloved illegal cheese, Camembert undergoes a different type of aging process that thankfully does not involve maggots. On an episode of "Bizarre Foods" set in Paris (via YouTube), he explained that Camembert specifically from Paris is procured in a cheese cave, "a moisture and temperature-controlled room with unique bacteria and mold cultures living inside that makes them perfect for affinage." This process is not only what makes the cheese so pungent, but is also what makes it illegal in the US. Food & Wine magazine reported that unpasteurized cheese, like the one Zimmern could only get from Paris, surpasses the FDA's maximum bacteria level. "The majority of raw milk cheeses that we love, like authentic Camembert, Roquefort and Brie, won't stay fresh on the shelf for more than 10 days, which means that they won't survive the legally required aging," the magazine states.
Andrew Zimmern seems to think that risk is worth it, and as he cut into the wheel of God's feet Camembert, it's easy to see why. "Texturally perfect. Sweet and sharp. A ten," he described (via Instagram). You might not be able to try this delicacy outside of France, but at least you can always smuggle it in through Zimmern's secret cheese connection — perhaps it's God himself.