Additionally, the temperature in which the cheese is stored while being imported can be overlooked. There have been situations when a good cheese has been imported at too high of a temperature, which has spoiled the cheese.”
Abs Patil from Big Chefs agrees that sourcing cheese is not difficult in the Middle East but the quality and authenticity “depends on how far you can stretch your budget”, adding that not very many restaurant can afford to put premium PDO cheeses, for example, on their menu.
“Exploring local cheese is something I have always preferred; Turkish cheeses are quite popular and we include certain Turkish cheese in our Big Chefs restaurants. Some of the known and popular Turkish cheeses are kashkawal, dill, beyas and tulum,” he reveals.
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Continuing, he adds: “As cheese is getting [more] popular in Middle East region, the notable part is that the restaurants are carefully choosing their cheeses. People are getting more familiar with cheeses like gruyère, brie, stilton and gouda. Cheese for breakfast and after dinner is setting the trend.
"Even though mozzarella cheese is at the top of my list, I would also say having premium buffalo mozzarella on your menu is a must. Burrata is expensive but once eaten is never forgotten. Pairing of cheese with the right meat or ingredient is the core rule to avoid over powering either the cheese or the other principal ingredient.”
During the recent Italian Cuisine Summit in the UAE, Caterer Middle East asked president and chairman of Grana Padano PDO Cheese Protection Consortium Nicola Baldrighi about the growing demand for Italian cheeses in the UAE in particular.
He commented: “We see the import of Italian dairy products, specifically cheeses, into the UAE growing each year which is a clear indication of the need and want for our quality products in the country. With the rapid and continued growth of the F&B industry and Italian restaurants, it provides a great opportunity for us.”
He revealed that Grana Padano is doing well in the UAE market in Italian restaurants and among expats, and added: “We are trying to promote it to Arabian customers through Italian restaurants and it’s starting to become more familiar to them. We also found out that they like the younger cheese — around 14 to 16 months. It’s more milky and sweet.”
Speaking about other cheeses, he highlighted “mozzarella , gorgonzola and mascarpone” as popular in the UAE.
Did you know?
Grana Padano is the best-selling PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese in the world. Its crumbly texture is created by its lengthy ageing process and it was ‘invented’ nearly 1,000 years ago by the Cistercian monks of Chiaravalle Abbey, near Milan. The monks created a recipe to make a cheese that could withstand the test of time using the surplus of milk.
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