Earlier this month, I tried Lou Bergier Pichin, a raw cow's milk cheese, at The Cheese Store of Carmel. From the name, sounds French, no? In the local Piemontese dialect, it means "man of the hut".
This is a semi-soft toma style cheese with a smelly rind. But like many odoriferous cheeses, the stench is stronger than the taste. It's coagulated with thistle and has a telltale slight bitter note in the finish. The overall flavor is milky with grassy undertones, quite fresh tasting with a bright lactic tang. The paste melted quite nicely on the back of the tongue.