A Dutch Dessert Cheese
Parrano, an aged Gouda-style Dutch cheese, has enjoyed double-digit sales growth in the United States every year for the past decade. That's impressive and perhaps an indication of the kind of cheese that appeals to Americans, although sales had nowhere to go but up.
Parrano (Pah-RAH-no) is a relatively new cheese, created about 12 years ago by UnieKaas, the largest Dutch cheese company. Curiously, the marketers of this cheese go to some lengths to imply that Parrano is Italian-made. It is not. It is made in Holland, from pasteurized Dutch cow's milk.
Made in 15-pound wheels and aged for five months, Parrano has a wax-coated natural rind and a semifirm, dense golden paste that is smooth and creamy on the tongue, with the occasional crunch of a protein crystal. It smells of caramel and its flavor is balanced and mellow, with a sweet finish. It offers little complexity, just that interplay of sweet and salt that so often seduces the American palate.
Despite its sweet impression, Parrano contains no measurable sugar. All the natural milk sugar, or lactose, has been converted to lactic acid, as in all aged cheeses. The sweet sensation we get from aged cheeses is the result of the breakdown of fats and proteins as the cheese matures.
Enjoy Parrano as a dessert cheese, with some toasted hazelnuts and a glass of Sercial or Verdelho Madeira.