Sakura cheese (Sakura Chīzu (桜チーズ, literally "Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Cheese")) is a soft cheese created and produced by Kyodo Gakusha Shintoku Farm, in Hokkaidō, Japan. Sakura Cheese is a camembert style that is washed in local sake, Yachi Yanagi (ヤチヤナギ), dusted with locally harvested Dutch myrtle, and Sasayuki (笹雪) and wrapped in bamboo leaf picked on the producer's farm.[1] The Japanese word 'Sakura' means "cherry blossom" in English, and is widely recognized as an important symbol of Japan and Japanese culture.
| Sakura cheese | |
|---|---|
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| Country of origin | Japan |
Kyodo Gakusha Shintoku Farm, the Hokkaido dairy that produces Sakura Cheese, was founded by Shinichiro Miyajima, in 1974. The farm also makes Shintoko, a seasonally produced, multi-award-winning Gruyère-type cheese that is aged for over 10 months for a rich, complex flavor. The farm is currently run by Miyajima's son, Nozomu Miyajima, an award-winning cheesemaker who trained in dairy science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[2] Miyajima attributes his cheesemaking success in large part to his farm's volcanic soils and naturally filtered waters.[3]
Cheese production and consumption in Japan is a modern phenomenon and was not part of the culinary tradition of Japan. In 1900 the per-capita annual consumption of cheese in Japan was only 0.9g.[4] Japan's consumption and production however increased significantly after World War II and is now the world's third biggest importer of cheese.[5] Sakura Cheese is a further milestone in the country's growing appreciation of cheese by becoming the first internationally acclaimed cheese originating from Japan, winning a gold medal[6] in the soft cheese category at the Mountain Cheese Olympics in Appenzell, Switzerland. This was a rare honor for a non-European produced cheese with awards traditionally going to Swiss, Italian, or French cheeses.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "5 Japanese Cheesemakers You Need to Know". 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Learning, Not Copying: Cheese with a Taste of Japan". Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "5 Japanese Cheesemakers You Need to Know". 11 August 2019.
- ^ "All Japan Natural Cheese Contest 2009".
- ^ "Dairy, Cheese Imports by Country in 1000 MT - Country Rankings".
- ^ "Japan wins Swiss cheese prize". www.abc.net.au. October 30, 2004.
- Hurt, Jeanette; Ehlers, Steve (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World. DK Publishing. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-4406-3618-9. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- Feldman, Susan (2012). The Answer Machine. Morgan & Claypool Publishers. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-60845-934-6. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
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