Cheese

There is a fine selection of cheeses available in Faerun. The following are a notable few:

• Arabellan Cheddar - is known to be the most popular cheddar cheese of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is a sturdy, orange cheese that travels very well. A 1-pound wheel costs about 4 silver pieces.

• Chessentan Lotus Cheese - is popular in Chessenta and in the empires on the southeastern side of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is mixed with lotus flower petals, although there are other Chessentan cheeses that are mixed with rose or honeysuckle petals. A 1-pound wheel costs about 6 silver pieces.

• Death Cheese - is made from the milk of catoblepas. It is produced by monks who hire willing adventurers to herd and milk the deadly catoblepas. A popular myth is that the monks are blind and tend the beasts themselves, locating their herds through sense of smell. The cheese is soft, has a red paraffin rind, and a rich taste. A 1-pound loaf costs about 5 gold pieces.

• Damarite Red - is also known as Bloodcheese. It comes from the lands of the Bloodstone. Made from goat's milk, it has a sharp, hearty, pungent tang. It travels well, owing to its heavy, black rind. A 1-pound wheel costs about 5 silver pieces.

• Elturian Grey - is reminiscent of Blue Cheese, but has black veins. It is also known as stonework or dwarfcheese. It has a pungent flavor. Unfortunately, many knock-offs of Elturian Grey have come into being, sometimes using cow's milk instead of goat's milk. They try to sell them under similar names, such as Elturel Grey, Elturel Gray, etcetera, to trick the unwary. A 1-pound loaf costs about 6 silver pieces.

• Farmer's Cheese - is also known as pot cheese or cottage cheese. It does not travel well, so is mostly consumed locally. It is usually wrapped in muslin. A 1-pound lot costs about 3 silver pieces.

• Green Calishite - is made by the Calishites, who mix curry into their cheeses to enhance the flavor. It has an aquamarine hue due to the curry. It is an extremely spicy cheese that can lay low the uninitiated. A half-pound loaf costs about 4 silver pieces.

• Luiren Spring Cheese - is also known as Halfling's Cheese, or mind cheese. It is pungently aromatic and soft. Although not very tasty to humans, it has a profound effect on halflings, who react to it as they would a strong wine or narcotic. It causes intense cravings in halflings. Because of its dangerous nature, its distribution is very restricted and must usually involve written permission from the patriarch or matriarch of a temple, who may be treating a halfling under the influence of the cheese.

• Mist Cheese - is produced in Loudwater Vale. It is a rich, soft white cheese that becomes translucent when sliced thinly. It is also called Ethereal Cheese by the elves. A 1-pound loaf costs about 2 gold pieces.

• Nut Cheeses - are most prevalent in Silverymoon, Mirabar, Sundabar, and the other cities of the savage frontier. They are a way to preserve un-shelled nuts (such as hickory nuts, walnuts, and chestnuts), which is done by grinding the nuts up and mixing them with cheese during the production of the cheese. Nut cheeses are typically rich and hard. A 2-pound wheel costs about 1 gold piece.

• Pepper Cheese - is a tangy, supple cheese created by mixing southern spices with a mixture of goat and cow cheese. The rind is leathery and dotted with peppercorns. Tethyr is well-known for its excellent pepper cheese. A 1-pound loaf costs about 5 silver pieces.

• Turmish Brick - is a cheese mixed with the heavy red wine that is common among the Turmish. It is a sweet, crumbly, burgundy cheese, wrapped in red wax, and has a distinctive rectangular shape. It is popular as far north as Neverwinter. A 1-pound loaf costs about 4 silver pieces.

• Vilhon Blanc - is a lighter cheese than Turmish Brick, since it is made with a lighter wine. It has a sweet, delicate flavor. The cheese is typically consumed locally, and is rarely found beyond the Sea of Stars or Sembia. A 1-pound loaf costs about 6 silver pieces.

• Waterdhavian - is popular and common in Waterdeep. It is also called eyed cheese, holed cheese, or arrow-shot (it is similar to Swiss Cheese). This pale cheese has a sharp, tangy flavor. A 1-pound wheel costs about 4 silver pieces.

• Yak Butter - is a mild and delicate cream cheese made from yak milk. It can be found from the Spine of the World to the Hordelands. A 1-pound earthenware container costs about 4 silver pieces.

References

• Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.