How To Eat Cheese

I often listen to BBC World News in the morning.  Yesterday I heard a piece on a Swiss finishing school that teaches “international protocol and etiquette.”  My ears perked up when I heard mention of etiquette rules for cheese consumption (one of my all-time favorites).

Did you know that hard cheese should not be eaten with bread (and is most appropriately eaten with fork and knife)?  Apparently, if you’re aspiring to international standards, only soft cheese may be eaten on bread – with the exception of mozzarella cheese.  Though considered a soft cheese, mozzarella should also be eaten with knife and fork.

A few years ago I received a lovely set of cheese knives, which came with this handy guide.

A few additional pieces of protocol for you:

Every piece of cheese should include the rind, in order to experience its full flavor.  Lastly, and most important, it is apparently very bad form to ever cut the nose or tip off cheese, as it is considered to be the best part.  Fair enough, I suppose.  However, when it comes to the bread pairings, I’m happy to know the rules but can’t say I’ll be following them!