On human odour, malaria mosquitoes, and Limburger cheese,

August 14, 2007 12:03 PM

On human odour, malaria mosquitoes, and historic Limburger Cheese.
posted by Floydd (14 comments total)

{previously}
posted by Floydd at 12:04 PM on August 14, 2007

From the "and" link: Limburger originated in Belgium but is usually associated with the Germans and Swiss, who layer the aged, surface-ripened cheese with dark bread, onions, and horseradish or mustard in a hearty sandwich.

That makes me want to run by the grocery store on the way home. I think my wife has already made other dinner plans, though.
posted by TedW at 12:42 PM on August 14, 2007

Limburger originated in Belgium but is usually associated with the Germans and Swiss, who layer the aged, surface-ripened cheese with dark bread, onions, and horseradish or mustard in a hearty sandwich

I was quite young when my maternal grandfather passed away, but I do remember him making this kind of sandwich for himself all the time (usually on Sundays to munch while he watched sports on TV). He always offered to make us kids one, too, but none of us were brave enough to try it.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:56 PM on August 14, 2007

Limburger is ripened by coryneform bacteria such as Brevibacterium linens, close relatives of which form part of the normal bacterial flora of the feet.

mmmmm
posted by caddis at 12:59 PM on August 14, 2007

While precise numbers are hard to come by, there are approximately 400 million cases of malaria annually...

PlausibleFilter?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:01 PM on August 14, 2007

Fascinating.

So who benefits in this triangle? The mosquito, yes, because it's guided to bite us on a part of the body where it's not so likely to get swatted; the bacteria, yes, because the itchy welt gets scratched, putting the bacteria in a good position, on fingers, to be passed along; us-- no.
posted by jamjam at 1:07 PM on August 14, 2007

That last link makes my senses tingle with pleasure. Meter that not only scans but that all fits perfectly without fudging is a rare treat, especially in this day and age. Bravo to L&P Berryman!
posted by darksasami at 1:07 PM on August 14, 2007

Ahh, but jamjam, we get limburger!
posted by Floydd at 1:09 PM on August 14, 2007

Goddamn that sounds like a kickass sandwich!
posted by aramaic at 2:04 PM on August 14, 2007

I can't believe you posted this. I was just on wikipedia last night reading about all things cheese, and this very fact was one that came up, and I was amazed...

BTW, did you know that Velveeta was is a "cheese product" and they got in trouble by the FDA (I think it was the FDA) for calling it "cheese food", because it's technically less than 51% cheese.

Also, I learned the Government Cheese (which I totally hated) was only part of a Reagan welfare program, and partially one of those milk-dumping type programs. Take the excess cheese, blend it together and give it to the welfare people.

But man that shit was nasty. So to all of you who grew up before the 80s: Were you ever on welfare, and if so, did they not have government cheese until then?

Hell, the irony is that I fucking lived on a farm.

That said. I knew there was a reason the back of my ears (where my glasses rest and get all sweaty like) smells like cheese. Yeah, I know, it's disgusting, but I swear to God, I thoroughly clean behind the ears.
posted by symbioid at 2:11 PM on August 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Symbioid, my family received government cheese and butter for a time in the mid to late 1970s. My mom raved about the cheese, said it melted smoother than whatever regular cheese she used to buy. She mainly used it to make macaroni and cheese, potatoes au gratin and grilled cheese sandwiches.
posted by Oriole Adams at 3:04 PM on August 14, 2007

Hmm, maybe I have horribly faulty memory (though based upon the description I've read of government cheese is that it's a blended mix of cheddar and colby, which I can see being quite melty), but I swear when I had it, it was this hard, nasty, dry cheese that had bland taste and blander texture.

I think this explains why my mom was always on me to eat cheese with my jelly sandwiches "you need protein" which was partially true, but I think she just wanted to make sure we got rid of that huge block sitting in the fridge.
posted by symbioid at 4:02 PM on August 14, 2007

Government cheese made GREAT nachos. I wish it was available to buy nowdays.
posted by mrbill at 4:03 PM on August 14, 2007

Government cheese made me the food snob I am today.
posted by figment of my conation at 8:45 PM on August 14, 2007