Warning - Do NOT get cheddar from Valenti

[darksider415]

I went into the Valenti in the Mercado de Belgrano on Saturday because they enticed me with the cheddar on display, since after ~3 years in Argentina and only intermittent respites of real cheddar, I was having a craving for good cheese and I bought 900g of the stuff. A little overboard, but I have enough recipes that call for real cheddar that I can use it relatively quickly.

What they gave me in those tempting little plastic packages ended up smelling like garbage and ammonia when I opened them and wasn't fit for consumption. I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy, especially if they were expecting cheese.

Back to the never-ending search for those little tiny wedges of La Suerte, I guess.

 

[Paige55]

I went into the Valenti in the Mercado de Belgrano on Saturday because they enticed me with the cheddar on display, since after ~3 years in Argentina and only intermittent respites of real cheddar, I was having a craving for good cheese and I bought 900g of the stuff. A little overboard, but I have enough recipes that call for real cheddar that I can use it relatively quickly.

What they gave me in those tempting little plastic packages ended up smelling like garbage and ammonia when I opened them and wasn't fit for consumption. I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy, especially if they were expecting cheese.

Back to the never-ending search for those little tiny wedges of La Suerte, I guess.

La Suerte cheddar is my go-to here. At the large Jumbo in Palermo near the Hipodromo they're selling it alongside imported cheddar that's three times the price (though perhaps worth it for some that are craving it).

 

[darksider415]

La Suerte cheddar is my go-to here. At the large Jumbo in Palermo near the Hipodromo they're selling it alongside imported cheddar that's three times the price (though perhaps worth it for some that are craving it).

La Suerte is my go-to as well, but I was, perhaps too optimistically, hoping for a real cheddar I could get in my neighborhood. Nunca Mas.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I went into the Valenti in the Mercado de Belgrano on Saturday because they enticed me with the cheddar on display, since after ~3 years in Argentina and only intermittent respites of real cheddar, I was having a craving for good cheese and I bought 900g of the stuff. A little overboard, but I have enough recipes that call for real cheddar that I can use it relatively quickly.

What they gave me in those tempting little plastic packages ended up smelling like garbage and ammonia when I opened them and wasn't fit for consumption. I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy, especially if they were expecting cheese.

Back to the never-ending search for those little tiny wedges of La Suerte, I guess.

That shouldn't have happened to any cheese: that's bad storage, bad hygene or both and ought to be reported.

The thing is that cheddar isn't a PDO cheese and can be made anywhere in the world with almost any variation in colour, quality and taste: cheddaring is just a cheese-making process used by lots of manufacturers. If you've found one brand you particularly like then I'd stick to it but maybe try sampling other cheeses which might not even call themselves cheddar and pick out some others you might like?

There's a feria artesanal that rocks up alongside Plaza Arenales about once a month and apart from crafts, pickles and jams, there are makers and sellers of cured meats - pancettas, salamis etc - breads and of course cheeses.I'm sure that it turns up in other parts of the city too on the other weekends and if you get a chance, do try it out. Some of their cheeses may well have the characteristics you are looking for but they won't be labelled cheddar!

 

[jantango]

I would have taken the cheese back to where I purchased it with the receipt and demanded a refund.

 

[darksider415]

I would have taken the cheese back to where I purchased it with the receipt and demanded a refund.

That’s my plan for today. If I hadn’t opened it after they closed for the weekend, I would’ve already.

 

[Ries]

buy cheese here.
Some cheeses are simply not available here.
Eat local.

Cheeses

santicheese.com

 

[darksider415]

buy cheese here.
Some cheeses are simply not available here.
Eat local.

Cheeses

santicheese.com

I feel like I eat very local, doing my shopping at the shops within walking distance of my apartment for 2+ years and getting to the point where folks greet me by name at the bakery/butcher/etc.

Doesn’t mean I can’t buy a cheese that ended up being spoiled after opening and warn others against making my mistake.

That said, I did just get some aged cheddar from Santi to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully it’s the good stuff.

 

[Ries]

I admit some things I wont go more than a few blocks for, but I do make regular pilgramages across town for various things. The three best carnicerias, for example, Piaf, Converso, and Corte, are all across town from me, but worth the journey. I go to Barrio Chino once in a while, because you cant get certain things anywhere else. I have favorite stores in many barrios, which, to me, are worth the journey.
And my favorite hardware stores are pretty widely spaced, too.
I agree that spoiled food is unacceptable, no matter where its from.

 

[GuidoAnselmi]

La Suerte cheddar is my go-to here. At the large Jumbo in Palermo near the Hipodromo they're selling it alongside imported cheddar that's three times the price (though perhaps worth it for some that are craving it).

Do you happen to remember the brand name of the imported cheddar at Jumbo?