Study Suggests Hip-Hop Makes Cheese Taste Better

March 19, 2019 by TWN Staff
Study Suggests Hip-Hop Makes Cheese Taste Better
A variety of goat cheese, offered by cheese artisan Margie Weber, the artisan behind Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, photographed Wednesday, Nov 14, 2018 in Clovis, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/Fresno Bee/TNS)

Want to make a sweet and favorable cheese? Then be prepared to get your hip hop on.

At least that’s the conclusion of Swiss researchers in Switzerland who spent six months playing a variety of musical genres to maturing cheeses.

The study, entitled Cheese in Surround Sound, was carried out by researchers at the Bern University of the Arts, in the Swiss city of Burgdorf, and Käsehaus K3, a local cheese house and club.

Put simply, the collaborators found that cheese that has been exposed to music tastes different from cheese that hasn’t been.

Michael Harenberg, director of Sound Arts studies at the university, said in a written statement that during the experiment eight cheeses maturing at Käsehaus K3 were exposed to a different sound over a period of six-and-a-half months.

These sounds included everything from Led Zeppelin to hip hop to  Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” to techno music and ambient sounds.

Once matured, the cheeses were analyzed by professional food technologists from the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences and submitted to a panel of highly qualified culinary jurors in a blind taste test.

The ZHAW Food Perception Research Group concluded that the cheeses exposed to music had a generally mild flavor compared to the control test sample.

Their report also confirmed that the cheese exposed to hip hop music displayed a discernibly stronger smell and stronger, fruitier taste than the other test samples.

Upon tasting the cheeses, a star-studded panel of judges, featuring artists, chefs and politicians concluded that clear differences could be discerned not only in laboratory analyses, but also in terms of the taste.

For example, cheeses that were played hip-hop music or low frequencies were both described as slightly sweet.

“For chefs like me, these results are fascinating. This opens up new avenues for us in terms of how we can work creatively with food in the future,” said Swiss-born top chef Benjamin Luzuy.

Bern University of the Arts researchers and Käsehaus K3 are now exploring ways to develop their new acoustic approach to cheesemaking.

They are also encouraging others to conduct additional research to confirm their findings.

“As composers and musicians, it has been thrilling for us to carry out this project in Burgdorf and to develop the acoustic installation. We are delighted with the results,” Harenberg said.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

In The News

March 28, 2024
by Dan McCue
Silicon Valley-Based Firm Launches ‘Radar as a Service’

BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic... Read More

BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic concept underlying radar was proven in 1886, when a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz showed that radio waves could be reflected from solid objects. And the... Read More

March 28, 2024
by Dan McCue
Elections Task Force Prosecutes 2020 ‘Vigilantes,’ Seeks More Civic Dialogue

PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to... Read More

PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to an Arizona election official. The sentencing of Joshua Russell, of Bucyrus, Ohio, came after he pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.... Read More

March 28, 2024
by Tom Ramstack
Disney World Settles with Florida After Its Opposition to 'Don’t Say Gay' Law

ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis... Read More

ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who were exerting controversial regulatory control over the huge tourism complex. The settlement resolves some of the disputes that arose after Disney officials publicly denounced the... Read More

US Changes How It Categorizes People by Race and Ethnicity. It's the First Revision in 27 Years

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and... Read More

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions... Read More

March 28, 2024
by Dan McCue
Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

March 27, 2024
by TWN Staff
Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top