Two culinary epiphanies

One is that no one makes bratwurst like the Germans. Occasionally you will hear anti-pork and quasi-vegetarian sentiments voiced in this blog -- it is true that I do tend to eat low on the food chain. But as grill season heats up, I hereby semi-repudiate them a little bit until September (besides, the best oil for a cast iron skillet for non-grill use is said to be pork fat) . Yesterday I bought a package of four brats with a Finnish label which said they contained no preservatives or curatives. But as soon as I bit in, I said, this can't be right. As in, I have had some mighty fine makkarat but there was no way this could be a Finnish sausage product. The texture was too fine, the taste was pure summer -- specifically backyard deck grill ca 1980, when our family would buy bratwurst and an equal amount of weißwurst from a local German deli. Sure enough, the maker of these scrumptious sausages bought at Stockmann turned out to be Brennecke. No one makes brats like the Germans (and descendants of German immigrants in Wisconsin).

The other thing is that local Estonian companies are making great cheeses and confidently marketing them under AOC names. Don't think Lithuanian Parmesan (which is actually serviceable, though it doesn't have the "flavour crystals") or Latvian "Roquefort" (which was also fine, equal to the Danish and Maytag blues). The real find for me -- and I literally found it today in my fridge -- is Breti Brie from a dairy down in Tartuland. This is no sterile waxy soft cheese that never ripens (I thought it was a commercial President or something and avoided it) -- it's oozy, buttery, clearly some nurture and nature went into it.