'Red Witch' Cheese Casts A Culinary Spell

Who wants candy at Halloween when you can have a scary cheese like Red Witch? The broomstick-riding hag on the label gives me the willies, but this aromatic Swiss cheese is a delight.

Caroline and Daniel Hostettler, a Florida couple who import fine cheeses from their native Switzerland, introduced Red Witch to the U.S. a couple of years ago. But they let it languish until last year, when they thought to link it to Halloween. I hope they de-link it to this one-day holiday, because Red Witch deserves a year-round following.

According to Daniel, the cheese originated when a customer approached Swiss cheesemaker Christian Oberli with the idea of making a celebratory cheese for Carnevale, the pre-Lent festival when the Swiss masquerade as demons, wizards and witches. Over a restaurant meal, she and Oberli hatched the concept for a paprika-coated cheese with a demonic label.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: San Francisco Chronicle