Yarg
Encyclopedia
Yarg is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese
made in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
from the milk of Friesian cows. Before being left to mature, this cheese is carefully wrapped in nettle
leaves to form an edible, though mouldy, rind. The texture varies from creamy and soft immediately under the nettle coating to a Caerphilly cheese
-like crumbly texture in the middle. Modern production is at Pengreep farm near Truro
, by Lynher Dairies from an old recipe. "Yarg" is simply "Gray" spelled backwards, after Allan and Jenny Gray, the couple who gave the recipe to Pengreep Farm in the 1970s.
Yarg is sold throughout the world, but is produced solely in Cornwall by Lynher Dairies. Although the cheese has never been manufactured on a mass scale, it has fans all over the world. It was first made by the Grays at Withiel
and from 1984 to 2006 at Netherton Farm near Upton Cross, Cornwall, by Lynher Dairies. From 2001 to 2006 it was also made at Pengreep.
As well as the unusual name, the cheese is instantly familiar from its unique coating. The nettles, though being the ingredient which gives Yarg its unique flavour, were originally used as a preservative. However, this ingredient is what now delights many, described as having "a delicate, almost mushroom flavour." As well as the taste of the nettles, an interesting flavour is added by the mould allowed to grow on the cheese, which is not harmful.
Another version of the cheese is Cornish Wild Garlic Yarg which is covered with wild garlic leaves.
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
made in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from the milk of Friesian cows. Before being left to mature, this cheese is carefully wrapped in nettle
Nettle
Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby...
leaves to form an edible, though mouldy, rind. The texture varies from creamy and soft immediately under the nettle coating to a Caerphilly cheese
Caerphilly cheese
Caerphilly is a hard, white cheese that originates in the area around the town of Caerphilly in Wales, although it is now also made in England, particularly in the South West and on the English border with Wales...
-like crumbly texture in the middle. Modern production is at Pengreep farm near Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, by Lynher Dairies from an old recipe. "Yarg" is simply "Gray" spelled backwards, after Allan and Jenny Gray, the couple who gave the recipe to Pengreep Farm in the 1970s.
Yarg is sold throughout the world, but is produced solely in Cornwall by Lynher Dairies. Although the cheese has never been manufactured on a mass scale, it has fans all over the world. It was first made by the Grays at Withiel
Withiel
Withiel is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The name Withiel is derived from the Cornish word Gwydhyel, meaning wooded place...
and from 1984 to 2006 at Netherton Farm near Upton Cross, Cornwall, by Lynher Dairies. From 2001 to 2006 it was also made at Pengreep.
As well as the unusual name, the cheese is instantly familiar from its unique coating. The nettles, though being the ingredient which gives Yarg its unique flavour, were originally used as a preservative. However, this ingredient is what now delights many, described as having "a delicate, almost mushroom flavour." As well as the taste of the nettles, an interesting flavour is added by the mould allowed to grow on the cheese, which is not harmful.
Another version of the cheese is Cornish Wild Garlic Yarg which is covered with wild garlic leaves.