Ode to Cougar Gold cheese

Every state has its own specialties. Most people know about Washington's famous apples, Aplets & Cotlets and Almond Roca candy. Fewer people know about Cougar Gold cheese, but maybe that is for the best. The stuff is hard enough to find as it is.

Cougar Gold hails from Washington State University's creamery. (The WSU mascot is the cougar, and the college colors are maroon and gold. Thus, Cougar Gold.) The classic Cougar Gold is a cheddar style cheese with a rich flavor, a crumbly texture, and having those marvelous salty crystals sprinkled throughout. Although it can certainly be used as you would any other cheese (Seeds restaurant in La Conner makes a Cougar Gold macaroni and cheese that is to die for), this specialty cheese is probably best enjoyed solo, atop a cracker.

The most obvious distinguishing feature of Cougar Gold is that it comes packed in a can. This packaging is historical, and hails from the 1930s when WSU was researching cheese storage methods. Being a 100 percent natural cheese without any artificial stabilizers or preservatives, they found that the cheese kept best in a round tin versus the other packing options of the day (plastic wrap or waxed paper).

Because it is all natural, the cheese must be stored in the refrigerator. The unopened tins can be popped right in the fridge, but once you open them, WSU recommends that you divvy up the cheese into smaller portions, wrap these individually, and refrigerate them.

The remarkable thing about Cougar Gold is that it continues to age, right there in the tin. In an unopened tin under constant refrigeration, the cheese will only get better. Cans have been stored for 30 years and opened to find a cheese that is even more crumbly and rich in flavor than the young, three-year cheeses.

Image courtesy Flickr/Lower Columbia College