Cheese, it turns out, is a big fan of hip hop.
While connaisseurs have discussed for years which wine pairs best with cheese, the question of what music to choose is less well established.
After six months of research, one dairyman thinks he’s found the answer. And it’s hip hop.
Beat Wampfler set up an experiment to expose maturing Emmental to music ranging from Mozart’s Magic Flute to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven.
Other cheese wheels, all weighing 10 kilograms were exposed to low and high-frequency soundwaves and one was left in silence as a control.
Benjamin Luzuy, a Swiss TV chief and member of the jury chosen to taste the final products, told Reuters: "The differences were very clear, in term of texture, taste, the appearance, there was really something very different."
"The scientific research that accompanied this experiment and the jury this morning proved that there are significant differences depending on the music, which means, the 'hip hop' cheese, it is a little bit sweet, it looks a little bit like an Emmental. But if we take a very high-pitched sound, it produces a more spiced cheese, stronger, you can feel it in your nose," said Peter Kraut, deputy director of the music department at Swiss art school HKB and another member of the jury.
The experiment will now focus on testing whether the quality of the hip hop cheese can be replicated.