Cheez in the DR.

BIGBOY21

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Sep 15, 2010
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IS it me or is the cheese in the DR just utter crap, every time I have ordered something with cheese, or bought cheese at a grocery store over there I seem to always come across some very low grade tasteless oily substance that passes for cheese over there, do they actually have real cheese in the DR and when I say real I mean some good cheesy flavorful cheese made with milk, and do they have Camembert, Brie, Pelardon or any type of French cheeses? If yes where? Are there any places that have real mozzarella cheese maybe imported because I have to say that is some atrociously bad cheese i have tasted in the DR.

Yes I do love cheese so much so if I can't find good cheese I might have to bring my own when I go there.
 

dr_dreamin

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Jan 20, 2010
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Where are you going to be in the D.R.? There are some French guys in Rio San Juan making goat's cheese and cow's cheese with herbs. (They also make delicious sausages and rillette.)
 

Norma Rosa

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Feb 20, 2007
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IS it me or is the cheese in the DR just utter crap, every time I have ordered something with cheese, or bought cheese at a grocery store over there I seem to always come across some very low grade tasteless oily substance that passes for cheese over there, do they actually have real cheese in the DR and when I say real I mean some good cheesy flavorful cheese made with milk, and do they have Camembert, Brie, Pelardon or any type of French cheeses? If yes where? Are there any places that have real mozzarella cheese maybe imported because I have to say that is some atrociously bad cheese i have tasted in the DR.

Yes I do love cheese so much so if I can't find good cheese I might have to bring my own when I go there.

You can get imported cheese, any type. I am not a cheese lover, but they do make a good white cheese.
 

BIGBOY21

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Sep 15, 2010
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I usually go to Santiago or the capital, in Rio San Juan you say? Don’t even know where that is but I will find out and I will go there to get me some cheese or do they have this cheese available in grocery stores?
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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As another cheese lover, I can sympathize with you BigBoy. The best dairy products I've ever had were from a place called Turey in Bonao. I swear it's worth the trip from anywhere, they even had ricotta. There was another dairy place next door. Both places were jammed with customers.

AE
 

calverde

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Dec 22, 2009
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go to supermercados they have great cheese it is very good. dont know why you say this, i find cheese very good, many choices. dont buy cheese in colmados which does not seem so good.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Buy your cheese from one of the supermarket chains. The problem with most Dominican cheeses is not the actual cheese, since they come out of the factory with very high quality, but rather the handling in the sales process. By the time the cheese (or parts of the cheese) reaches the consumer, it has already been mistreated, filled with impurities that degrades its original quality. This is especially true with any cheese that you may buy at a colmado or any small or informal business.

The cheese is often sold by pieces cut on the spot, the rest is often left out in the open for much of the day as new customers demand a slice or piece, its improperly repackaged when the business owner closes the shop and puts the cheese in refrigeration. Often times, the cheese, even once being refrigerated after spending the whole day in the open air, is done so in such an improper way that it absorbs many of the impurities found in the air and degrades its quality significantly.

Then there's the problem with what Dominicans do at home with the cheese, which due to poor handling techniques, often results in a further lowering of its quality.

The end result is that by the time the cheese is consumed, it has reached a very low quality. Most Dominicans don't find anything wrong with it, in part because they have been eating low quality cheese for a very long time. They don't know what a good quality cheese tastes like.

In the supermarket chains like Pola, Bravo, Nacional, etc.; make sure you buy the prepackaged type of cheese that is sealed, and if you have to buy by the piece, make sure they cut your piece from a prepackaged sealed cheese block to ensure the highest quality.

Otherwise, you will be dealing with more bad cheese.
 

BIGBOY21

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Sep 15, 2010
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Believe it or not I’m writing all this down, i eat practically everything with cheese, thanks for the advice!!
 

wrecksum

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Sep 27, 2010
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I'm missing good cheese too.
I used to live in France where there is a cheese for every palate or cheese dish but here there's only expensive imported stuff or the local tasteless one.I was told that it's a problem to keep real cheese from rotting during the affinement process due to temperature variations and humidity.
Pricemark (Santiago) do a sort of American Cheddar which is good for cooking or topping and not too expensive.
Oh for a nice bit of Comte or real Roquefort!
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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www.vipcigartours.com
Both Nacional and La Sirena have good cheeses from all over the world, and fairly reasonable compared to a good gourmet shop in the US...

Some domestic cheese is pretty good, just not their versions of gouda, cheddar, etc. I like Queso en hoja, kind of a salty mozzarella style cheese that comes in a ball and pulls apart like leaves (thus the "hoja"). and picantino, kind of a cross between feta and pecorino...
 

wrecksum

Bronze
Sep 27, 2010
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Just a thought. If you succeed in getting your shotgun,(your other thread) you could blast holes in the Cheddar and pretend that it's Swiss Emmenthal.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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hey, you could even put your shot cheese into mass production, at least it will taste of something :) what does the gun powder taste like? sharp? tangy?

from dominican produce i like queso en hojo and frying cheese (when fried, of course). other than that i buy imported. i do not know where NALs shops but normally supermarkets have all cheeses in the fridge and after each cut they are wrapped in plastic foil and back to the fridge.

i need more details about rio san juan. it is a long drive but may be worth it.
 

Acira

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Sep 20, 2009
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www.blazingfuries.com
Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, cheddar (the sharp one), goat cheese soft, emmentaler, parmezan (the real stuff, not the powder), mozarella, Ramboll, Gorgonzola, Manchego, Supreme, Chaume...all available at some time

The local hard goat cheese is not bad.
 

BIGBOY21

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Sep 15, 2010
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Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, cheddar (the sharp one), goat cheese soft, emmentaler, parmezan (the real stuff, not the powder), mozarella, Ramboll, Gorgonzola, Manchego, Supreme, Chaume...all available at some time

The local hard goat cheese is not bad.

Where dude???? Where?????????
 

losflor

New member
Sep 4, 2010
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I sympathise, moving to the DR from Mexico - where cheese was also the tasteless processed variety - perhaps I am used to it.

However at the Jumbo in La Romana we found a good cheese selection - including mozzarella. They had a good blue cheese selection - even Stilton - but that was quite expensive. I bought a great Camembert and ate all of it in one day.

There was also a good selection of US style cheese (I'm European) the Monterey Jacks etc...

If you try the big national chain supermarkets you should find an import section which is probably best bet.

Also if DR is anything like MX then also supply is intermittent - one week it's there - the next, or following month - gone! So if you find anything good - buy all of it!