Think back to the days of cheese and pineapple sticks at kids parties. Popular, easy and most importantly, tasty. But pineapple and cheese combinations don’t stop there; think burgers, pizzas and BBQs – the possibilities are endless. Which cheese pairs well with pineapple to make these tasty snacks a little more elegant and appeal to the palate?
What Cheese Goes Well with Pineapple?
To match cheese perfectly with pineapple, consider complementing flavour profiles. Pineapple is sweet with a tart acidity. Therefore consider rich, buttery and sweet cheeses to match this, such as semi-hard style. Semi-hard cheeses are perfect to cut to the ideal size and shape you are after.
Top 5 cheeses that pair well with pineapple are:
- Manchego
- Swiss Gruyere
- Aged Cheddars
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Halloumi
What is the Best Cheese with Pineapple?
The perfect cheese that goes well with pineapple is Manchego. Manchego is a Spanish cheese made with sheep milk. This is because it has a nutty and sweet (almost like caramel) complexion. The rich flavour of the cheese is cut through by the slightly tart and acidic flavour of the pineapple. Remove the wax rind from Manchego before serving and eating.
Manchego is also known to have protein crystallisations. These are formed during the cheese-making process and are a sign of using high-quality milk. Protein crystallisations are often mistaken for salt. However they have a little more texture to the cheese and enhance the quality.
What is a Mild Cheese to Pair with Pineapple?
Swiss Gruyere is a semi-hard Alpine cheese. It has a robust, grassy and nutty flavour, as well as being rich and buttery. Made with cow’s milk, the cow’s graze on high-quality grass whenever possible, enhancing the flavours. Gruyere is matured for a minimum of 6 months and periodically washed in brine over the rind. This adds to the maturing process and well as intensifies the strong unique flavour profile. Swiss Gruyere is a popular cheese and a good crowd-pleaser.
Using Aged Cheddars?
Another cheese that goes well with pineapple is aged cheddar. The best aged cheddars usually come from the UK and made with rich cows milk. Aged cheddar is matured for anywhere between 12-24 months. Vintage or aged cheddars are usually wrapped in cloth once they have been pressed during the cheese-making process, to ensure that moisture is retained and a hard rind is formed.
Keeping the cheese moist prevents it from drying out and cracking, therefore keeping the texture and flavour as smooth and creamy as possible.
Tip:
Remove the cloth before eating the cheese!
What is a Classic Cheese I Can Use?
Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) is another great cheese to pair with Pineapple. It is a hard cows milk cheese produced in Italy and matured for a minimum of 12 months. Similar to Manchego, it also has the protein crystallisations that develop during maturation.
This is the perfect pairing to use if the pineapple is the centre of your cooked dish, as Parmesan is a great melting cheese. It is a very rich cheese and therefore should be enjoyed in very small quantities.
Alternatively, this pairing is great on a cheeseboard, include Parmigiano Reggiano as one of your cheeses and pineapple as your featured accompaniment.
Looking to Try Something a Little Different?
The final top choice pairing for pineapple is Halloumi. Perhaps this cheese is to more of an acquired taste, as the texture is a little rubbery and chewy. Halloumi is originally from Cyprus and is unripened, therefore it is very light and fresh, and may even be stored in brine.
Fry or grill this cheese for a salty, refreshing palette cleanser, balanced out beautifully will the sweet acidity of the pineapple.
