Mori no

Mori no is a Japanese cheese produced in the city of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. The cheese is made from the milk of brown Swiss cows that graze the mountain pastures, resulting in darker color and richer flavor of the cheese. Its washed rind is pungent, sticky, and mandarin-orange in color, dusted with blue-grey mold. This cheese ages for 3 to 8 weeks, and it's reminiscent of Epoisses, a masterpiece of the French region of Burgundy.

Its texture is supple and open, with numerous small eyes. The aromas and flavors are robust and reminiscent of forest leaves, which is unsurprising as mori means forest, so this is quite literally a cheese of the forest. Pair it with rice wine or medium to full-bodied red wines.