When one was growing up - more than six decades ago - in a one or at best two mule town tucked in the mid-Himalayan backwaters of Uttar Pradesh, there was only one variety of cheese available and that too rarely in the store that specialised in strictly rationed, imported stuff. Krafts processed cheddar it was. It was much later that Amul made its appearance, signalling the success of the White Revolution.

Our parents who had seen the world beyond India, regaled us with cheeses they had encountered - blue and crawling with difficult to pronounce and spell names like Roquefort, Gruyere and Gorgonzola. Father who prided himself on his knowledge of “Phirangee” preferences in food and drinks threw occasional tidbits about pairing of “cheese with crackers” and how this offered an interesting option to the dessert course.

Our parents who had seen the world beyond India, regaled us with cheeses they had encountered - blue and crawling with difficult to pronounce and spell names like Roquefort, Gruyere and Gorgonzola. Father who prided himself on his knowledge of “Phirangee” preferences in food and drinks threw occasional tidbits about pairing of “cheese with crackers” and how this offered an interesting option to the dessert course.