Pastry chef and executive sous chef of ITC The Sonar, Calcutta, Pix by Rashbehari Das; Harpawan Singh Kapoor (below) throws together a cheese platter teamed with nuts and dry fruits

How about a little cheesy indulgence? Bite sinfully into smooth slightly salty feta, let it melt in your mouth and follow it with a small sip of wine.

Now dig into semi-soft Gouda with a slightly richer flavour and bite almost simultaneously into a cracker. Are you yearning for more? This time pick from a platter laden with Edam, blue cheese, Parmesan. Try cheese flavoured with paprika if you like it hot. Or, even other flavours invented specially for the Indian palate like garlic, onion, cumin and coriander.

Once upon a time, Indians had to make do with Amul cheese that came mostly in tins. Today it’s time for cheese snobbery. And to enjoy it best, you should figure out how to pair cheese with the wine, crackers or even with honey and dates.

With the mushrooming number of international food joints there’s no escaping nowadays from cheesy extravagance. “Cheese got popular in India with the coming of Italian food and fast foods which Indians are hooked to and want to learn more about,” says Nimesh Arora of Delhi-based Passion Cheese store.

Arora’s store in Delhi’s plush mall Select City Walk invites customers to stop by, taste and pick the cheeses which please their taste buds.

The Afraa Deli in Calcutta has a section devoted to imported cheese; Pix by Rashbehari Das

The top restaurants too are doing their part to popularise cheese platters. “With the mushrooming of malls and supermarkets, the availability of cheese has increased hugely and restaurants are also doing cheese as a part of appetisers in a big way,” says senior sous chef Mayank Tiwari of Smoke House Grill.

In fact, Tiwari reckons that guests are getting more know-ledgeable about the cheese they order. He has even had people make specific requests for Alpine cheese from France or Switzerland. Then, there’s Italian mozzarella marinated in cherry tomatoes which is a big hit.

The restaurant also does a cheese platter called the Big Cheese that includes marinated feta with oregano and olive oil, Gorgonzola, Emmenthal, Brie, Camembert, provolone, piccante, bocconcini with olive oil. It’s served with add-ons like walnuts, fruits, lemon chilli jam, baguettes, crisps, breadsticks and house crackers. This assortment is priced at Rs 1,200.

Or, if you want more sinful nibbles stop by at ITC Sonar Calcutta which serves up something called Ash Coated Chevre Log — the latest entrant to their cheese platter. Sounds exotic? Also known as St Loup Chevre, this cheese is coated with a sprinkle of vegetable ash (dried vegetables turned into ash). Ash neutralises the acidity in cheese which can prevent it from ripening. “Owing to its ash-coated look it evokes curiosity and is high on exotic quotient,” says Harpawan Singh Kapoor pastry chef and the executive sous chef at ITC Sonar.

Ritu Dalmia (below) whips up a cheesy dessert taleggio with blueberry compote

ITC Sonar Calcutta’s restaurant West View offers a cheese platter with an assortment of cheeses in a variety of flavours from mild, sour, pungent to slightly bitter. This cheese platter served with condiments like nuts and dry fruits is a big hit as an appetiser. “Guests often take their pick from the trolley of assorted cheese to experience the flavours and varieties,” says Kapoor. ITC has three portion sizes selling at Rs 550, Rs 750 and at Rs 950.

Another cheese hub in Calcutta is the newly launched store Afraa Deli where you can take a cheesy pick from a section devoted to imported cheeses like Parmesan, Emmenthal, Camembert, Gorgonzola, Brie, mozzarella and Danish blue cheese.

Afraa Deli even conducted a cheese appreciation session recently. “Though it’s an acquired taste the first response has been overwhelming,” says chef Davide Cananzi of Afraa Deli who thinks India is an emerging cheese market. According to chef Cananzi, cheese can be paired in many interesting ways. Parmesan works best with sweet flavours like creamy icing, honey and dry dates.

While Cheddar can be paired with sour balsamic vinegar, soft cheese Taleggio goes both with sweet and sour flavours. “Taleggio pairs nicely with a wide range of red and white wines,” he says.

Passion Cheese offers flavours like garlic, onion, cumin, paprika and coriander that are tailored for the Indian palate

Culinary expert Ritu Dalmia who runs fine dining restaurant Diva goes one step further. She rustles up cheesy desserts for her guests. Anyone who thinks that cheese can only be associated with salty or pungent flavours only needs to dig into Taleggio with blueberry compote. But as starters, you can order a cheese platter laden with Pecorino, Gorgonzola, goat cheese, Taleggio and Parmesan.

Almost all the cheese served up in Dalmia’s restaurant is imported but Passion Cheese has found that its customers are very fond of homegrown flavoured cheeses.

Besides that Arora has also introduced flavours like Gouda black pepper cheese and cumin Gouda which have already become very popular. Next Arora is planning to introduce cheese smoked with wood and charcoal.

Also for people who prefer hot and spicy flavours to mild ones, Passion Cheese offers green chilly cheese and paprika cheese which comes with chilli flakes. In the coming soon list are flavours like jalapeno and mustard cheese. At Passion Cheese, a paprika or a green chilli cheese will cost you Rs 105 for 200gm while smoked Cheddar cheese is available for Rs 160 for 200gm while Gouda is priced at Rs 190 for the same amount.

Good cheese isn’t cheap but the pleasure of sinking your teeth into the real stuff is tough to match.