Kobayashi's Daiwa Farm: Cheeses that Please Us

    I was delighted to have the opportunity to sample and enjoy three kinds of cheese and some lovely drinkable yogurt from Kobayashi city's Daiwa Farm in Miyazaki Prefecture. While this Kyushu Island community is clearly on the other side of the country lengthwise from where I live in Tohoku, I found the atmosphere of the pictures and videos online to be comfortably familiar in that way that so many agricultural and nature-loving places outside of urban Japan tend to be. This is the kind Japan of open skies and honest farmers that I have come to call home for more than a decade.

    Kosumo~ the mascot, an adorable black cow with cosmo flower petals in alternating colors in a ruffle around her neck, endears me to the city even more. Within a few minutes of looking through the Kobayashi City Tourism Website, I was practically planning a vacation. From the freshwater aquarium to the rent-able thatched roof inns and camping sites as well as the lovely lake and onsen in the area, there looks to be plenty of fun for the whole family any time of year. 

    Turning to the dairy products, I spent a lot of time considering what to do with such lovely materials. While I was still in contemplation, my husband snagged a drinkable yogurt and said that it tasted rich and thick, almost so thick that a spoon would be useful. Even when I drank the second bottle a little closer to the expiration date, the drink tasted fresh to me, with the expected tang of yogurt but pulled back into a refined, subtle flavor. I didn't find it to be as thick as my husband suggested, but I also don't usually drink yogurt. I was extremely pleased by the smooth texture and soft flavor and have spent some time endeavoring to purchase more online as my daughter absolutely loved it.

    The cheeses were so nice that I tried to use them in as many ways as I could. First, I took the hard cheese named "Tomadaiwa" and grated it over pasta and salad. It really added class and taste to an otherwise basic meal.

    My next attempt was more ambitious but less successful. Instead of a macaroni and cheese I wound up with a terribly clumpy cheese sauce, but only because I am so unskilled at this particular task. The remaining mozzarella went into a tomato sauce and pasta dish.

    The creamy "robidaiwa" cheese is a washed-rind cheese with a distinct flavor and great texture. While it does have a definite flavor, it doesn't go so far as to be a stinky cheese. Robidaiwa isn't an acquired taste in my house-- it's always delicious. After my other usages, I decided to find something simple where this cheese would be the star and wound up with cheese toast, which was great. The creaminess lent itself well to this new dish and really elevated the cheese toast game in my house.

    The next day, I jazzed it up even more by using a cookie cutter to make stars out of a piece of normal white bread before toasting it at a lower temperature in my toaster oven with little nibbles of this great cheese on top. It was a lovely and fun way to showcase the deliciousness of the cheese.

    Kobayashi City's Daiwa Farm makes some great stuff and in such a lovely place. If we ever get the chance to head down that far, we will definitely stop by the farm and grab some drinkable yogurt if nothing else.

This post is supported by Kobayashi City Promotion Company Inc., one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.