Back to School Cheese

It's that time of year again, when parents rack their brains trying to come up with delicious and nutritious snacks to fill their kids lunch bags. String cheese is one of those genius inventions that has been making this task easier for as long as most of us can remember.

Packaged string cheese as we know it now can trace its stringiness to cheeses like Mozzarella and Armenian string cheese, which are both in a cheese category called pasta filata. Translated as "stretched curd," the curds of pasta filatacheeses are cut into small pieces, immersed in hot water to soften, and then stretched to create a layered texture.

Another favorite cheese for lunch bags is the wax covered Babybels, which are part of the Laughing Cow product line. Marketed as a "sophisticated cheese on-the-go," mini Babybel cheeses are almost bite-sized and have the mild and creamy characteristics kids love. The company that makes Babybel cheese says on their website, "cheese is a big part of our life". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gruyere, Piave and Gouda are also great for lunches because they keep well and don't start to emit a cheese odor, even when stuck in a locker for several hours. Consider buying these at your local cheese store to send to school with the kids, paired with fruit or salami.