Caboc is a Scottish

cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Cream cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neuf ...

, made with double cream or cream-enriched milk. This

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...

-free cheese is formed into a log shape and rolled in toasted

pinhead oatmeal Pinhead may refer to: * the head of a pin * Pinhead, a term once used to describe a person with microcephaly * Pinhead (''Hellraiser''), a fictional character * Pinhead (''Neighbours''), the fictional character Craig Pinders * Pinhead (''Pupp ...

, to be served with

oatcake An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatcakes a ...

s or dry toast.

Description

The texture is smooth, slightly thicker and grainier than

clotted cream Clotted cream (, sometimes called scalded, clouted, Devonshire or Cornish cream) is a thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream c ...

, while the colour is a pale primrose yellow. The fat content is typically 67-69%, which is comparable with rich continental cream cheeses such as

mascarpone Mascarpone (, ; ) is a soft Italian cuisine, Italian Acid-set cheese, acid-set cream cheese. It is recognized as a ''prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale'' (PAT). Production process After Denaturation (biochemistry), denaturation of cream, the ...

. Historically, it was a cheese for the wealthy, unlike the similarly aged

Crowdie Crowdie is a type of soft, fresh cheese made from cows' milk, traditionally from Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's l ...

, which is made from the by-products of skimming cream from milk and thus is considered a poor man's cheese.

History and legend

Caboc is Scotland's oldest cheese, dating from the 15th century in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

. The cheese was first made by Mariota de Ile, the daughter of the chieftain of the

Clan MacDonald Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan McDonald ( ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs a ...

of the Isles. At 12 years old, Mariota was in danger of being abducted by the

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...

, who planned to marry her to one of their own and seize her lands. Mariota escaped to Ireland, where she learned how to make cheese. On her return, she passed the recipe to her daughter, who in turn passed it onto her daughter. The recipe is still a secret and has been handed down from mother to daughter ever since. The present maker is Mrs Suzannah Stone of

Tain Tain ( ) is a royal burgh and parish in the County of Ross, in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. Etymology The name derives from the nearby River Tain, the name of which comes from an Indo-European root meaning 'flow'. The Gaelic n ...

, who works with a team of eight local women and her cheese is sold under the seal of Highland Fine Cheeses Ltd. According to legend, the tradition of coating Caboc in oatmeal started as an accident. A cattle herder stored the day's cheese in a box which he had used to carry his oatcakes earlier that day. Apparently, the oatmeal-coated cheese was enjoyed so much that from that day, Caboc has been made with an oaten coating.Historical and textural information from the Teddington Cheese
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References

External links

{{authority control 15th-century establishments in Scotland 15th-century introductions Cow's-milk cheeses Cream cheeses Scottish cheeses