We’ve all seen the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that we associate with Valentine’s Day.  The boxes of chocolate make great gifts and the shape sends a message to the recipient.

However, many people are surprised that the heart shape was first used in the production of cheese.  It turns out that early cheeses were produced inside of wooden molds; the heart shape was easier to remove the cheese intact.  

The cheese was made in the town of Neufchatel-en-Bray in Normandy, France.  During the 100-Years War, the British soldiers were stationed in the town and the native French women fell in love with them.  They soon gave the heart-shaped cheese to the soldiers as a message of their love.

Coeur de Neufchatel cheese is a soft, bloomy-rind and spreadable cheese known for its distinct tangy and buttery flavor.  Not only is it a great cheese this Valentine’s Day but it tastes great.

Nettle Meadow now makes a heart-shaped cheese that is also a double cream and is lightly covered in rose petals and lavender.  Hearts & Roses has a velvety texture and rich, soft taste. How about saying “I love you” with the Cowgirl Creamery’s phenomenal new Heart’s Desire cheese.  This is made from organic cow’s milk and produces a buttery, delicate flavor triple cream.  It is spreadable and pairs well with Champagne.

But cheese also is associated with love in other ways.  Cheese is highly concentrated with Phenylethylamine, a chemical that increases the release of Dopamine, the hormone of affection and pleasure, from the brain.  Phenylethylamine is called the “love drug” and increases significantly when someone falls in love.

Cheese like Camembert is linked to fertility. In Germany during the 14th Century cheese was believed to improve fertility.  Germans would bite into a slice of bread and Emmental cheese then throw it over their shoulder which helped to preserve fertility in a relationship. Meanwhile, Pecorino cheese in Italy was believed to cure impotency.  Women would bore a hole in the cheese and feed it to their lover expecting a cure.