Cachettian Ōpalistiker

Cachettian Ōpalistiker is a cheese made primarily in southern areas of the Letús province of Cachette de Lions. It is noted for its unusual qualities. It was first made in 1926 by the Katsurite family, living in Paylira, Letús. In 1928, it was reviewed by the Cachettian Cheesette as a 'mature, strong cheese with a slightly minty aftertaste... the best Cachettian cheese in a long while.' However, in October, 1929, the stock market crashed, and the family had to sell off 50% of their cattle. Later, a poison gas cloud killed nearly all the rest of the herd. This left the family with just 3 cows remaining. This led the family to test out ways to 'bulk out' the cheese, and eventually they found a hidden stash of chemicals, which the family found increased peoples' want for the cheese. Seeing a business opportunity, they left this 'aphrocheesiac' (as they dubbed it) in the cheese. However, the substances were found to be illegal, and the head cheesemaker, Francis-Alan Katsurite, was imprisoned for 7 years. The cheeses containing the banned substances were covertly made by the family up until around 1953, by which time the neighbouring farm, run by the Tastacunos family, had obtained the recipe; it is thought the first Tastacunos Ōpalistiker was made around 1949, however occasionally the lack of a certain ingredient led to the cheese causing seizures (which some called 'cheezures'). The original recipe for Ōpalistiker, not containing the illegal chemicals, was not available during World War II, and remained lost until 1952. Ōpalistiker cheese has been made with this recipe ever since. Margaretta Tastacunos and Abeth Katsurite produced the cheese together from 1952 to 1978, until 1973 they were viewed as the premier Ōpalistiker producers in the country, but were overtaken by rival Paylira farmers the Sachsenburg family in the October 1973 edition of the Cachettian Cheesette, the third-last edition of this magazine before it went bankrupt. Sachsenburg Ōpalistiker is still said to be amongst the country's best, with its major rivals being the Greendale farm in Orange City, Letús; and the Logappariu farm in Teşikano, Letús. The cheese is rarely produced outside Letús province.