Heady odors and sensory overload as 5,200 cheeses compete for the World Cheese Awards

Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP

Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP

Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP

Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP

Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP ( 1 /5)

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — The first thing that hits you at the World Cheese Awards is the smell.

As the 37th edition — part competition, part a celebration of cheese — kicked off in Switzerland on Thursday, some visitors might wish the offerings had more holes. With descriptions of odors including “stinky socks” and “sick dog,” it’s clearly a festival — and a challenge — for the nose as much as mouths, fingers and eyes.

Welcome to sensory overload.

Connoisseurs, culinary experts and curious consumers flocked to the three-day event in a country where cheese is both food and folklore. The first day got going with the competition