Cheeses are all natural products and it’s taste, consistency and flavor depend on the feed of the animal, the environment of the aging room and molds or spores that may occur naturally or are added during the production process. Some cheese develop a natural rind or through added bacteria (bloomy rind) or by washing with brine (washed rind). Some cheeses are coated with a wax rind at to prevent further loss of moisture. Cheese
Cheese is the solidified curd of milk. They are produced by adding a enzymes to milk (usually rennet) which coagulates the milk proteins (casein) separates the whey (liquid) from the curd (solids). The curd is used to produces fresh cheeses or further processed (kneading, cutting and cooking) and then molded to further drain. At this stage salt or special bacteria may be added before the cheese is allowed to age or ripen under controlled condition into the final product. History
The exact origins of cheese making are debated or unknown, and estimates range from around 8000 BCE when sheep were domesticated, to around 3000 BCE. Credit for the discovery most likely goes to nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia, around the same time that they developed yogurt, or to people in the Middle East. History
By Roman times, cheese was an everyday food and cheese making a mature art, not very different from what it is today. It is stated that the best cheeses came from the villages near Nîmes, but did not keep long and had to be eaten fresh.
Cheeses of the Alps were as remarkable for their variety then as now. A Ligurian cheese was noted for being made mostly from sheep's milk, and some cheeses produced nearby were stated to weigh as much as a thousand pounds each. History
The first factory for the industrial production of cheese opened in Switzerland in 1815.
Credit usually goes to Jesse Williams, a dairy farmer from Rome, New York, who in 1851 started making cheese in an assembly-line fashion using the milk from neighboring farms. Within decades hundreds of such dairy associations existed.
The 1860s saw the beginnings of mass-produced rennet, and by the turn of the century scientists were producing pure microbial cultures. Before then, bacteria in cheese making had come from the environment or from recycling an earlier batch's whey; the pure cultures meant a more standardized cheese could be produced. Cheese making
Coagulation Curdling Scalding Draining Pressing Salt Bath Fermentation Cellar Storage Cellar
Cheese Classifica ons By Milk According to the animals the milk is reared from; sheep, cow, goat etc By type of milk Pasteurized milk or whole, raw milk (lait cru) Skim or whole milk By Texture or Firmness By percentage of water content By Characteristics Type of cheese according to various additives during ripening process Cheese classifica on By characteristics Blue vein - with added molds(blue and green); made from various milks - Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton Washed rind – red rind, washed with brine; made from various milks Pont Leveque, Munster, Saint Paulin, Livarot White rind (bloomy rind) - made from various milks with the addition of bacillus during the ripening process Brie, Camembert, Boursault, Saint Marcellin Chevre – fresh goat cheese in various forms Cheese Classifications
By texture or firmness The firmness of cheese depends on its water content Extra Hard ‐ 50% Firm / Hard Cheese ‐ 54% Semi Soft Cheese ‐ 63% Soft Cheese ‐ 73% Fresh Cheese ‐ 87% Protec on laws in Europe
A.O.C = Appellation d’origine controlee controlled designation of origin. The AOC mark guarantees, that the cheese originates from a specific region of France and has been produced in a traditional way. Cheeses marked AOC are not to be called the same if produced elsewhere. Roquefort, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal, Valencay, Brie de Meaux, Comte, Livarot, Muenster, Neufchatel, Pont l’Eveque, Reblochon de Savoie Currently 43 cheeses are AOC approved and protected Specific EU Quality Schemes
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) covers agricultural products and foodstuffs which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognized know‐how. Italy – Asiago, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Taleggio, Grana Padano, Ricotta Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano Spain – Roncal, Queso Manchego, Cabrales Holland – Edam, Gouda, Kanterkaas UK – White & Blue Stilton, Chevington, West country farmhouse Cheddar Switzerland ‐ Gruyere Specific EU Quality Schemes Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) covers agricultural products and foodstuffs closely linked to the geographical area. At least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the area. Italy – Canestrato di Moliterno Spain – Queso Valdeon, Queso de Mallorca France – Tomme de Savoie, Emmenthal de Savoie UK – Exmoor Blue, Dorset Blue Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) highlights traditional character, either in the composition or means of production Usually not used for cheeses Cheese storage
Ideal storage temperature for cheese
10 – 15 degrees Celsius (relative humidity of 90 to 95%)
Soft and Fresh Cheeses should not be stored below 4 degrees Celsius
once without its protective rind, wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed containers Fresh or Unripe Cheese Also known as fromage blanc or fromage frais they are very soft and produced from the fresh curd Cream cheese – US product with approx 35% fat Feta – sheep or goat milk – Greek origin Mascarpone – high fat content (70%), rich and smooth texture used in sauces as well as desserts Mozzarella – firmer soft cheese originally made from buffalo milk. Often used for pizza. Or salads Ricotta – Italian cheese produced with the leftover whey from the production of other cheeses. Cottage cheese – made from the drained but not pressed curd with some remaining whey.
So Cheese Bel Paese – Italian white soft cheese Brie & Camembert – French bloomy rind cheese, very creamy center, available from raw and pasteurized cows milk. Reproduced in various countries. Boursin – triple cream cows milk cheese, spreadable, various flavors, herb, pepper garlic Taleggio – Italian washed rind cheese from Bergamo. Produced from raw and pasteurized milk. Aged for two months. Vacherin – soft or semi soft (Vacherin Fribourgoise) cheese in various rinds, ashed or not, from Jura (France & Switzerland)
Semi So Cheese Cabrales – Blue vain goat cheese from Spain wrapped in maple, oak or sycamore leaves Doux de montagne (Pain de Pyrenees)– French cow’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees (south of France) Fontina (Val d’Aosta)‐ Italian cheese from the Alpine region – Fontal or Fontinella are named copies made in other countries Gorgonzola – Blue vein cheese from Italy made with cows milk Gouda – Dutch cheese that comes in various sizes and various aging; usually covered with red or yellow wax Havarti‐ Danish cow’s milk cheese. Also available flavored with caraway, dill or pepper. Port (du) Salut – French monestary cheese with orange rind Roquefort – French blue‐vein, sheep’s milk cheese. Produced (legally protected) since 1411. Aged in lime stone caves of Mount Combalou for 3 months. Foil wrapped when sold Stilton – English blue vein cheese made from cow’s milk. Reblochon – washed rind cheese from France
Firm Cheeses Cheddar – Cows milk cheese produced in North America, United Kingdom and Australia. Available white or orange (vegetable dye). Colby and longhorn are well known American cheddar brands. May be white wax coated (mainly US) Emmenthaler – the original Swiss cheese (Cow’s milk) with the holes which form when gases are released during fermenting. Sold in wheels of 90kg. Often copied Gruyere – Cow’s milk cheese from Fribourg, Switzerland with tiny well formed wholes. Aged up to 12 months. Jarlsberg – Swiss type cheese from Norway. Mostly coatd with yellow wax. Manchego – Spanish sheep milk cheese with inedible black‐grey rind and crumbly texture. Available from raw milk or pasteurized milk but only milk from Manchega sheep raised in the La Mancha region can be used. Monterrey Jack – Cheddar like cows milk cheese from California. Sold with black wax rind and used in Mexican dishes. Provolone‐ Southern Italian cows milk cheese sold in large “salami” shape or Tilsit – Cheese produced in Prussia originally but then made by settlers from Prussia in Switzerland. The climate change to the warmer Switzerland produced a more intensely flavoured cheese but they still named it Tilsit . Made from cows milk. Tete de Moine – Monastery cheese from Switzerland that is served shaved rather than sliced. Edam‐ Dutch cheese similar to Gouda. Red wax coated. Queso de bola Comte – French equivalent to Gruyere made in the Jura region
Hard Cheese Asiago – cow’s milk cheese from Italy approximately 12 month aged. Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) – Cows milk cheese from the Parma (Italy) region. Moslty used crumbled as part of antipasti or grated. Often copied but never rivalled. Pecorino Romano – Sheep’s milk cheese from central Italy often used in pasta dishes but also eaten with olives and sausages in Antipasti. Sprinz – Swiss style hard cheese for grating similar to parmesan
Processed Cheese
Processed Cheeses are produced by shredding natural cheese, Pasteurizing artificial flavoring and the addition of chemical Emulsifiers for smoothness
Cream Cheese Cheese Spreads Sliced Cheese Kraft Cheese