Food Commodities 11

Cheese

Cheese is nutritious food made mostly from the milk of cows but also other mammals, including sheep, goats, buffalo, reindeer, camels and yaks. During production, the milk is usually acidified, and adding the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into final form. Some cheeses have molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout. Most cheeses melt at cooking temperature.

 Around 4000 years ago people have started to breed animals and process their milk. That's when the cheese was born. No one really knows who made the first cheese. According to an ancient legend, it was made accidentally by an Arabian merchant who put his supply of milk into a pouch made from a sheep's stomach, as he set out on a day's journey across the desert. The rennet in the lining of the pouch, combined with the heat of the sun, caused the milk to separate into curd and whey. That night he found that the whey satisfied his thirst, and the cheese (curd) had a delightful flavor which satisfied his hunger.

Travelers from Asia are believed to have brought the art of cheesemaking to Europe. In fact, cheese was made in many parts of the Roman Empire when it was at its height. The Romans, in turn, introduced cheesemaking to England. During the Middle Ages-from the decline of the Roman Empire until the discovery of America-cheese was made and improved by the monks in the monasteries of Europe. For example, Gorgonzola was made in the Po Valley in Italy in 879 A.D., and Italy became the cheesemaking center of Europe during the 10th Century. Roquefort was also mentioned in the ancient records of the monastery at Conques, France as early as 1070.

Cheesemaking continued to flourish in Europe and became an established food. In fact, the Pilgrims included cheese in the Mayflower's supplies when they made their voyage to America in 1620. The making of cheese quickly spread in the New World, but until the 19th century it remained a local farm industry. It wasn't until 1851 that the first cheese factory in the United States was built by Jesse Williams in Oneida County, New York.

As population across the United States continued to grow dramatically, the demand for cheese increased and the industry gradually moved westward, centering on the rich farm lands of Wisconsin. In 1845, a band of Swiss immigrants settled in Green County, Wisconsin and started the manufacturing of foreign cheese in America. Most Wisconsin farmers began to believe that their future survival was tied to cheese and their first factory was a Limburger plant which opened in 1868.

Types of Cheese

There are several types of cheese, which are grouped or classified according to criteria such as length of ageing, texture, methods of making, fat content, animal milk, country or region of origin, etc. The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods.The criteria may either be used singly or in combination, but with no single method being universally used.

The main factor in categorizing these cheeses is age.

• Fresh
  

 Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days. For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and drained, with little other processing. Examples include cream cheese, cottage cheese, curd cheese, cas, chhena,  farmer cheese, fromage blanc, queso  fresco, paneer, and fresh goat milk chevre. These cheeses are soft and spreadable, witha mild flavor.

• Whey                     

Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from whey. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. A by-product from the process of producion other cheeses which would otherwise be discarded. Brocciu is mostly eaten fresh, and is as such a major ingredient in Corsican cuisine, but it can also be found in an aged form.

• Stretched curd

Traditional pasta filata cheeses such as mozzarella also fall into the fresh cheese category. Pasta filata is a technique in the manufacture of a family of Italian cheeses also known in English as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses.








Categorizing cheeses by moisture content or firmness is a common but inexact practice. The lines between soft, semi-soft, semi-hard and hard are arbitrary, and many types of cheese are made in softer or firmer variants. The factor that controls cheese hardness is moisture content, which depends on the pressure with which it is packed into moulds, and upon aging time.

• Soft

Cream cheeses are not matured. Brie and Neufchatel are soft-type cheeses that mature for more than a month. Neufchatel is a soft cheese which can be sold after 10 days of maturation.

• Semi-soft

Semi-soft cheeses these cheeses have a high moisture content and tend to be mild-tasting. well-known varieties include Munster, Havarti, Port Salut, Limburger, Gorgonzola and Asadero.

• Semi-hard

Cheeses that range in texture from semi-soft to firm include Swiss-style cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyere. The same bacteria that give such cheeses their eyes also contribute to their aromatic and sharp flavours. Other semi-soft to firm cheeses include Gouda, Edam, Jarlsberg, Cantal, and Cascaval. Cheeses of this type are ideal for melting and are often served on toast for quick snacks or simple meals.

• Hard

Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content than softer cheeses. They are generally packed into moulds under more pressure and aged for a longer time than the soft cheeses. Cheeses that are classified as semi-hard to hard include the familiar Cheddar, originating in the village of Cheddar in England but now used as a generic term for this style of cheese, of which varieties are imitated worldwide and are marketed by strength or the length of time they have been aged. Cheddar is one of a family of semi-hard or hard cheeses (including Cheshire and Gloucester), whose curd is cut, gently heated, piled, and stirred before being pressed into forms. Colby and Monterey Jackare similar but milder cheeses; their curd is rinsed before it is pressed, washing away some acidity and calcium. A similar curd-washing takes place when making the Dutch cheeses Edam and Gouda.

There are three main categories of cheese in which the presence of mold is an important feature: soft ripened cheeses, washed rind cheeses and blue cheeses.

• Soft-ripened

Soft-ripened cheeses begin firm and rather chalky in texture, but are aged from the exterior inwards by exposing them to mold. The mold may be a velvety bloom of  P. Camemberti that forms a flexible white crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged cheeses. Brie and Camembert, the most famous of these cheeses, are made by allowing white mold to grow on the outside of a soft cheese for a few days or weeks. Goat's milk cheeses are often treated in a similar manner, sometimes with white molds (Chèvre-Boîte) and sometimes with blue.

• Washed-rind

Washed-rind cheeses are soft in character and ripen inwards like those with white molds; however, they are treated differently. Washed-rind cheeses are periodically cured in a solution of saltwater brine or mold-bearing agents that may include beer, wine, brandy and spices, making their surfaces amenable to a class of bacteria Brevibacterium linens (the reddish-orange smear bacteria) that impart pungent odors and distinctive flavors, and produce a firm, flavorful rind around the cheese. Washed-rind cheeses can be soft (Limburger), semi-hard, or hard (Appenzeller). The same bacteria can also have some impact on cheeses that are simply ripened in humid conditions, like Camembert. The process requires regular washings, particularly in the early stages of production, making it quite labor-intensive compared to other methods of cheese production.

• Smear-ripened

Some washed-rind cheeses are also smear-ripened with solutions of bacteria or fungi (most commonly Brevibacterium linens, Debaryomyces hansenii or Geotrichum candidun) which usually gives them a stronger flavor as the cheese matures. In some cases, older cheeses are smeared on young cheeses to transfer the microorganisms. Many, but not all, of these cheeses have a distinctive pinkish or orange coloring of the exterior. Unlike with other washed-rind cheeses, the washing is done to ensure uniform growth of desired bacteria or fungi and to prevent the growth of undesired molds. Notable examples of smear-ripened cheeses include Munster and Port Salut.

• Blue

Blue cheese is created by inoculating a cheese with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. This is done while the cheese is still in the form of loosely pressed curds, and may be further enhanced by piercing a ripening block of cheese with skewers in an atmosphere in which the mold is prevalent. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins, which gives them their name and, often, assertive flavors. The molds range from pale green to dark blue, and may be accompanied by white and crusty brown molds. Their texture can be soft or firm. Some of the most renowned cheeses are of this type, each with its own distinctive color, flavor, texture and aroma. They include Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton.

Brained

Brined or pickled cheese is matured in a solution of brine in an airtight or semi-permeable container. This process gives the cheese good stability, inhibiting bacterial growth even in hot countries. Brined cheeses may be soft or hard, varying in moisture content, and in colour and flavour, according to the type of milk used; though all will be rindless, and generally taste clean, salty and acidic when fresh, developing some piquancy when aged, and most will be white. Varieties of brined cheese include feta, sirene, bryndza, halloumi and telemea. Brined cheese is the main type of cheese produced and eaten in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas.

Why Cheese had a different colors ?

We all know that cheeses can come in various shades of colors. It's actually kind of interesting to understand where these hues come from.

And what you might not realize is that knowing a bit about a cheese's color can inform your palate, as well. Herein, a cheat sheet divulging the why's behind those oranges, whites, blues, and yellows.

Orange cheeses-- like cheddar, gouda, and mimolette-- are orange because of the addition of annatto, a natural food-dye derived from the seeds of the achiote plant. Its shades range from bright yellow (think American singles) to deep orange (think English cheese great Double Glouchester). There's no reason for the addition other than tradition and aesthetic. The small quantity of annatto necessary to color a vat of cheese has no flavor.

Yellow cheeses with a buttery hue (not the brightly-colored yellow cheeses, described above) are largely cow milk cheeses. Even more specifically, they're probably grass-fed cow milk cheeses, and probably from the milk of a breed of cow (like the Jersey breed) with super-high fat content. Butterfat in milk, in conjunction with the beta-carotene in an animal's diet, makes a cheese deeply yellow. Beta-carotene (think carrots) translates directly from the milk to the vat to that final wedge of cheese. A cow that munches on grass intakes significantly more beta carotene than one that's eating hay or grain. A few American greats come to mind that typify this phenomenon: Meadowcreek Dairy's Grayson, Upland Cheese Company's Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and Cato Corner's Hooligan. Furthermore, a cheese that's left to age will deepen in color, so a cheese that's ripened for 9 months will be significantly more intense color-wise than a fresh cheese.

Bright white cheeses, and I mean stark, blinding white, are always goat milk cheeses. Goat milk, unlike cow milk, contains no beta carotene. Any beta carotene consumed by a goat gets immediately converted into Vitamin A, which has no color. It's as simple as that. Even an aged goat cheese will be white, though perhaps just slightly less bright as a younger, fresh version.

Blue cheese, how we love you. Why oh why are you blue, though? It's a pretty simple explanation. The mold that's innoculated into a blue cheese-- typically Penicillium Roqueforti or Penicillium Glaucum-- turns blue when it starts to grow. All blue cheeses actually start off white, and only when oxygen meets the mold do those eponymous blue veins appear. Veining actually occurs only when air is introduced with the pricking of wheels with long, narrow needles. It is along these paths where those precise, straight lines of blue mold grow. You can often see these perfectly formed paths in a slice of blue, or circular blue pricks which represent where the wheel was pricked.

The best cheese platters always showcase a wide range of colors. Choosing a slew of different-colored cheeses isn't only visually appealing, it'll ensure that you've picked cheeses with varying tastes, ages, and textures.

Did you know?

Do not store cheese with other strong-smelling foods. As a cheese breathes it will absorb other aromas and may spoil.

How to Cook
Cheese can be cook in many ways. It can become the main ingredient, topping, or filling.

Sources @ http://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/cheese/history-of-cheese
@ https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-cheddar-cheese-orange
@ https://www.cheese.com/by_country/
@https://www.cheese.com/
@ Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts by Steven Labensky, Gaye G. Ingram, Sarah R. Labensky
@ Encyclopedia
@ http://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/cheese/types-of-cheeses
@ http://www.thekitchn.com/all-the-colors-of-the-rainbow-cheese-colors-explained-the-cheesemonger-166329
@ http://www.thekitchn.com/why-is-goat-cheese-white-the-c-122255