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Cheese
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Good cheese never fails to make the true foodie
smile. More about cheese.
A sizzling hot pizza
with all your favorite toppings on it, covered with a layer of
cheese that has melted just right! Would your pizza taste as
good without its cheesy top layer? Most likely not. And how
about those burgers with a layer of cheese, would you agree to a
replacement? Certainly not. Sandwiches and burgers with cheese also taste great.
Macaroni and cheese recipes are an all time favorite. And now the market has
been flooded with different varieties of cheese and there really
is a range to choose from.
The manufacturing
process for all varieties is the same up to a certain point.
Beyond that, it is the different treatment that lends variety to
the succulent cheeses. There are
cottage cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, ricotta - to name a few.
There are, in fact, around four hundred types of cheese and the
names that they are known by run into well over 2000! |
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Origin and history of
cheese
Cheese has been a part of man's diet since pre-historic times.
An Arabic nomad is credited with having discovered cheese. He had
poured milk into a leather pouch made from sheepskin. An enzyme
called rennin, when introduced into milk initiates the process of
solidification or coagulation of milk.
Rennin is found in rennet, a substance that is extracted from the
stomach lining of goats, calves, sheep and certain plant extracts.
The leather pouch that the Arabic nomad had used for pouring milk
into was made from a sheep's stomach skin. So the rennet in the
skin, aided by heat from the sun, coagulated the milk.
As early as 3,500 BC, ancient Sumerians used to consume cheese. The
Greek poet Homer's Odyssey contains descriptions of cheese making
and pressing. The Romans added a special touch to cheese by adding
herbs and spices to it. |
French cheese |
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The manufacturing process of cheese
Three basic steps are involved in the manufacture of any variety of
cheese. The first is coagulation of milk, the second, separation of
curds and whey, and the third involves the pressing of the curds
into moulds. It is at this stage that different varieties emerge.
Rennin aids coagulation only if the milk is a little acidic, so
certain bacteria are introduced to milk to make it acidic and just
right for rennin to act on it. Rennin can also be extracted from
certain plants.
Cottage cheese is obtained upon separation of curds from whey and it
is then seasoned and packed. Other types of cheese are pressed and
left to ripen in controlled temperature and humidity levels. Some
cheeses like Swiss cheese are heated to create a dense type of
cheese.
A process called 'cheddaring' is adopted for certain cheese to give
them many well-pressed layers. In this process, cheeses are stacked
in layers so that maximum amount of whey is drained off. The cheese
is then kneaded to get a stringy texture. Mozzarella cheese belongs
to this variety.
Some cheeses are left to ripen after bacteria are rubbed on them.
The bacteria work on the cheese to give it a distinct flavor,
texture and aroma. Controlled and constantly monitored conditions
are essential for the ripening of cheese. This is because cheese can
spoil if exposed to dry and hot conditions. In fact, humid limestone
caves were used to ripen cheese in south France. |
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