Discover interesting facts about cheese

• The histroy of cheese
• Nowadays cheese
• A few types of cheese
• How is cheese made

How is cheese made Curdling The cut curd is repeatedly piled up, pushing more moisture away. The curd is also mixed The only strictly required step in making any (or milled) for a long period of time, taking sort of cheese is separating the milk into the sharp edges off the cut curd pieces and solid curds and liquid whey. Usually this is influencing  the  final  product's  texture. done by acidifying the milk and adding rennet. The acidification is accomplished Washing: (Edam, Gouda, Colby) The curd is directly by the addition of an acid like washed in warm water, lowering its acidity vinegar in a few cases (paneer, queso and  making  for  a  milder-tasting  cheese. fresco), but usually starter bacteria are employed instead. These starter bacteria Most cheeses achieve their final shape when convert milk sugars into lactic acid. The the curds are pressed into a mold or form. same bacteria (and the enzymes they produce) The harder the cheese, the more pressure is also play a large role in the eventual flavor applied. The pressure drives out moisture of aged cheeses. Most cheeses are made with — the molds are designed to allow starter bacteria from the Lactococci, water to escape — and unifies the Lactobacilli, or Streptococci families. Swiss curds  into  a  single  solid  body. starter cultures also include Propionibacter shermani, which produces carbon dioxide gas Aging bubbles during aging, giving Swiss cheese or Emmental  its  holes. A newborn cheese is usually salty yet bland in flavor and, for harder varieties, rubbery Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by in texture. These qualities are sometimes acidity, but most cheeses also use rennet. enjoyed—cheese curds are eaten on Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and their own—but usually cheeses are left rubbery gel compared to the fragile curds to rest under carefully controlled produced by acidic coagulation alone. It also conditions. This aging period (also called allows curdling at a lower ripening, or, from the French, affinage) can acidity—important because last from a few days to several years. As a flavor-making bacteria are inhibited in cheese ages, microbes and enzymes transform high-acidity environments. In general, its texture and intensify its flavor. This softer, smaller, fresher cheeses are curdled transformation is largely a result of the with a greater proportion of acid to rennet breakdown of casein proteins and milkfat into than  harder,  larger, longer-aged varieties. a complex mix of amino acids, amines, and fatty  acids. Curd  processing Some cheeses have additional bacteria or At this point, the cheese has set into a very molds intentionally introduced to them before moist gel. Some soft cheeses are now or during aging. In traditional cheesemaking, essentially complete: they are drained, these microbes might be already present in salted, and packaged. For most of the rest, the air of the aging room; they are simply the curd is cut into small cubes. This allows allowed to settle and grow on the stored water to drain from the individual pieces of cheeses. More often today, prepared cultures curd. are used, giving more consistent results and putting fewer constraints on the environment Some hard cheeses are then heated to where  the  cheese  ages. temperatures in the range of 35°C–55°C For the blue cheeses (Roquefort, Stilton, (100°F–130°F). This forces more Gorgonzola), Penicillium mold is introduced whey from the cut curd. It also changes the to the curd before molding. During aging, the taste of the finished cheese, affecting both blue molds (P. roqueforti or P. glaucum ) the bacterial culture and the milk chemistry. grow in the small fissures in the cheese, Cheeses that are heated to the higher imparting a sharp flavor and aroma. The same temperatures are usually made with molds are also grown on the surface of some thermophilic starter bacteria which survive aged goat cheeses. The soft cheeses Brie and this step—either lactobacilli or Camembert, among others, get a surface growth streptococci. of other Penicillium species, white-colored P. candidum or P. camemberti. The surface Salt has a number of roles in cheese besides mold contributes to the interior texture and adding a salty flavor. It preserves cheese flavor  of  these  small  cheeses. from spoiling, draws moisture from the curd, and firms up a cheese’s texture in an Some cheeses are periodically washed in a interaction with its proteins. Some cheeses saltwater brine during their ripening. Not are salted from the outside with dry salt or only does the brine carry flavors into the brine washes. Most cheeses have the salt cheese (it might be seasoned with spices or mixed  directly  into  the  curds. wine), but the salty environment may nurture the growth of the Brevibacterium linens A number of other techniques can be employed bacteria, which can impart a very pronounced to influence the cheese's final texture and odor (Limburger) and interesting flavor. The flavor.  Some  examples: same bacteria can also have some impact on cheeses that are simply ripened in humid Stretching: (Mozzarella, Provolone) The curd conditions, like Camembert. Large populations is stretched and kneaded in hot water, of these "smear bacteria" show up as a sticky developing  a  stringy,  fibrous  body. orange-red layer on some brine-washed cheeses. 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