A - Z of Cheesemaking / Cheese Making Glossary
A:
Some of the best Artisan cheeses in America are Aged for many months to bring out the great flavors we find in the hundreds of cheeses found across the fifty states. Many goat cheeses have Ash added to help mellow the acidity of the cheese and helps form a thin rind.
Annatto - An orange-red dye obtained from the pulp of a tropical fruit, used for coloring cheese in cheese making.
B:
Blue cheese is a cheese made with the Penicillium culture. Another famous type of cheese, Brie, is a beautiful soft cheese, made from cow milks and famous for its white mold rind.
Basket mold for cheese making.
C:
To create a variety of Cheeses you need to have a range of Cultures at your disposal. Although some cheeses are made from whey, most Cheeses are made from the Curd.
Cheese Making Culture
Calcium Chloride for Cheese Making
Citric Acid for Mozzarella Cheese Making
D:
Cheese is a Dairy product although people with specific Diets, such as vegans, can eat non-Dairy cheese.
E:
Rennet is an Enzyme that is added to the milk to separate it into curds and whey. The earliest evidence of cheesemaking was discovered in Egypt and is thought to date back over 4000 years.
F:
To make hard cheeses a press is used, and a Follower is required to press the cheese in the mold. Feta is a hugely popular Greek cheese and found in salads and pastries across North America.
G:
Although cows’ milk makes up most of the sales of cheese in the USA, Goats’ milk contains more of the fatty acids ‘capryilic’, ‘caproic’ and ‘capric’ which causes Goats’ cheese to have its strong tart taste.
H:
A lot of milk today, as well as being pasteurized, is also Homogenized. Homogenization breaks up the fat globules in milk and most cheeses can be produced better with raw, un-homogenized milk. Hard cheeses are typically pressed and left longer to mature, driving out more whey than a semi-Hard or soft cheese.
I:
One famous Illegal cheese is Casu Marzu, served up, maggots and all, in Sardinia, Italy!!
J:
There are some people who are so obsessed with cheese they Joke about it… a lot. Check out www.twitter.com/dailycheeseJoke for your daily fix!
K:
Kefir is a fermented milk drink and is a simple nutritious drink to make quickly in your own Kitchen. Cheese Knives are usually designed to prevent cheese from sticking to the blade.
L:
Many people who are Lactose-intolerant avoid cheese. However, most Lactose is converted into Lactic acid during cheese production or drained off as whey. Lipase is added to some cheeses to give it a sharp ‘picante’ taste, often found in Provolone and Parmesan.
M:
Milk is of course the main ingredient for cheese and can be cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, yak and even camel. Many cheeses are placed in Cheese Making Molds that come in all sizes to help shape and set the cheese.
N:
Cheese is very Nutritious, offering the complete proteins, calcium and potassium needed in your diet. There is no evidence eating cheese gives you Nightmares, but interestingly one UK study did report it helped cause vivid dreams…zzzz
O:
The Origin of cheese is shrouded in mystery but many believe when, many centuries ago, Arab traders carried milk in animal stomachs, which caused the milk to turn into curds and whey on their long journeys. Unfortunately, some cheese Odors are not welcomed by all- the bacteria ‘staphylococcus epidermidis’ found in some strong cheeses is also found in…. human body Odor!
P:
Most milk is Pasteurized which kills most micro-organisms although not all, unlike sterilization. To make harder cheeses a cheese Press is used to assist with removing the whey.
Q:
Queso Blanco is a soft white cheese originating from Spain but spread to Mexico and other countries later on. Queso fresco (fresh cheese) instead uses rennet instead of an acid lemon juice to coagulate the milk. Another soft white cheese is Quark and originates from Eastern Europe but is rare in America.
R:
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized and is only available in some states in America. Cheeses have different Rinds ranging from bloomy rinds (found on Bries) to natural Rinds (found in Stilton) and washed Rinds (such as Pont l'Eveque).
S:
Since 1949 the US government has banned the Sale of cheese made from unpasteurized milk- unless the cheese is aged at least Sixty days. Sheep milk has a far higher fat content than both goat and cows’ milk. Virtually all cheeses have Salt added and should not contain iodine.
T:
Tyrosemiophilia is the hobby of collecting cheese labels. Tartaric acid is used to make mascarpone.
U:
Ultra-pasteurization (UHT) is a process that heats milk to 280 degrees Fahrenheit then is quickly cooled. Ultra-pasteurized milk is not suitable as it can prevent proper curd formation- avoid it at all costs!
V:
Vegetarian rennet is an alternative to animal rennet and is produced from plant extracts to make the Vegetarian cheeses you see on sale. Direct Vat inoculation is the use of highly concentrated freeze-dried cultures added directly to the milk in the Vat.
Direct Vat Inoculation Culture
W:
Some cheeses such as Edam are Waxed, helping retain moisture in the cheese as it ages and prevents unwanted mold growth. Washing cheese is the process of bathing a cheese in salted water (or wine or spirits) to both coat and flavor the cheese.
White Coating For Cheese Making
X:
Group X- The song “Cheese”…Possibly the worst song about cheese, ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eQY98jNZoc
Y:
Yogurt is made by the bacterial fermentation of milk through the use of a Yogurt culture. Researchers compared cheese made from the milk of Canadian dairy cows and Nepalese Yaks and found Yak cheese was three times higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
Yellow Coating For Cheese Making
