by J. Michael Wheeler
Cheese: “…milk’s leap toward immortality.” Clifton Fadiman.
There’re a lot of different kinds of cheese. There is Asiago, Appenzeller, Blue, Boursin, Bucheron, Camembert, Chèvre, Devonshire, Dunlop, Emmental, and Gloucester. There is Gouda, Havarti, Hoppenkäse, Lancashire, Montrechet and Meunster. There is Port-Salut, Pyramide, Raclette, Reblochon, Roquefort, Saint André, Stilton, Swiss, Tillamook, and Vacherin.
There are fresh cheeses and there are aged cheeses. There are hard cheeses, semi-firm, semi-soft, surface-ripened, and blue-veined cheeses. In fact, there are as many as 1500 types of named cheeses produced in the world. And this doesn’t even count the nameless cheeses made by small farmers and herdsman.
The First Cheese
Cheese has been around for a long time.
Cave paintings in the Libyan Sahara show cheese making in 5000 BC. Bits
of actual cheese have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 3000
BC. And the first printed single-subject food book, published in 1477, was about cheese.
The first cheese was probably discovered by accident when a prehistoric herdsman poured milk into a pouch made of an animal’s stomach to store or carry it. Well, the milk curdled because of a naturally occurring enzyme in an animal’s stomach called rennin.
Two things came from this chance cheese: it was good tasting and perhaps more importantly, it allowed milk to be kept for a longer time, especially important in the pre-refrigeration, pre-TetraPak world.
Curds and Whey
But what really is cheese? Cheese is always made from milk: the milk of cows, sheep, goats, and water buffalo. Cheese is even made from reindeer’s milk.
Cheese is milk that is ripened by bacteria: the bacteria develops the flavors important for the final taste of the cheese. Then the solids (the curds) are separated from the liquids (the whey). Depending on the type of cheese to be made the curds may be drained, cut up, shredded, or milled. And then, again depending on the type of cheese, it may be heated. The curd is then formed into cheeses. If it is a fresh cheese, like ricotta, it’s ready to eat. Other cheeses, like pecorino (pictured above), need aging to fully mature.
Like wine, cheese continues to develop after it is produced. Each cheese has a moment when it is at its peak of flavor. The best way to learn about cheese is to taste, taste, and taste. Seek out a great cheese-monger and let him or her be your guide. I was lucky enough to live in Paris for several years and I had great cheese teachers: the fromagers of Paris! Here in the States, with the growing interest in cheese, we’ve got greater and greater access to both imported and well-made domestic cheeses. There are more cheese shops with knowledgeable staff: let them help you discover this amazing food.
Related Articles
Gourmet Nation? What Makes A Gourmet Nation, Gourmet?
Regional Cheeses Food Trends
Made by Hand Article and Video
Simple Quiche Recipe
For huge selection of Baking and Cookbooks, visit the Book Store at Dancing Spoon. Click here.
|
Shop the Foodies Store
|
Newsletter |