Cheese is a popular food and often as a kind of ingredient in the world. Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history, but the practice had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into being. In this project, we are going to introduce six kinds of cheese, Cheddar cheese, Parmigiano cheese, Limgurger cheese, Esrom cheese, Comte cheese and Camembert cheese. We will present their history, production, and features in the following articles.
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, pale yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese originating in the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset. Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom, accounting for 51% of the country's £1.9 billion annual cheese market. Cheddar cheese has been copied widely, both in the United Kingdom and in other countries, including Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. In all of these 'Cheddar' cheese, in many forms, is readily available, ranging from mild lower-fat cheeses to the more mature higher-fat and sharper cheeses.
History:
Cheddar cheese has been produced since at least 1170. A pipe roll of King Henry II from that year records the purchase of 10,420 lb at a farthing per pound (£3 per tonne). One suggestion is that Romans brought the recipe to England from the Cantal region of France, where it was adapted. Central to the modernisation and standardisation of Cheddar cheese was the nineteenth century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding. For his technical developments, promotion of dairy hygiene and unremunerated propagation of modern cheese-making techniques he has been described as the father of Cheddar cheese. Harding introduced new equipment into the process of cheese making, including his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, saving much manual effort. The "Joseph Harding method" was the first modern system for Cheddar production based upon scientific principles. Harding stated that Cheddar cheese is 'not made in the field, nor in the byre, nor even in the cow, it is made in the dairy's. He and his wife were behind the introduction of this very English cheese into Scotland and North America. Joseph Harding's son, Henry Harding, was responsible for introducing Cheddar cheese production to Australia. During the Second World War most milk in Britain was used for the making of one single kind of cheese nicknamed 'Government Cheddar' as part of war economies and rationing. This nearly resulted in wiping out all other cheese production in the country. Before the First World War there were more than 3,500 cheese producers in Britain, while fewer than 100 remained after the Second World War.
Production:
Cheddaring refers to an additional step in the production of Cheddar-style cheese where, after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt, then is cut into cubes to drain the whey, then stacked and turned. Strong, extra-mature Cheddar, sometimes called vintage, needs to be matured for up to 15 months. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature often requiring special facilities. As with cheese production in other European countries, caves provide an ideal environment for maturing cheese; still, today, some Cheddar cheese produced in the UK is matured in the caves at Wookey Hole and the caves in Cheddar Gorge. The curds and whey are separated using rennet, an enzyme complex normally produced from the stomachs of new-born calves. In vegetarian Cheddar, equivalent enzymes are derived from non-animal sources.
※International production and taste
Cheddar cheese is produced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia (where it is usually called tasty cheese), Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Much of this cheese is mass-produced and quality varies enormously. The strong flavour develops over time, with a taste diverse enough that food packaging will usually indicate a strength using adjectives such as mild, medium, strong, tasty, sharp, extra sharp, mature, old, or vintage, and may also indicate the maturation period.
Character:
The ideal quality of the original Somerset Cheddar was described by Joseph Harding in 1864 as "close and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching to that of a hazlenut." Cheddar, such as the PDO West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, made in the classical way, tends to have a sharp, pungent flavour, often slightly earthy. Its texture is firm, with farmhouse traditional Cheddar being slightly crumbly. Real Cheddar is never 'soapy', in texture or mouth-feel. Cheddar is usually a pale yellow (off-white) natural colour, but food colourings are sometimes used. In parts of the United States and Canada, annatto, extracted from the tropical achiote tree, is used to give some Cheddar cheeses a deep orange colour. The largest producer of these cheeses in the United States, Kraft, uses a combination of annatto and oleoresin paprika, an oil made from paprika. Cheddar is often coloured and even as early as 1860 the real reason for this was unclear: Joseph Harding stated "to the cheese consumers of London who prefer an adulterated food to that which is pure I have to announce an improvement in the annatto with which they compel the cheesemakers to colour the cheese." According to David Feldman, an author of trivia books, "The only reason why cheesemakers color their product is because consumers seem to prefer it.". Some parts of the eastern United States are said to prefer white Cheddar, while other areas in the United States are offered coloured cheeses. Cheddar cheese was sometimes (and still can be found) packaged in black wax, but was more commonly packaged in larded cloth, impermeable to contaminants but still allowing the cheese to breathe, although this practice is now limited to Europe and to artisan cheese makers. In the United States, Cheddar cheese comes in several varieties, including mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp, New York Style, Colby/Longhorn, white, and Vermont. New York style Cheddar cheese is a particularly sharp Cheddar cheese, sometimes with a hint of smoke. It is usually slightly softer than milder Cheddar cheese. Colby/Longhorn Cheddar cheese has a mild to medium flavour. The curds are still distinct, often marbled in colour, varying from cream to yellow. Cheddar that has not been coloured is frequently labelled as "white Cheddar" or "Vermont Cheddar", regardless of whether it was produced in the state of Vermont. Vermont Cheddar is the nearest of any North American cheese to authentic English Cheddar.
Cheddar cheese is one of several products used by the United States Department of Agriculture to track the dairy industry; reports are issued weekly detailing prices and production quantities. The state of Wisconsin produces the most Cheddar cheese in the United States; other centres of production include upstate New York, Vermont, and Tillamook, Oregon. Cheddar cheese is a good source of vitamin B12. A slice of vegetarian Cheddar cheese (40 g) contains about 0.5 µg of vitamin B12 (required daily intake for an adult is 2.4 µg). Famous Cheddar cheeses from Somerset include Keen's, with a strong tang, and Montgomery's, with an apple after taste and the unpasteurised Cheddar made by the Gorge Cheese Company in Cheddar itself.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, fat granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, and Mantova, in Lombardy, Italy. Parmigiano is simply the Italian adjective for Parma; the French version, Parmesan, is used in the English language. The term Parmesan is also loosely used as a common term for cheeses imitating true Parmesan cheese, especially outside Europe; within Europe, the Parmesan name is classified as a protected designation of origin.
History:
According to legend, the Parmigiano was created in the course of the Middle Ages in Bibbiano, in the province of Reggio Emilia. Its production soon spread to the Parma and Modena areas. Historical documents show that in the 13th-14th century Parmigiano was already very similar to that produced today; this suggests that its origins can be traced far before. In the memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, he remarked that the name "Parmesan" was a misnomer in his time (mid-18th century) as the cheese was produced in the town of Lodi, not Parma. This comment originates probably from the fact that a grana cheese very similar to the "Parmigiano", the Grana Padano, is produced in the Lodi area. It was praised as early as 1348 in the writings of Boccaccio; in the Decameron, he speaks of a mountain made completely of Parmigiano to accompany macaroni and ravioli. Samuel Pepys is reputed to have buried his Parmigiano during the Great Fire of London of 1666 to preserve it.
Production:
Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from raw cow's milk. The whole milk of the morning milking is mixed with the naturally skimmed milk (it is left in large shallow tanks to allow the cream to separate) of the previous evening's milking, resulting in a part skim mixture. The milk is pumped into copper-lined vats (copper heats and cools quickly). Starter whey is added, and the temperature is raised to 33-35C. Calf rennet is added, and the mixture is left to curdle for 10-12 minutes. The curd is then broken up mechanically (spinitura in Italian) into small pieces (around the size of rice grains). The temperature is then raised to 55 °C with careful control by the cheese-maker. The curd is left to settle for 45-60 minutes. The compacted curd is collected in a piece of muslin before being divided in two and placed in moulds. There are 1100 L of milk per vat, producing two cheeses each. The curd making up each wheel at this point weighs around 45 kg (100 lb). The remaining whey in the vat was traditionally used to feed the pigs from which "Prosciutto di Parma" (cured Parma ham) is produced. The barns for these animals were usually just a few yards away from the cheese production rooms.
The cheese is put into a stainless steel round form that is pulled tight with a spring powered buckle so the cheese retains its wheel shape. After a day or two, the buckle is released and a plastic belt imprinted numerous times with the Parmigiano-Reggiano name, the plant's number, and month and year of production is put around the cheese and the metal form is buckled tight again. The imprints take hold on the rind of the cheese in about a day and the wheel is then put into a brine bath to absorb salt for 20-25 days. After brining, the wheels are then transferred to the aging rooms in the plant for 12 months. Each cheese is placed on wooden shelves that can be 24 cheeses high by 90 cheeses long or about 4,000 total wheels per aisle. Each cheese and the shelf underneath it is then cleaned manually or robotically every 7 days. The cheese is also turned at this time.
At 12 months, the Consorzio Parmigiano-Reggiano inspects each and every cheese. The cheese is tested by a master grader whose only instruments are a hammer and his ear. By tapping the wheel at various points, he can identify undesirable cracks and voids within the wheel. Those cheeses that pass the test are then heat branded on the rind with the Consorzio's logo; those that don't used to have their rinds remarked with lines or crosses all the way around so consumers know they are not getting top-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano but are now simply stripped of all markings.Traditionally, cows have to be fed only on grass or hay, producing grass fed milk. Only natural whey culture is allowed as a starter, together with calf rennet.
The only additive allowed is salt, which the cheese absorbs while being submerged for 20 days in brine tanks saturated to near total salinity with Mediterranean sea salt. The product is aged an average of two years. The cheese is produced daily, and it can show a natural variability. True Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has a sharp, complex fruity/nutty taste and a slightly gritty texture. Inferior versions can impart a bitter taste.The average Parmigiano-Reggiano wheel is about 18-24 cm (7 to 9 inches) high, 40-45 cm (16 to 18 inches) in diameter, and weighs an average of 38 kg (80 pounds).
Uses of the cheese include being grated with a grater over pasta, stirred into soup and risotto, and eaten in chunks with balsamic vinegar. It is also a key ingredient in alfredo sauce and pesto. Parmigiano cheese is considerably harder the farther it gets from its center and very hard near the crust; however it's exactly from this harder portions that the best grated cheese is obtained: a fine whiter dust which is more aromatic and tasty than the grating resulting from softer sections.One traditional use of a whole Parmigiano head is to use it as a serving pot. Once the head is used up and thoroughly hollowed out so that the bare crust remains, steaming pasta is poured in it and served from therein.
The Persistence of Memory The history of Camembert:
Camembert was reputedly invented in 1791 by Marie Harel, a farmer from Normandy, thanks to advice from a priest who came from Brie.
However, the origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialization of the cheese-making process at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel invented the wooden box which was used to carry the cheese and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.
Before fungi were properly understood, the colour of Camembert rind was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard.
The cheese was famously issued to French troops during World War I, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature and history. It is now internationally known, and many local varieties are made around the world.
The Camembert de Normandie was granted a protected designation of origin in 1992 after the original AOC in 1983.
The Charicterristics of Camembert:
When fresh, it is quite crumbly and relatively hard, but characteristically ripens and becomes softer and strongly flavoured as it ages.
Camembert can be used in many dishes, but is also popularly eaten uncooked om bread or with wine or meat, to enjoy the subtle flavour and texture which does not survive heating. It is usually served at room temperature.
The production of Camembert:
Camembert is made from unpasteurised cows milk, and is ripened by the moulds Penicilliumcandida and Penicillium camemberti for at least three weeks. It is produced in small rounds, about 250 grams in weight, which are then typically wrapped in paper and packaged in thin wooden boxes.
A story about Camembert (Camembert and Salvador Dali) :
The Persistance of Memory is one of the most famous paintings by artist Salvador Dalí. The painting has also been popularly known as Soft Watches or Melting Clocks. The original idea of this painting came to Dalí on a hot summer's day. He was at home with a headache while Gala, his wife, was out shopping. After his meal he noticed some half eaten Camembert cheese and how runny it had become on account of the heat of the sunny day. That night, while he had been searching his soul for something to paint, he had a dream of clocks melting on a landscape. He went back to the unfinished piece he had been working on, which had a plain landscape with rocky cliffs in the background and a tree on a platform. Over two or three hours he added in the melting pocket watches which made this the iconic image it is today.
Comte (also called Gruyere decomte) is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk is the Franche-comte region of eastern France. The rind is usually a dusty-brown color and the internal side is pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible. It is the first French AOC (label of region) cheese, guaranteeing the quality if cheese.
The information about Comte:
Country of origin: France.
Region, Town: Franche- Comte.
Texture: Firm.
Rind: Gray-brown and pebbled.
Aging time: 8-12 months.
Certification: French AOC 1958.
*Pasteurize: To heat something, especially milk at a controlled temperature for a fixed period of time in order to kill bacteria.
*AOC: Appellation d'originecontrolee(AOC) which translates as ''controlled term of origin'' is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the governmeant bureau Institut National des Appellations D'origine (INAO).
Comte is an ancient cheese. It has been produced since the time of Charlemagne. Comte is still traditionally made in more than 190 cheese dairies, known as the ''fruitierest" in the Jura plateau.Themanufacture of the cheese began as early as the 12th century, when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts of the Jura massif. The distance from towns of any size meant that any cheese they made would need to mature over a period of months. The milk was pooled between neighbouring shepherds, and the huge cheeses would be stored until being carried to market at the end of the season.Once summer had ended, so would production of Comte.
The tasting of Comte:
Comte has an ivory-colored paste scattered of holes the size of a hazelnut.The taste of this cheese is variable depending on the age anywhere from 4 - 18 months, and the season of the milk. It's typically described as salty, mild, and fruity. Some cheese have strong hazelnut flavors, others have subtle hints of nutmeg.
Tasting advice of Comte:
This cheese works well in a fondue, as part of a cheese platter or in a hot, melted sandwich. It's also suitable for snacking or tossed as cubes in a salad.Dry white wines such as Sancerre, light red wine such as Beaujolais, are all suitable for this kind of cheese.
The production of Comte:
Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into huge copper vats where it is gently warmed. Rennet, or another natural pressing agent is added causing the milk to coagulate. The curds are then cut into tiny white grains that are then stirred before being heated again for around 30 minutes. The contents are then placed into moulds and the whey is pressed out. After several hours the mould is opened and left to mature in cellars, first for a few weeks at the dairy, and then over several months elsewhere.
Conclusion:
The history, taste, tasting advise and the production of Comte are all presented here. Throughout these information, we can get closer to the world of cheese which is full of hundreds and thousands different kind of cheese and different backgrounds.
There is a really vicissitudinary story behind the cheese. Esrom cheese is one of the Danish cheese. It takes its name from the monastery, Esrom Abbey. At about 1511, a group of Cistercian monks from France took over an abandoned Abbey in Denmark and the property in it, and this abbey is the Esrom Abbey. Like many other Cistercians, they set about trying to make a living by producing and selling things such as cheese. This is the first time Esrom cheese was made. However, when Reformation came to Denmark in 1536, the monks were forced to go to another Abbey. They destroyed the Abbey and taked the things and materials away. The cheese therefore ended with the departure of the monks.
In the 1940s, the "National Experimental Dairy" in Denmark started attempts to recreate the cheese starting in the mid-1930s. However, they did had a hard time concentrating on their work because Germans had already occupied Danmark then. In 1951, the Danish Cheese Institute started to recreate the cheese. At first, they named it "Danish Port Salut". As various EU laws came into effect, however, the name was put in the position of violating the French trademark for the name "Port Salut" cheese. Consequently, they renamed it Esrom.
Though there is doubting whether the recreated cheese is the same as the one the monks had made, for the researchers recreating the cheese didn't have the original recipe, Esrom cheese has already become one of the most welcomed cheese in the world.
Feature:
Esrom cheese is a semi-firm cheese made from partially skim raw cow's milk. It is a traditional-styled cheese with pale yellow color. It is slow ripened for a period of 10 to 12 weeks, then cured in rectangular moulds and lightly pressed. The appearance of the cheese is porous, with many small holes throughout. The rind of it is thin, hard and orange, feeling a little bit greasy and waxy. It is buttery in texture and therefore very easy to slice. In addition, though Esrom has also pungent and strong odour like Limburger cheese, unlike Limburger, Esrom's odour is more aromatic and tested sweet instead salty. In spite of strong odour, the taste is actually mild and pleasant.
Recipes:
Esrom commonly used as a table or melting cheese, it is also good in casseroles and it is similar to havarti cheese or Saint Paulin cheese. Some Esroms contain garlic, onion or pepper, so put it in sandwiches is also a good choice.More over, because of its bold flavor, it is said that it goes well with dark beers and red wines.
Limburger cheese, as implied by the name, is the cheese originated in Limburg, which is one of the provinces of Belgium. Despite its birth location, most of the Limburger cheese made today comes from Germany, and has since about the 19th century. In fact, it was actually created by Trappist monks in Belgium. However, the cheese became so popular in Germany, the Germans took the recipe and made it their own. By the late 20th century, most Limburger was produced in Germany and even the Belgians regard it as a German cheese.
Feature:
Limburger is especially known for it's pungent smell and the surface-ripened appearance. The pungent aroma of Limburger comes from its yellow to reddish brown rind, which is soft and easily trimmed off. However, some people don't think the smell is good, instead it has often been described as having the same odor as smelly feet.
Cheese is one of the delicious foreign food that widely used in many dishes. Without it, those tasty dishes can't be so delightful. Cheese has big influence on our life and eating habit since it was brought in. However, we never have the idea to research it. Through doing this studying project, we have more closer contact with cheese.
Before we deeply research it, we even didn't know that there are so many kinds of cheese, not to mention the history of it. I think there are very few people know that cheese is inventioned by Arabian. We seldom notice the foods that appear in our daily life, even if the foods are so often seen. We just eat them and give them merely a thunb. In fact, these foods are worth our studying. Because they make our life more colorful, and cheese is one of them. I think if we pay more attention on many things, we can find more we didn't know before.
Hoping all you enjoy our research on cheese. Next time, maybe you can find some interesting thing in other "common food."
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