“You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese.”
What is Cheese?
CHEESE a.k.a Fromage (French), Formaggio (Italian), Kaas (Dutch), Queso (Spanish), Kaese (German)
Cheese is the solid edible curd produced by separating(coagulating) the liquid portion, called whey, from the milk solids
(curd) from cow, goat, sheep, buffalo and other mammal’s milk. The curdling process in the milk in induced with the help
of an enzyme called rennet, which is naturally found in calves’ stomachs although there are a few varieties of cheese
where the coagulation process is induced by vinegar or other acids.. Cheese is a living and natural product and it takes
approximately 10 liter of milk to make 1 kg of cheese. Cheese also contains all the nutritional values of milk.
The Making of Cheese
The production of cheese is based on five processes:
1. Curdling – The curdling of milk is done by adding rennet, acids or lactic fermentation agents. It is this process that determines the flavor and texture of the cheese.
2. Draining – The curd is being cut up to drain off the whey.
3. Moulding – After draining off the whey, the curds are poured into a perforated moulds or shaped accordingly. At this stage various cheeses are further processed. Cheddar and similar cheeses are being pressed repeatedly by piling the pieces of curd on top of each other, resulting in less moisture in the curd and the typical crumbly texture of the finished product; the curd is kneaded and stretched in order to produce stringy but smooth cheeses such as mozzarella, or washed for a milder, less acid taste (Edam and Gouda). For all mold cheese, washed rind, blue vein and white mold cheeses, the specific molds are introduces at the moulding stage as well.
4. Salting – The cheese is either salted or soaked in a salt water bath (brine), which help to control the cheese’s development as well as bringing out it natural flavor.
5. Aging (Maturation) – The cheese is then moved to a humidity and temperature controlled room to allow the cheese to fully develop.
“Age is not important unless you’re a block of cheese”
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