CHEESE, a food product made from the milk of many differ ent kinds of animals : it is the earliest form of dairy manufactur ing. In general cheese consists of the essential food nutrients of the milk, which have been collected into a coagulum or curd, either by natural souring or by the addition of rennet, and sepa rated from the "whey" or watery portion of the milk. In making most forms of cheese, the curd is subject to the curing or ripen ing action of moulds or bacteria to develop characteristic flavours. Cheese contains nearly all the fat, casein, calcium, vitamin A, and a part of the milk-sugar and salts, of the milk from which it was made. Cheese therefore preserves much of the food value of milk for consumption over longer periods than milk.
Naturally, the earliest husbandmen must have observed the souring or curdling of milk, and also that the sour-milk curd was not only good to eat but that it was also a way in which to pre serve the milk for later use. Such widely known sour-milk cheeses as cottage cheese probably represent the earliest form of cheese-making. Coagulating milk with rennet, and curing the curd to develop characteristic flavours and keeping qualities, as is done in making such cheeses as Cheddar, Roquefort and Swiss, like wise dates back to ancient times. There are no records of the beginning of cheese-making as it is known today, but the principal of coagulation—with rennet extract obtained from the stomachs of young calves, pigs, or goats—on which modern cheese-making depends, is believed to have been discovered quite by accident. Ancient peoples used the skins and stomachs of animals as con tainers for various materials, and tradition credits the discovery of coagulation to some ancient herdsman who is supposed to have observed the "phenomenon" in the milk that he carried in a con tainer made of a calf's stomach. The ripening and curing of cheese by various micro-organisms is also believed to have origi nated in some early observation of the changes that occurred in sour milk curd that was accidentally stored in caves or under other conditions favourable for bacterial action.
History relates the use of cheese by many early peoples, and the Old Testament contains a number of references to it. The Greeks and Romans are supposed to have had cheese as a staple food at least a thousand years before the beginning of the Chris tian era. The Jews and the Romans are said to have recognized the strength-giving properties of cheese and to have fed it to their armies because of its convenient concentrated form, and the Greeks gave it to their wrestlers to give them endurance.
Today cheese is made and eaten the world over, being made from the milk of many different animals—the cow, sheep, goat, mare, llama, reindeer, buffalo, zebu, etc., depending on the coun try and the kind of milk-producing animal identified with the industry in the particular country.
Cheese-making began as an art rather than as a science, and in many countries the bulk of the cheese is still made by "rule of thumb" methods handed down from preceding generations. Long before science had explained the complex chemistry of milk or the nature of fermentation and bacterial action, methods of mak ing and handling cheese had developed more or less independently in widely separated regions. In many instances the practices were closely associated with local conditions of climate, agriculture, and habits of the people, which not only resulted in characteristic differences in cheeses made in the different regions, but also gave rise to a vast number of names. Apparently it was the custom of the earliest cheese-making peoples to name their product after the village or country in which it was made.
Cheese is now made and sold under perhaps 400 or 500 different names, but many of these so-called varieties are unknown outside of the locality or the country in which they are made. In many instances local and regional names represent no real difference in type from that of cheese made under other names elsewhere, although the cheeses made in the various localities and countries may have certain distinguishing characteristics. Frequently these differences may be only in the shape or size of the cheese, or they may be in the flavour and texture due to different methods of cooking the curd or curing the cheese. Differences in ripening practices may give rise to considerable differences in quality even in cheese made from the same curd.
There are several possible ways of classifying cheeses, no one of which seems satisfactory for all purposes. For one purpose it may be more desirable to classify them according to methods of making, for another purpose the characteristics of the cheese may be a more satisfactory basis. One common classification recog nizes three groups,—soft cheeses, semi-hard cheeses, and hard cheeses. This grouping, however, is almost entirely on the texture of the product when it is ready for consumption. In general the soft cheeses are those made by souring the milk with lactic acid and eaten within a few days after making. The hard cheeses are those made by coagulating the protein with rennet, cooking and pressing the curd, and ripening with moulds or bacteria for sev eral months or several years before they are ready to be eaten. Semi-hard cheeses fall in between these two groups, and the mak ing process may have features in common with both.
All these types of cheese are known as the "natural" cheeses. Many of them frequently are subjected to further treatment or processing which has the effect of producing an entirely new or different product, known as "processed cheese." In making proc essed cheese, one or more lots of a natural cheese or of several kinds of natural cheese, or of cheeses of different ripeness or in ferior texture and flavour, may be ground up, melted and blended with various seasoning materials. The liquid is then forced into forms of the shape desired and cooled, and packaged in attractive containers for direct sale to consumers. The manufacture of proc essed cheese is a comparatively new phase of the cheese indus try, but one that has become of considerable economic impor tance.
Although cheese is marketed throughout the world under 400 or 500 different names, there are probably only about 18 distinct varieties. Matheson (K. J. Matheson, Varieties of Cheese: Descriptions and Analyses. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 6o8, 68 pp. 1932.) lists the best-known names of distinct varieties or groups as follows : Brick, Caciocavallo, Camembert, Cheddar, Cottage, Cream, Edam, Emmenthaler, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Hand, Lim burg, Neufchatel, Parmeson, Pecorino, Roquefort, Sapsago, and Trappist.
Some of the distinctive differences in these varieties as briefed from Matheson's descriptions are as follows: Brick Cheese is strictly an American product. Its name is sup posed to have come from its shape or from the practice of using bricks to weight down the curd in the moulds. The curd is pressed in the small moulds—about 3 by 6 by io inches—for 24 hours, after which the prints are removed, salted, and taken to the cur ing cellar where the cheese ripens in 2 or 3 months. Brick cheese has a strong sweetish taste somewhat like Emmenthaler, or Swiss cheese, and an aroma mildly resembling Limburg. The body of the cheese is rather elastic and contains numerous small, round holes or eyes. Brick cheese is made in about 400 factories in 14 American states, but at least 90 percent of the 3o million pounds made annually is made in Wisconsin.
is a peculiar kind of cheese made from either whole or partly skimmed milk of cows. It originated in Italy several centuries ago. One explanation of the name, which means literally horse cheese, is that the cheese was first made in the region of Monte Cavallo, another is that the imprint of a horse's head appeared on each cheese as a trade mark of the origi nal maker. The curd is moulded into any desired shape or size, usually about 3 pounds, and after the moulded shapes have been immersed in brine for several days, they are suspended in pairs from the ceiling and smoked. The most common shape resembles a beet, the constriction at the top being due to string by which it hangs. This cheese is sometimes eaten while comparatively fresh, but is more frequently kept for months, then grated and used in soups, or macaroni and similar foods. A small quantity is im ported into the United States, and some is made in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
is a soft, rennet, cheese made from cow's milk. A typical cheese is about 41 inches in diameter and i inch thick, and as marketed in the United States is usually found wrapped in paper and enclosed in a wooden box of the same shape. The cheese usually has a rind about -k -inch thick, which is composed of moulds and dried cheese. The interior is yellowish in color and waxy, creamy, or almost fluid in consistency, depend ing largely upon the degree of ripeness. The flavour is similar to Limburg, but not as strong. Four to six weeks of ripening is re quired before this cheese is in condition for the market. Camem bert cheese is said to have originated in 1791 in the locality from which it derives its name in the northwestern part of France. Cheese of the same type, however, is made in other parts of France and also in other countries, including New York and Wis consin in the United States. Similar types are known as Brie, Coulommiers, Robbiola, and Ripened Neufchatel.
gets its name from the village of Cheddar in Somersetshire, England, where it was first made many years ago. It is very popular as a food product both in England and in the United States. It was exported from the United States as early as 179o, and is today the most important variety made in that country, its manufacture accounting for more than 75 per cent of the total cheese production. The cheese is made from whole milk of cows, or from skim milk or partly skimmed milk. The term "Cheddar" as known and used today refers principally to a phase of the making process. The finished cheese may be white or yel low, and it may be used after only 3 or 4 months of ripening, when it has a very mild flavour, or after r or 2 years of curing to develop a sharp or snappy flavour. American Cheddar Cheese is frequently known and retailed merely as American or "store" cheese, "cream," "Yankee," "Wisconsin," and "New York" cheese. In California, this cheese is known as Jack or Monterey cheese. It is made in several sizes and shapes with more or less distinguishing names, such as Long Horns, Daisies, Twins, Flats, and Cheddars or Exports. These sizes range from 5 to i6 inches in diameter, and 4 to 16 inches in height, and i o to i oo pounds in weight. Within the last few years this variety has been packaged and cured in cans, to afford a convenient and attractive form in which to merchandise it. A one-way valve on the can permits ripening gases to escape and excludes air: thus curing in the can is possible.
is an unripened, soft, sour-milk cheese made extensively in the United States, where it is often called Dutch cheese, or smearcase. It is made both in the home and in the factory, from skim milk, with or without the addition of rennet. It is highly nutritious and palatable, contains all the food value of milk except the cream, and may be used as the main part of the meal or in salads, desserts, or cooked dishes. Properly made, it has a clean, mild, acid flavour and smooth texture. Factory pro duction increased markedly during and after the World War as a result of educational campaigns directed toward the utilization of skim milk to conserve meats and other foods. The cheese is per ishable and must be kept at low temperatures until consumed.
of the genuine kind is made from rich cream thickened by souring or from sweet cream thickened with rennet. The thickened cream is put into a cloth and allowed to drain, this requiring about four days. It is then placed on a board, salted, and turned occasionally. It is ready for consumption in from 5 to io days. Modifications of this process are now common. A cheese common on the American markets is known as "Philadel phia Cream Cheese." The cream is thickened with rennet and drained for several days, when it is salted and worked into a paste by special mixing machines, and placed in tin foil packages of the desired size and weight. This cheese has a mild, rich flavour and is used principally as a spread for bread.
is a hard, rennet cheese produced in the Nether lands; it is also known as Katzenkopf, Tete de Maure, and Man bollen. Formerly Edam cheese was made from whole milk on the farms in North Holland, but today it is usually made of skimmed milk. The genuine Edam cheese contains at least 4o percent fat, although many creameries make a cheese of the same shape with only 20 to 3o percent fat. All Edam cheese for export bears the Government guarantee of the fat content. The cheese is round, but flattened at the top and bottom, and the outside is coloured red ; or the cheese is packed in tin foil and, for export to hot countries, in bladders or tins. When the cheeses are a few weeks old they are marketed and the ripening process continues in the warehouses of the cheese merchants. Some is made in Wisconsin, and the imported product is well known in all large markets.
is a hard, rennet cheese made from cow s milk, and is somewhat sweetish in flavour. It is character ized by holes or eyes about the size of a cent, about i to three inches apart throughout the cheese. This cheese originated in the Emmenthal Valley of Switzerland, and is a very old variety, re ported as early as the middle of the fifteenth century in the Can ton of Emmenthal. Its manufacture in France in 1722 under the name of Gruyere is recorded. It is now made in every civilized country. That made in the United States is known as Domestic Swiss, and that in the region of Lake Constance is called Algau Emmenthaler. Other local names are Bellunese, Formaggio Dolce, Fontine d'Aosta, and Thraanen. The United States has about 30o factories in II states, but the bulk of the 4o million pounds made annually in this country is made in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Illinois. Only the best grades are imported into the United States. The cheeses are like massive solid wheels, 6 inches thick and some times 4 feet in diameter, and weigh from 6o to 220 pounds each. Ripening requires 3 to 6 months. Scientific studies by the U. S. Bureau of Dairy Industry have established a controlled pro cedure in many factories, which facilitates the manufacture of a uniformly good quality cheese. Whereas the original makers de pended on nature to introduce the necessary bacteria into the milk, modern makers now introduce "pure cultures" to bring about the desired action as follows: (r) The lactobacillus bul garicus to check undesirable fermentation and to aid in controlling ripening, and (2) the use of an eye and flavour culture to aid in the development of eyes and flavour.
known also as Stracchino di Gorgonzola, is a rennet, Italian cheese made from whole milk of cows. Its name comes from Gorgonzola, near Milan, but very little of the cheese is now made there. The interior of the cheese is mottled or veined with a penicillium much like Roquefort. As seen on the markets of the United States the surface of the cheese is covered with a thin coat resembling clay, said to be prepared by mixing barite or gypsum, lard or tallow, and colouring matter. These cheeses are cylindrical, being about 12 inches in diameter and 6 inches in height. As marketed they are packed with straw in wicker baskets. Well-made cheeses may be kept a year or longer, but much is consumed fresh in the region where it is made. In England a similar type of cheese, known as Stilton, is made from cows' milk, and is imported in quantities into the United States.
is a sweet-curd Netherlands cheese made from cows' milk. The full-cream Gouda is mainly a farm product made chiefly in the Provinces of Zuidholland and Utrecht, with an average fat content of so percent. Gouda made in creameries from partly skimmed milk has a fat content of 20 to 4o percent. The fat content is guaranteed by the Government mark on the cheese. In shape Gouda cheese is cylindrical with the sharp edges rounded off. The cheeses weigh from 62 to 44 pounds. Ripening requires 6 to 8 weeks. This cheese is commonly found on the larger markets in the United States.
so named because originally it was moulded by hand into its final shape. It is a sour-milk cheese, very popular among German races, and made in many countries. The process varies in different localities, but in general the curd is cooled in moulds, then ground fine in a curd m:11 (in some kinds caraway seed is added), then ripened on shelves in the curing room. The cheese has a very sharp, pungent odour and taste, which is very disagreeable to most people unaccustomed to it. It is known by such local names as Thuringia Caraway cheese ; Ihlefeld, in Mecklenburg; and Livlander in Russia.
is a soft, rennet cheese made from cows' milk which may contain all the butterfat or may be partly or entirely skimmed. The best Limburg is undoubtedly made from the whole milk. This cheese has a very strong and characteristic odour and taste, weighs about 2 pounds, and is about 6 by 3 inches in size. It requires about 2 months to ripen. The most common synonyms of Limburg are Backstein and Herve. It has, however, many local names, such as Algau, Lanark, Marianhof, Morin, Saint Michels, Schutzen, Tanzenberg, Carinthian, Grottenhof, Emmersdorf, Briol, and Lindenhof. Limburg cheese originated in the Province of Liittich, Belgium, in the neighbourhood of Herve. Its manu facture has spread to Germany and Austria, where it is very popu lar, and to the United States, where large quantities are made, mostly in New York and Wisconsin. Contrary to popular belief, Limburg is' no longer imported into the United States, since the domestic product is of good quality and is made cheaply.
is a soft rennet cheese made extensively in France, from either whole or skim milk of cows. Bondon, Mala koff, PetitCarre, and Petit Suisse are essentially the same as Neuf chatel but have slightly different shapes. Neufchatel cheese is made in the same manner as cream cheese, except that a little less rennet is used. The standard package, wrapped in tin foil, is round and weighs 21 to 3 ounces, its dimensions being 0, by 21 inches. Factories in the United States make a variation of the Neuf chatel cheese, which is probably as good as the French variety. American makers attempt to vary this cheese by the use of condi ments. Pimento, or Pepper Cream, is a Neufchatel cheese in which r pound of red peppers is used for every Hp pounds of cheese. The peppers are ground very fine and thoroughly mixed; the whole is then moulded and kept in a cold place.
is the name in common use outside of Italy for the cheese made and known in that country for centuries as Grana, the term "grana" or "granona" referring to its granular appearance when broken, which is necessary on account of the hardness of the cheese, cutting being practically impossible. There are two quite distinct kinds of cheese—one made in Lom bardy and the other in Emilia. Parma, situated in Emilia, has long been an important commercial centre for both kinds, and to this fact the name of Parmesan is due. The use of the term "Parmesan," however, is sometimes restricted to the cheese made in Lombardy, the term "Reggian" being used to designate that made in Emilia. The cheeses are ripened in a cool, well ventilated room, where they may be stored for years, the surface being rubbed with oil from time to time. The exterior of the cheese is dark green or black, due to colouring matter rubbed on the surface. A greenish colour in the interior has been attributed to the contamination with copper from the vessels in which the milk is allowed to stand before skimming. Parmesan cheese when well made may be broken and grated easily and may be kept for an indefinite number of years. It is grated and used largely for soups and with macaroni. A considerable quantity of this cheese is imported into the United States and sells for a very high price.
is a sheep's-milk cheese made in Italy and there are numerous more or less clearly defined kinds. The most common sort is the one designated Cacio Pecorino Romano, or merely Romano. This varies considerably in si4e and shape. A cheese of ordinary size is about io inches in diameter and 6 inches in thickness and weighs from 2 to 25 pounds. The interior is slightly greenish in colour, somewhat granular, and devoid of eyes or holes. Ripening requires eight months or longer. The Pecorino Dolce is artificially coloured with annatto and subjected to con siderable pressure in the process of manufacture. Pecorino Tus cano is a smaller cheese than the Romano, measuring usually 6 inches in diameter and 2 or 4 inches in thickness and weighing from 2 to 5 pounds. Among the sheep's-milk cheeses bearing local names are the following: Ancona, Cotrone, Iglesias, Leonessa, Puglia, and Viterbo. In the manufacture of Viterbo cheese the milk is curdled by means of a wild artichoke Cynara scolymus.
is a soft, rennet cheese made principally from sheep's milk, although some cows' milk and goats' milk may be added. Numerous imitations, such as Gex and Septmoncel, are made from cows' milk. One of the most striking characteristics is the mottled or marbled appearance of the interior of the cheese, due to the development of a penicillium, which is the principal ripening agent. The manufacture of Roquefort has been carried on in the southeastern part of France for at least two centuries, and is particularly important in the village of Roquefort, from which the cheese derives its name. One interesting phase of the making process is the sifting of mouldy bread crumbs between layers of curd as it is placed in the forms or hoops, to bring about the desired ripening. Formerly the manufacture of the cheese up to curing time was carried on by the shepherds themselves, but in recent years centralized factories collect the milk and make the cheese, which is still cured in the natural caves near Roquefort. The cheese may be sold after from 3o to 4o days or may remain in the caves as long as five months, depending on the degree of ripening desired. This type of cheese is made from cows' milk in Denmark. In the United States this type has been made since 1918, from cows' milk and with artificial curing conditions. Re cently such American-made cheese has been ripened in natural caves along the Mississippi River in Minnesota and in an aban doned shaft of a coal mine in Pennsylvania.
is made principally in Glarus, Switzerland, from sour, skim milk of cows. It is also known as Schabzieger, Glarnerkase, Griinerkase, and Krauterkase. It is claimed that it was made in the thirteenth century; its authentic history at least dates back to the fifteenth century. Sapsago is a small, hard, green cheese flavoured with the leaves of an aromatic clover grown for the purpose. It is shaped like a truncated cone, 4 inches high, 3 inches in diameter at the base and 2 inches at the top. A com paratively small quantity is shipped into the United States under the name of Sap Sago, where it usually sells at a low price and is used as a grated cheese.
originated with the Trappists in 1885 in the monastery of Mariastern, near Banjaluka, in Bosnia. The fresh milk is used and rennet is added. The ripening period of the smaller cheeses is from 5 to 6 weeks in summer, but the cheese is usually shipped at the end of 4 or 5 weeks. It is pale yellow in colour and has a remarkably mild taste. The smallest size of the cheese made in the monastery referred to has a diameter of 6 inches, a height of 2 inches, and weighs 2 or 3 pounds. A larger size measures 9 inches in diameter, 21 inches in height, and weighs about io pounds. There is also a still larger size. The cheese is exported to a large extent to Austria and Hungary, the most im portant centres of the trade in these regions being Gratz and Budapest. It is, however, found in all large cities of Austria, and the demand appears to be constantly increasing. This cheese is very probably the same as Port du Salut. A cheese which is prob ably identical with the Trappist, or Port du Salut, is made in the Trappist monastery at Oka, Canada, and is known as Oka cheese.
