Cheese production is a growing enterprise in various nations of the world. Actually, Cheese is a generic name for certain food products made of milk. All over the world, cheese is produced in a wide variety of textures and flavors.
Basically, Cheese is made of fat and protein from milk. The milk is mainly gotten from animals such as cows, goats, sheep and buffalo. Cheese production is usually very elaborate. It has to go through some processes before its considered eatable.
One may wonder at how much Cheese is made in a year! The truth is that, several nations are involved here. You can only get a sketchy figure of the amount of cheese made each year all over the world. However, it’s possible to locate reliable sources that can offer clues to the amount of cheese produced in several countries each year.
Basically, several types of cheese are produced in various nations. There are over a hundred types of cheese in production. They vary in their textures, flavors and styles. In most cases, their flavors and textures depend on the kind of milk used in producing them. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are generally used in the production of cheese. There are also processes involved in the production.
Curdling is one of the most popular processes used in the production of cheese. This is mainly the case with the Swiss nation, Holland and the US. Cheddaring is also another popular process used in producing cheese. This is mainly the case in the UK and other English speaking nations.
When it comes to production, cheese is now a major product of agriculture all over the world. Millions of cheeses and their types are produced every year the world over. According to a reliable report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the year 2004 recorded over 18 million metric tons of cheese in production.
The US is said to be the largest producer of Cheese in the world today. 30% of the world cheese production comes from the US. Germany and France follow after the US in the production of cheese.
By monetary standards, France is said to be the largest exporter of cheese. Other countries involved in the production of cheese include German, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Netherland. [1]
Recently, the US Department for Agriculture listed top cheese producers and their level of production in selected years[2]. Among the countries listed include United States, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Egypt, Argentina, and Australia. Each of the nations has varying number of annual cheese produced in them. They are mainly the top leading nations in cheese production.
In all, Cheese production has always been the order of the day in many of the countries listed above. The future is still very bright for this wonderful edible product.
