Saturday, October 13, 2012

What Types Of Milk Make The Best Tasting Cheese?


When it comes to cheese most fans will tell you there aren’t many they don’t like. The truth is the creamy texture is enjoyed by many and in quite a few different dishes. If you’re looking to learn more about cheese and wondering what goes into making the final product you surely have found it’s made of milk.  But what kind of milk and how does it affect the flavor?  There are many different kinds of milk that can be used to create cheese all lending their own flavor.

Buffalo Milk Mozzarella

Some of the creamiest Mozzarella comes from the milk of domesticated water buffalo. The birthplace of Mozzarella from buffalo is Italy, although there are many producers outside of the country now. You can find it made in Spain, Egypt, the U.S., Mexico and Australia among many other countries. Water buffalo milk has a higher fat content and therefore generally produces a creamier cheese. Milk from cows is also used for Mozzarella with extremely tasty results.

Goat Or Sheep Milk

Not many people will drink milk from sheep because it is so high in lactose. It does, however work well for making delicious cheese. You can find Roquefort, Feta and even Pecorino Romano made from sheep’s milk. Most cheeses made from sheep’s milk are described as rich, buttery in flavor and said to have a nutty taste.

Goat’s milk cheese is more well-known and creates some of the most popular cheeses out there. In fact, goat’s milk is the most similar to human milk (because of its low potassium) and therefore is often consumed by people who have ulcers or kidney problems. In addition, it is good for those who don’t tolerate cow’s milk very well. Some cheeses you’d expect to find made from goat milk are Feta, Chevre, Chabris, Halloumi and Castelo Branco.  Both Halloumi and Feta are sometimes made from a combination of sheep and goat milk. Quite often goat cheese is made in areas where refrigeration isn’t as easy to come by and so a heavy salt bath is used to preserve it longer. This has created a notion that goat cheese is very salty.

The All Important Cow’s Milk

Most of our favored cheese comes from cow’s milk. You can find all your favorite varieties like, Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, Provolone, Munster, cheese curds and more from this delicious milk. The best milk for cheese really comes down to your taste and since many people favor these popular types you might consider cow’s milk as the best. If you are watching your figure you can even find cheese made from skim milk.

Little Known Milks

Many other countries make cheese from milk other than from the four animals above. There are those who create golden bricks from camel or llama milk. Others ferment mare’s milk and make cheese from this as well. There are even some who use yak’s milk and reindeer milk for cheese. These are specialty cheeses and nearly impossible to find outside of the region they are made in.

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