A Brief History of Cheese

Cheese has a very long history dating back thousands of years. Egyptian murals from 2000 BCE show depictions of cheese making from the milk of goats and sheep. It is believed that these early Egyptian cheeses likely resembled the salty feta cheese we are familiar with today. Since sheep and goats were domesticated as early as 8000 BCE, the history of cheese could predate the ancient Egyptians, but there is no documented proof.

Throughout the world, cheeses have been made for centuries; however, many of the cheeses that we are most familiar with today weren’t documented until the Middle Ages. Although it is believed that the first cheeses were made in Asia, Europe became most known for its cheese making. Some of the origins of these cheeses came from unlikely sources. For example, monks in northern Italy first made the delicious Parmigiano-Reggiano. The delicious taste was credited to the monks’ cows being fed clover and lucerne. Monks are also credited with perfecting the techniques used to make Brie and Camembert in northern France. The Pilgrims brought cheese to America in 1620, and cheese making was first industrialized in the U.S. in New York in 1851.

Accidental Discovery?

It is believed that the origins of the first cheeses may have been the result of chance. After the domestication of these animals, milk from sheep and goats was commonly transported in the intestines of a slaughtered animal. In the stomachs of animals that are still nursing and have never eaten any kind of grass is a chemical called chymosin. This chemical is a natural coagulant, and it helps the young animal digest its mother’s milk. When added to acidified milk, it causes the milk to form curds that separate from the liquid whey. If is theorized that someone long ago was transporting milk in the intestines of a young animal, and the chymosin caused the formation of cheese curds in the milk. Salt may have been used to then cure the cheese curds. Many traditional cheeses today are still made using animal rennet, derived from the chymosin from the stomachs of young animals.

The Transformation From Milk Into Cheese

Once the basics about cheese making were learned throughout various regions of the world, the procedures and techniques used in cheese making were experimented with to produce different types of cheeses. Although the first cheeses were produced from the milk from goats and sheep, cow’s milk soon became a popular choice for cheese making. In some countries, the milk from a yak, buffalo, or other animal was used.
Each cheese begins with the addition of acid to the milk, followed by the addition of rennet. Although traditional rennet is derived from chymosin, plants such as nettles, thistle, and fig bark also contain coagulant enzymes that can be used instead of animal rennet. More recently, the enzymes of certain yeasts and bacteria have been used to make rennet; in the late 1980s, a method was created for injecting cow DNA into microbes to make rennet that closely resembled animal rennet without the need to slaughter a calf. After the curds are separated from the whey, the curds undergo various processes, such as additional cooking, smoking, curing, or aging to form the various varieties of cheeses. The unique process for each cheese gives the cheese its flavor and texture.

What Is The Best Cheese For A Salad Topping?

The best cheese for a salad topping depends both on the other ingredients in the salad and your own personal tastes. With the variety of cheeses available, any number of them makes a great topping for salads served on the side of a meal or as main dish salads. There are classic pairings as well as innovative combinations that you may never have tried.

Cheeses Used As Salad Toppings

Bleu cheese, such as stilton and Roquefort, are creamy, strong flavored cheeses that add a nice touch to simple greens. They are also a nice complement to salads contain sweet elements, such as apples, pears, or berries. Greek Feta cheese has a salty flavor that pairs well with many different salad ingredients. Parmesan cheese, with its nutty, salty flavor, is commonly used on pasta dishes as a topping, but is equally good when topping a salad. Cheddar cheese, with its rich, buttery flavor is another excellent choice for pairing with salad greens. Mild, savory Swiss cheese shredded on top of greens is also a delicious choice of salad toppings. Goat cheese, often served warm on top of salads, has a tangy taste that also complements a number of salads.

Green Salad

A simple green salad made with mixed lettuces, tomato, and cucumber can be topped with several different types of cheeses. Grated cheddar is a traditional pairing, but you can experiment with a combination of cheeses to add some variety. For example, some shredded Swiss cheese in addition to shredded cheddar make a nice combination. Depending on the type of dressing you use, you may want to try another cheese, such as feta with a simple vinaigrette dressing. Warm goat cheese or flavored feta is delicious on its own as well, so you can eliminate any dressing at all.

Spinach Salad

Spinach salad is also quite versatile and is delicious with a variety of cheese toppings. Paired with walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil, goat cheese is an excellent topping. A bit of crumbled bacon, along with a red wine vinaigrette and goat cheese is another delicious combination. Feta cheese can be used as well. Berries can also be added to a spinach salad with goat or feta cheese for a delicious touch.

Greek Salad

Feta cheese is traditionally used in this Mediterranean delight. Tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, red onion, green pepper, seasoning, red wine vinegar, and olive oil topped with squares of feta cheese make up this classic treat. You can add or eliminate ingredients to suit your tastes, as the feta will complement variations.

Chicken Salad

Fresh grilled chicken strips over a bed of greens are delicious when topped with nonfat yogurt, tarragon, and crumbled bleu cheese, such as stilton, Roquefort, or gorgonzola. The strong flavor of the bleu cheese complements the simple flavors of the chicken and yogurt. It lso goes very well with aged Cheddar or Swiss.

Steak Salad

Thinly sliced steak over a bed of spinach or lettuces, along with some tomatoes and cucumbers is another salad that pairs well with bleu cheese. The bleu cheese brings out the richness of the meat for a delicious main dish salad.

What Is String Cheese?

String cheese is cheese that pulls off in strips, as opposed to breaking or crumbling typical of most cheeses. String cheese is most commonly sold as a snack item in the U.S., and it is especially popular with children. In other nations, such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East, braided cheese and string cheese are traditional products that are used in many ways.

How String Cheese Is Made

Typically, when cheeses are made, an acid is added to milk, and then rennet is added that causes curds to form in the milk. The curds are separated from the whey, the liquid that remains. Then the curds are shaped into blocks, stacked, and pressed. The curds undergo assorted processes dependent upon the type of cheese being produced.

The process for making string cheese is the same as with regular cheeses until the curds are formed. After allowing the curds to rest, they are placed in a vat of hot water or whey. Once they begin to float, the excess liquid is drained. The curds are then mixed together and kneaded until they become elastic. The pieces of the large strand of cheese are then separated into smaller chunks; each chunk will pull apart in strips or strings.

Types of String Cheese

Most string cheese sold in U.S. grocery stores is made from mozzarella cheese or a combination of mozzarella with another cheese, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack. Just as with many packaged cheeses, they are available in regular or part-skim milk varieties. They are usually packaged as small, cylindrical sticks and are used primarily for snacking. In specialty shops, you may be able to find string cheese produced in other countries as well.

Armenian String Cheese

Armenian string cheese is a handmade, braided cheese produced from sheep’s milk. When purchased from a shop, it is usually soaking in saltwater brine. The salt is rinsed from the cheese before using it; the amount of salt you leave in the cheese is dependent upon your personal tastes. Armenian string cheese can be used in dishes, as salad topping, or to just eat as a snack. Some Armenian string cheese is flavored, including cumin and mahleb.

Slovakian String Cheese

In Slovakia, a type of string cheese called Korbáčiky is made into small braids, or whips. The cheese is produced from sheep’s milk. It comes in its natural, slightly salty state, but it can also be smoked. Other varieties use flavor enhancers, such as garlic. This is a traditional cheese in this region, and it has many uses in cooking, such as in dish preparation, on salads, or pulled apart and eaten plain.

Queso Oaxaca

This Mexican string cheese originates from southern Mexico. It is produced from cow’s milk. The taste is similar to Monterey Jack, but it has the elasticity of mozzarella. It is typically sold in a ball, from which strands can be used for cooking dishes such as empanadas and quesadillas. It can also be used as a topping or eaten as a snack.

What Is Vegetarian Cheese?

All cheeses are made from the milk of an animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. An acid is added to the milk, and in the case of most cheeses, a rennet is added so that the milk forms curds, or solids, that are then separated from the liquids, or the whey. Depending on the type of cheese being made, the curds will then undergo various other processes. The difference between cheeses labeled as vegetarian cheese versus a regular cheese is the type of rennin that is used to form the curds. Animal rennet is derived from animals, and cheese made using animal rennet is not vegetarian. Other cheeses made from rennet derived from plants or microbes can be categorized as vegetarian.

Animal Rennet

The earliest cheeses were produced using the rennet from an animal part, specifically the stomach of young goats, calves, and lambs. A chemical, chymosin, found in the stomachs of baby animals will cause milk to coagulate, or form curds. Only animals that are still nursing, and not eating any foods, contain this chemical in their stomachs; therefore, it can only be obtained from very young animals. The traditional method for extracting rennet involves slaughtering the animal, removing the stomach lining, and then using salt water, wine, whey, or vinegar to extract the chymosin. Although many cheese makers still follow traditional methods, more modern methods for producing animal rennet used in cheese making use enzyme extracting chemicals to get the rennet from the stomach lining.

Vegetable Rennet

For vegetarians that consume dairy products, cheese made from vegetable rennet is an option. There are several plants that have natural coagulation qualities and can be used in place of animal rennet to make cheese. Thistle is the most commonly used plant for making rennet. Another source of vegetable rennet is safflower. Dried caper leaves and the bark of a fig tree can also be used to make vegetable rennet. In addition, some soybeans that have been genetically modified are also capable of producing rennet that can be used in cheese making. The cheese making process using vegetable rennet is the same as the one used for making a cheese with animal rennet; however, the two are not necessarily interchangeable. Cheeses made using vegetable rennet will have different qualities than those made using animal rennet.

Microbial Rennet

Another source of rennet used in cheese making is microbial rennet. Because microbial rennet uses no animals as its source, it is also appropriate for vegetarian cheeses. Certain types of molds, fungus, and bacteria have coagulating properties that will form curds in milk. The enzymes of the microbes can be used in the cheese making process.

In addition, cow DNA can now be added to some specific yeasts, fungi, and bacteria to produce genetically engineered animal rennet. This rennet more closely resembles the rennet made from animals; therefore, the cheeses produces using this type of microbial rennet are more similar in taste and quality as animal rennet cheeses. Depending on how strict your vegetarian practices are, this may be a suitable substitution, since no animals are harmed to make the rennet.

Where Do The Best Gourmet Cheeses Come From?

The best gourmet cheeses come from several different regions throughout the world. England, Holland, and Spain are all known for their wonderful, gourmet cheeses. Two of the regions that produce some of the world’s finest gourmet cheeses are northern Italy and northern France. Parmigiano-Reggiano, the finest gourmet parmesan cheese, comes from five provinces in Italy. Brie, a creamy, cow’s milk cheese, originates from Ile de France. These are two of the finest gourmet cheeses produced.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Although there are many parmesan cheeses produced throughout the world, Parmigiano-Reggiano is known as the “king” of parmesan cheeses. Only parmesan cheeses produced in the five provinces that make up the region of Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy are given this label. Furthermore, cheese makers of this elite cheese must be a member of the governing body of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and they must follow strict guidelines for making the cheese to ensure that only products worthy of the label are produced.

The first Parmigiano-Reggiano was produced by monks in the 13^th century, and the delectable flavor of the cheeses they produced was attributed to the diet of the cows that grazed their fields of lucerne and clover. Today, cows whose milk is used to produce the cheese are fed under strict guidelines, such as only being fed hay and grass and never any animal byproducts. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a raw milk cheese, so the diet of the cows used to produce milk for the cheese is very important.

After the cheese is made according to traditional methods, it is aged for 12 months, when it is inspected to see if its quality is sufficient. If it passes the test, it is branded; it may be aged more or sold as is. For cheeses that don’t pass the strict quality inspection, such as a small hollow being found in the cheese, the cheese may be sold for grating, but it won’t be labeled Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parmigiano-Reggiano can be used in any course of a meal, from antipasto to dessert.

Brie

Brie receives its name from the region where it is produced in northern France. Its first documented mention comes from the emperor Charlemagne in 774 B.C. Since then, many have written and spoken of this delicious gourmet cheese. In fact, it has even been said that the last dying wish of Louis XVI was to have one final taste of Brie. Brie, like Parmigiano-Reggiano, must be made according to strict guidelines to bear the official label.

Brie is a semi-soft cheese with an edible rind of mold. It is made from raw cow’s milk, and it is aged only two to three weeks to be at its peak flavor. Because it is made from unpasteurized milk, US customers do not have access to “real” Brie due to import laws. Unpasteurized milk cheeses must be aged sixty days before they can be imported into the US; Brie would be inedible if it were aged that long. Brie cheeses made in the US use pasteurized milk; although there are many delicious pasteurized milk Brie cheeses, they lack the complexity of flavor found in true Brie. Brie is used in many dishes and on sandwiches, as well as eaten alone.

Other Types

The definition of gourmet can be used loosely because it is also a matter of taste. For instance, many of us consider an aged Swiss to be finer than any other cheese we can get our hands on. Others may consider Muenster a personal favorite. Whatever cheese is your favorite make a gourmet experience out of it by taking the time to pair it with fruit and your favorite beverage.