CHEESE!
I spent a large portion of Christmas Eve dinner reading The World Encyclopedia of Cheese (my great-aunt and uncle have quite the varied library), and with the help of that book and Wikipedia's article on cheese, I thought I'd share some of what I've learned with you all.
From Wikipedia:
Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep and other mammals, by coagulating the milk.
"Coagulate" means to transform a liquid to a solid. In this case, coagulation happens with the separation of the milk into the proteins, fats and other solids (the "curds") and the liquid (the "whey"); the whey is then drained or pressed from the curds in varying amounts depending on the cheese.
The softest cheeses have the least whey removed from them, retain the most moisture, are generally the mildest, and are eaten young. The oldest cheeses in the world have far less whey in them, and some may be riped for years.
[Coagulation] is accomplished by first acidification with a bacterial culture and then employing an enzyme, rennet (or rennet substitutes) to coagulate the milk to "curds and whey."
That first bacterial culture is referred to as the "starter," and it is required to start the process of coagulation before the milk turns bitter.
Rennet is an enzyme that is present in the stomachs of all milk-fed animals; it exists specifically to break down milk into solids and liquids, and so cheesemakers use it to further speed the process of coagulation. Otherwise, all cheese would be eaten after only adding the starter culture; so all cheese would be young, soft and have a lactic flavour.
The precise bacteria and processing of the curds play a role in defining the texture and flavor of most cheeses. Some cheeses also feature molds, either on the outer rind or throughout.
For some cheeses, the curds are drained minimally; for others, they are pressed thoroughly, tightly wrapped and stored for long periods. They may be cut into small pieces and left alone; the developing cheese may be soaked in brine or alcohol. Some are encouraged to grow molds; others aren't, and have any growth removed daily. Cheeses have an astonishing variety, of which most people only fractionally sample. (Cheddar and mozzarella, anyone?)
Cheese can be made from the milk of any creature which makes milk; but the most common by far are the cow's milk cheeses. Sheep and goat cheeses are also commonly used, although goat's cheese in particular is tricky to make well, and so suffers from the public perception of it as bitter.
(And I've HAD good goat's cheese, y'all. Believe me, it is THE SHIT.)
But do you know what OTHER animal's milk they can make cheese from?
...
REINDEER!
Really:
Traditionally made from reindeer's milk, Juustoleipa is a soft cheese toasted by fire, which makes it look rather bread-like. Apparently, it is considered excellent cheese to have for breakfast.
Cool, huh?
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! Or holiday of your choice.
*waves*
From Wikipedia:
Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep and other mammals, by coagulating the milk.
"Coagulate" means to transform a liquid to a solid. In this case, coagulation happens with the separation of the milk into the proteins, fats and other solids (the "curds") and the liquid (the "whey"); the whey is then drained or pressed from the curds in varying amounts depending on the cheese.
The softest cheeses have the least whey removed from them, retain the most moisture, are generally the mildest, and are eaten young. The oldest cheeses in the world have far less whey in them, and some may be riped for years.
[Coagulation] is accomplished by first acidification with a bacterial culture and then employing an enzyme, rennet (or rennet substitutes) to coagulate the milk to "curds and whey."
That first bacterial culture is referred to as the "starter," and it is required to start the process of coagulation before the milk turns bitter.
Rennet is an enzyme that is present in the stomachs of all milk-fed animals; it exists specifically to break down milk into solids and liquids, and so cheesemakers use it to further speed the process of coagulation. Otherwise, all cheese would be eaten after only adding the starter culture; so all cheese would be young, soft and have a lactic flavour.
The precise bacteria and processing of the curds play a role in defining the texture and flavor of most cheeses. Some cheeses also feature molds, either on the outer rind or throughout.
For some cheeses, the curds are drained minimally; for others, they are pressed thoroughly, tightly wrapped and stored for long periods. They may be cut into small pieces and left alone; the developing cheese may be soaked in brine or alcohol. Some are encouraged to grow molds; others aren't, and have any growth removed daily. Cheeses have an astonishing variety, of which most people only fractionally sample. (Cheddar and mozzarella, anyone?)
Cheese can be made from the milk of any creature which makes milk; but the most common by far are the cow's milk cheeses. Sheep and goat cheeses are also commonly used, although goat's cheese in particular is tricky to make well, and so suffers from the public perception of it as bitter.
(And I've HAD good goat's cheese, y'all. Believe me, it is THE SHIT.)
But do you know what OTHER animal's milk they can make cheese from?
...
REINDEER!
Really:
Traditionally made from reindeer's milk, Juustoleipa is a soft cheese toasted by fire, which makes it look rather bread-like. Apparently, it is considered excellent cheese to have for breakfast.
Cool, huh?
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! Or holiday of your choice.
*waves*