For a very long time, cheese has been one of the major foods at any table. Every sort of cheese has its unique qualities that differentiate its taste, color and shape. There are many ways to make cheese and a very small thing can change a lot in the final product. As it is a product that has been around for a long time, people often make cheese at home. With the right ingredients cheese makes itself, which shows its universal and special qualities.
There are certain things that can be seen in the makings of every type of cheese. All cheese is made from milk. Most common is cow milk but sometimes goat, sheep and even buffalo milk is used. The proteins and fat that come from milk are the bases for cheese. A milk protein called casein, coagulates and produces cheese. It is when the hardened elements of the milk separate themselves from the liquid whey. Rennet is an enzyme that is added to the milk, which has been acidified. This increases the speed of the chemical reaction and leads to coagulation. Basically, this is where milk is divided into water and solid parts, which later become cheese. Then the solidified elements are removed and pressed into forms. This is the most general process of making cheese but there are very important steps that make each cheese special. It starts with the type of cow, its background-genetics, its color and diet. What is eaten means a lot in relation to cheese, it color and taste. Milk from a cow that has been eating flowers is different from the milk of a cow that has been eating grass or other mixes of plants. After the milk is chosen, the separation of solids and liquids must take place. The acids are then added to the milk, vinegar is one that is common but usually, there are “starter bacteria” that are used. These bacteria have a function of turning the sugar that is in milk into lactic acid. The bacteria are very important in the making of the cheese because depending on the bacteria, cheese will have its own individual taste. The hardness and softness of cheese depends on the element that is added in the process of coagulation. If the milk is “separated” using only the acids, the cheese turns out to be in a sort of fragile and flaky substance. If rennet is added to the milk, the cheese is of gel type and later solidifies into forms. Some cheese is heated after it is separated from whey. This changes its taste and affects the bacteria. If the cheese is going to be heated, the bacteria that will survive the high temperatures are added in the beginning, they are called thermophilic. The specific time of when this process of making cheese was discovered is not known. It is also unclear who made such a discovery. Most likely it was accidental and happened in several places at the same time. An interesting fact is that the bacteria found in the stomachs of animals, which produce naturally, are one of the key ingredients in the making of cheese. It is supposed that when the milk was being kept in a turned out animal’s stomach, it reacted with the bacteria and produced cheese.
A closer look at the making of each type of cheese illustrates how important the ingredients and steps are. Mozzarella cheese is well known and is used in many dishes. There are several types of Mozzarella cheese. One type is called Mozzarella di bufala. The cheese is made only from the milk of a water buffalo. The cheese is cut into big pieces several times and then is put into one place to form a mass. It is left to sit until the acidity levels are high enough for the cheese to become stretchy. The stretching makes it very smooth and soft and can be considered the trademark of Mozzarella. It is said that this is done by hand, which makes the cheese even more unique. Swiss cheese is often recognized by its holes. In reality, there are many types of Swiss cheese and even those with holes. The making of Swiss cheese starts with the cows. They are given much time to roam around and find their own food. Their instincts guide them to certain plants. Their summer food is grass and herbs. There are more than 100 different types of herbs that the cows eat. More yellowing color distinguishes summer cheese from winter. A more traditional method of making cheese is as follows. Rennet and lactic acid are both included. An important step is the constant stirring and mixing of the future cheese over heat. This provides for a better separation of water and cheese. The final step is the pressing of the cheese and after, it is stored in the cellar. The type of cheese determines the amount of time that it will stay in the cellar. In the present days, the milk is first preheated. This makes for the reaction of separation go faster. After the curd is collected, it is heated, which makes more water come out. Next, it is placed into forms for cheese, in a shape of a wheel. In the old days weights would be used to apply pressure but presently, hydraulics make the job easier. The process of salt absorption and further separation of water is what follows. The last stage is the storage in a cool cellar where it ages. The majority of time, the length of storage or aging is approximately the same, up to twelve months but even a few months can play a great role in the way that cheese will taste. Provolone cheese is also made by heating the milk first. The specific step that gives it its qualities is the shredding and stretching of curd into long and thin pieces of cheese. After they are stretched, they are placed into a mix between hot water and whey. The high temperature makes the curd even softer and it becomes very fibrous and easy to mold. If a mild tasting provolone is required, it is cured for two to three months but a sharper taste must be aged longer, from six months to as much as two years. Parmesan cheese is made from cow’s raw milk. It is important that the cow be milked in the morning and that raw milk is then mixed with naturally skimmed milk. When the curb forms, it is broken up into small pieces the size of rice grains, by a mechanical tool. The diced curd is heated to a temperature of 131 degrees, is left for close to an hour. After it is placed into a wheel-shaped form, it stays in a brine bath to absorb salt, this process takes up to 25 days. Cheddar is another world known cheese. It has a unique making process, which is centered on the piling of the already cut curd. The kneading with salt and cutting into cubes, prepares the cheese for storage. It is stacked in a certain way, so that it creates a lot of pressure and all the moisture that did not escape before is pushed out. A fixed temperature has to be kept constant and so, special places for storage are required. Caves are sometimes used as storage and aging places and this even done in modern times (Schmidt, 2003).
It is evident that the making of cheese is a very careful and unique process. The age of cheese is unknown but there are estimates that date as far back as five to eight thousand years B.C. It is a natural product and very often people underestimate the useful qualities of cheese and other dairy. Today, technology has made the production of cheese much more efficient and is able to provide cheese products to a great number of people. But the mass production has also created problems with the quality and the ingredients of cheese. In the old days, a lot of care was taken in making the cheese. In the modern times, alternatives to natural and healthy ingredients are used. This downplays the value of cheese but nonetheless, cheese made with high quality products stays an inseparable part of almost every society.
Works Cited
Schmidt, Ron. The Untold Story of Milk, Warsaw, Indiana: New Trends Pub, 2003. Print.