Abertam
Abertam is a hard cheese made from ewe's milk in the region of Carlsbad, Bohemia.
Alemtejo
Alemtejo is a rather soft cheese made in the Province of Alemtejo, Portugal. It is cylindrical in shape and is made in 3 sizes, weighing about 2 ounces, 1 pound, and 4 pounds, respectively. It is made mostly from ewe's milk, but goat's milk is often added, especially for the smaller sizes. Warm milk is curdled, usually with an extract prepared from the flowers of a kind of thistle. The cheese is ripened for several weeks.
Analysis: Moisture, 30 to 50 percent; fat, 25 to 38 percent; protein, 11 to 25 percent; and salt, 1 to 3 percent.
Allgäuer Rundkäse
Allgäuer Rundkäse or Allgäuer Emmentaler is a type of Swiss cheese named for the district of Allgäu in the Alps in southwestern Bavaria. It is from 5 to 5¾ inches thick and weighs usually between 150 and 175 pounds.
Alpin
Alpin cheese, a variant of Mont d'Or cheese, is made in the Alpine region of France. It is known also as Clérimbert. The milk is coagulated with rennet at a temperature of 80° F. in about 2 hours. The curd is dipped into molds 3 or 4 inches in diameter and 2½ inches deep, and the whey is drained off. The cheese is turned several times the first day, after which it is salted and then ripened for 8 to 15 days.
Altenburger
Altenburger is a goat's-milk cheese made in Germany, especially in Thuringen in central Germany, where it is known as Altenburger Ziegenkäse. It is 8 inches in diameter, 1 or 2 inches thick, and weighs about 2 pounds.
Ambert
Ambert cheese, known also as Fourme d'Ambert, is a cylindrical Roquefort-type cheese made to a limited extent in central France, from cow's milk. It is said to differ from other Roquefort-type cheeses made in south-eastern France in that the salt is mixed with the curd instead of being rubbed on the surface of the cheese. It is cured for at least 3 months.
American
American and American-type cheeses are descriptive terms used to identify the group which includes Cheddar (i.e., American Cheddar), Colby, Granular or Stirred-curd, and Washed- or Soaked-curd cheeses. Sometimes Monterey or Jack cheese is included in this group. A description of each kind is given under its specific name.
Ancien Impérial
Ancien Impérial is a French cheese about 2 inches square and ½ inch thick that may be sold and consumed either fresh or after it has cured. The fresh cheese is known also as Petit Carré and the cured cheese as Carré Affiné. The curd is prepared in the same way as for Neufchatel, and the curing process is not essentially different.
Appenzeller
Appenzeller cheese, which is similar to Swiss, is made from cow's milk in the Canton of Appenzell, Switzerland, and also in Bavaria and Baden. It is made usually from skim milk, but sometimes from whole milk, and soaked in cider or white wine and spices.
Appetitost
Appetitost is a Danish cheese made from sour buttermilk. Some is imported, and a small quantity is made in the United States.
Armavir
Armavir, a sour-milk cheese that resembles Hand cheese, is made in the western Caucasus from ewe's whole milk. Sour buttermilk or whey is added to heated milk. The cheese is pressed in forms and is ripened in a warm place.
Asadero
Asadero, also called Oaxaca, is a white, whole-milk Mexican cheese. It melts easily when heated, which accounts for the name Asadero (fit for roasting). It is named Oaxaca for the State of Oaxaca, although it is now made for the most part in the State of Jalisco. The curd is heated, and the hot curd is cut and braided or kneaded into loaves of various sizes, ranging from 8 ounces to 11 pounds in weight.
Asiago
Asiago cheese originated in the commune of that name in the Province of Vicenza, Italy. It is made also in Carnia, Venetia, Trentino, Lombardy, and nearby areas. It was made originally from ewe's milk and was called Pecorino di Asiago. It is now made from cow's milk and is a sweet-curd, semicooked, Grana-type cheese with a pungent aroma. It is round and flat and weighs usually between 16 and 22 pounds. Like other grating cheeses, it may be used as a table cheese when not aged. Table cheese of this kind that can be sliced is called Asiago di taglio (slicing cheese).
In Italy, Asiago is made from partly skimmed milk, which is curdled with rennet at a temperature of 92° to 96° F. The curd is cut into particles the size of wheat grains, and the temperature is raised to approximately 108° or as high as 118°. After about 15 minutes the greater part of the whey is run off. The curd is dipped into circular hoops and pressed. The cheeses are salted in brine for several days, after which they are ripened. After curing 4 to 10 months, the cheese is at its best for eating, resembling Battelmatt; after 12 to 20 months, it is strong and sharp in flavor and is suitable for grating, resembling Romano and Grana. The yield of cured cheese is about 7½ pounds per 100 pounds of milk containing 3.5 percent of fat.
In the United States, three modifications of Asiago are made, namely, fresh (soft), medium, and old. The method of manufacture is much the same for all three and is similar to that used for other Italian cheeses, such as Fontina, Parmesan, and Romano.
A bacterial starter is added to warm milk that may be standardized to adjust the fat content. Rennet (preferably in the form of rennet paste) or rennet extract plus a lipase enzyme preparation is diluted with water and mixed with the milk. When the curd is sufficiently firm, it is cut and then heated gradually and stirred continuously. The heating and cutting are continued until the particles of curd are about the size of wheat grains. After further stirring and heating, the curd is allowed to settle to the bottom of the kettle and then is removed by dipping with a cloth. It is then pressed in hoops.
When the cheeses are removed from the hoops, they are salted in a brine bath and cured on shelves. While curing, they are washed and turned frequently and sometimes are rubbed occasionally with vegetable oil. Sometimes they are coated with paraffin, either clear or colored black or brown.
Asiago fresh cheese is cured for not less than 60 days (some authorities say at least 4 months); Asiago medium is cured for at least 6 months; and Asiago old, which is used mostly as grated cheese, is cured for not less than a year.
Analysis: Asiago fresh—moisture, 40 to 45 percent; fat, not less than 50 percent in the solids. Asiago medium—moisture, not more than 35 percent; fat, not less than 45 percent in the solids. Asiago old—moisture, not more than 32 percent; fat, not less than 42 percent in the solids.
Asin
Asin cheese, which is also called Water cheese, is a sour-milk, washed-curd, whitish, soft, buttery, more or less ripened cheese that is made on farms and in small dairies in the mountainous regions in northern Italy. It contains a few large eyes. It is made mostly in spring, while the cows are grazing on green pasture, and is consumed in summer and autumn. It is popular as a dessert cheese and frequently is eaten with honey and fruits.
The cheeses are cylindrical and flat, about 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches thick, and weigh about 14 pounds.
The method of manufacture is quite different from that of any other cheese. Fresh, warm cow's milk is put into a vat without rennet and is curdled by souring. The curd is cut and stirred until the pieces are the size of wheat grains. Then hot water (at a temperature of 185° to 195° F.) is added slowly, with stirring—as much as 1 part of water to 3 parts of curd and whey. This heats the curd to a temperature of approximately 105° to 110°. To avoid excessive washing, some hot whey may be added with the water. For 35 to 40 minutes after the curd is cut, whey is expelled from the granules, and they shrink and acquire firmness. A sample of the curd is squeezed in the hand, then rubbed, and when the granules can be rubbed apart readily the curd is permitted to settle for about 10 minutes and then is dipped with a cloth. The curd is pressed by hand to expel more whey, is placed in a circular hoop, pressed lightly overnight, and then—still in the hoop—is placed in a moderately warm room. After a few days the hoop is removed. The cheese is turned, and may be salted lightly, each day. After 10 to 15 days a whitish mold growing on the surface becomes visible, and the rind gradually turns pale yellow.
The cheese has a mild flavor and is ready to eat when it is 1 to 2 months old. After an additional 2 or 3 months of ripening in a special salt brine it has more flavor, and is called Salmistra.
The yield is about 11 pounds of cheese per 100 pounds of milk.
Backsteiner
Backsteiner cheese, which is made to a limited extent in northern Germany, is similar to Stangenkäse; that is, it is a modified Limburger-Romadur-type cheese. Backsteiner means brick, and the cheese is so called because of its brick-like shape. However, it is not like the Brick cheese made in the United States but is more like Limburger that is made from partly skimmed milk, except that Backsteiner is smaller and is cured for a shorter time. When made in squares, it is known as Quadratkäse.
Analysis: Moisture, 35 to 70 percent; fat, 3 to 38 percent; and protein, 20 to 25 percent.
Bagozzo
Bagozzo or Grana Bagozzo, which is also known as Bresciano, is a Parmesan-type cheese similar to but smaller than Reggiano and Parmigiano. It has a hard, yellow body and a rather sharp flavor. The surface often is colored red.
Bakers'
Bakers' is a skim-milk cheese that is softer, more homogeneous, and contains more acid than Cottage cheese. Bakers' cheese usually is used commercially in making such bakery products as cheese cake, pie, and pastries. Usually it is not offered in retail trade. However, it may be creamed and eaten like Cottage cheese.
The milk is pasteurized, cooled to a temperature of 90° F. and inoculated with lactic starter and rennet. After 4 to 6 hours the sour coagulated mixture is stirred, or broken without cooking or washing. It is drained or pumped into special draining bags, which are tied and piled to allow whey drainage. The bags are piled several times to form a drier cheese. Crushed ice may be placed between the bags to retard acid development during overnight drainage. The salted or unsalted curd may be packed in polyethylene bag-lined cans for storage. It will keep for several months if stored frozen at a temperature below 0° F. but preferably it is kept at 32° F. Yields of 15-18 pounds of cheese are obtained per 100 pounds of skim milk.
Bakers' cheese may be made from spray-dried nonfat milk solids. Reconstituted milk, containing 11 percent solids, is warmed to 90° F. and 8 pounds of lactic starter and 0.2 millimeters of rennet (which has to be diluted in water) are added. In 4 to 6 hours the coagulated curd is bagged and drained by the same method as described above for regular skim milk. The yield is 19 to 22 pounds of cheese.
Continuous centrifuges have been used successfully to recover the cheese solids instead of the bag method. The centrifuged curd is cooled under pressure and packaged directly into a polyethylene-lined tin can. Control of the acid development is maintained and the keeping quality is extended considerably.
Analysis: Moisture, 68 to 75 percent (not more than 80); fat, 0.5 percent or less; and salt, 1 percent.
Banbury
Banbury, a soft, rich cheese, was very popular in England in the early part of the 19th century. It is cylindrical in shape and is about an inch thick.
Barberey
Barberey, a soft cheese resembling Camembert, derives its name from the village of Barberey, near Troyes, France. It is also commonly known as Fromage de Troyes. Fresh warm milk is coagulated with rennet, usually in about 4 hours. The uncut curd is put into a wooden mold with a perforated bottom to drain. About 3 hours later the cheese is put into an earthenware mold, and after 24 hours the mold is removed. The cheese is salted, dried in a well-ventilated room, and may be ripened for about 3 weds, usually in an underground curing room. However, in summer the cheese often is sold without ripening. It is about 5½ inches in diameter and 1¼ inches thick.
Battelmatt
Battelmatt is a small Swiss-type cheese made from cow's milk in the Canton of Tessin, Switzerland, when the quantity of milk is insufficient for making the large "wheels." It is cylindrical and flat, 18 to 24 inches in diameter, 3¼ to 4 inches thick, and 40 to 80 pounds in weight. It has a softer body than Swiss and contains a greater percentage of moisture; the eyes are smaller; and it ripens more rapidly, being marketed within 3 to 4 months. Its flavor is more like Tilsiter than Swiss.
Analysis: Moisture, 44 to 50 percent; fat, 20 to 30 percent; and protein, 21 to 25 percent.
Belgian Cooked
Belgian Cooked cheese is made by a method similar to that used for Cooked cheese (Kochkäse). Skim milk is allowed to curdle, and the curd is heated to between 135° and 140° F. and then drained in a cloth. When drained it is kneaded thoroughly by hand and then allowed to ripen, usually for 10 to 14 days in winter and 6 to 8 days in summer. When the flavor has developed sufficiently, cream and salt are added and the mixture is heated slowly to approximately 180°, stirred until it is blended completely, and then put into molds to ripen for several days. The cheese usually weighs about 3½ pounds.
Analysis: Moisture, approximately 70 to 75 percent; not more than 80 percent.
Bellelay
Bellelay, also called Téte de Moine and Monk's Head, is a soft, blue-veined, whole-milk cheese that resembles Gorgonzola. It was made originally in the 15th century by monks in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, and now is made exclusively in that locality.
Sweet milk is set at about 90° F. with sufficient rennet to coagulate it in 20 to 30 minutes. The curd is cut comparatively fine and is stirred while being heated slowly to a temperature of 110°. It is cooked until it is much firmer than for Limburger but not so firm as for Swiss.
The curd then is dipped into wooden hoops lined with cloth. The cheeses are pressed a few minutes at a time in rotation, one press being used for a number of cheeses. After the cheese is pressed it is wrapped in bark and left for 2 weeks or until-firm enough to require no support. It is cured in a moist cellar at a comparatively low temperature so there will be no eye development. It ripens in about 12 months, but it will keep for 3 or 4 years if it is kept cold. When ready for market the cheese is 7 inches in diameter and weighs from 9 to 15 pounds. It has a soft, buttery consistency and can be spread on bread.
Analysis: Moisture, 37 to 40 percent; fat, approximately 30 percent; protein, 25 to 28 percent; and salt, approximately 3 percent.
Butter
Butter cheese is the name of a popular group of Italian table cheeses. They are uncooked, soft, sweet, mild, and fast ripened. Cheese of this general type has been made in Italy for approximately 60 years. A similar cheese called Königskäse is made in Robbio, near Pavia, Italy. Others in the group are Bella Alpina, Bella Milano, Bel Piano Lombardo, Bel Piemonte Fior d'Alpe, Savoia, and Vittoria. Similar cheese is marketed in other European countries under such names as Schönland and Fleur des Alpes, and the group is also referred to as Butter cheese, especially in Germany; a similar so-called Butter cheese is made in Canada.
Production of a soft cheese of the butter type was introduced in the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1938 and the cheese which is now being made commercially is said to be of as high quality in every respect as that made in Italy. Innovations made here in the method include pasteurization of the milk and the use of a uniformly active lactic starter, which improve the quality and uniformity of the cheese and practically eliminate defects. Cheese of this type made in the United States is sold under various other names.
A small percentage of an active lactic starter (usually 0.25 percent or slightly more) is added to cow's whole milk (which should be strictly fresh and pasteurized), at a temperature of 104° to 110° F. Enough rennet is added so that the curd will be firm enough for cutting in 15 to 20 minutes—usually from 10 to 20 milliliters of rennet (diluted with water) per 100 pounds of milk is sufficient.
The curd is cut into ⅜-inch cubes and is stirred carefully, at first by hand and then with a rake, to prevent matting and to insure rapid expulsion of the whey. During this period the setting temperature is maintained. When the curd particles have firmed sufficiently, the whey is drawn off and the curd is dipped into forms placed on reed mats on a draining table. The forms are preferably square or round perforated metal forms but square wooden forms are also used. A follower, or cover, is placed on the curd in each form. In Italy the curd may be transferred to the forms within 30 minutes after the rennet is added. The cheeses are drained in the forms for 5 to 7 hours and are turned frequently during this period. The room temperature should be about 80° F. A box cover may be placed over the forms to aid in maintaining the temperature of the cheese.
The cheeses are salted by placing them in a 16- to 18-percent salt solution at 55° F. for 14 to 18 hours. Then they are dried and placed on shelves in the curing room in which the temperature is 38° to 42° and the relative humidity is 80 to 90 percent. Some fine salt may be sprinkled on the surface of the cheeses.
Soon after curing is begun a nearly colorless or slightly gray or brownish slime appears on the surface, and this is desirable for characteristic ripening. The cheeses are washed with dilute salt brine and are turned 2 or 3 times each week, to keep the slime coating thin and the rind firm and clean. After 3 or 4 days the outer surface of the cheeses may be colored with dilute cheese color. After 3 weeks in the curing room the cheeses are cleaned thoroughly, dried, and wrapped in tinfoil. They may be paraffined before wrapping. The wrapped cheeses are placed in individual cartons and are cured for 2 to 3 weeks or even 6 weeks longer, at the same temperature, after which they are ready for market.
In some sections in Italy, the cheeses weigh about 4½ pounds and are 5¼ to 6 inches in diameter. The yield is 11 to 15 pounds of cheese per 100 pounds of milk.
Analysis: Moisture, 44 to 47 percent; fat, 28 to 29 percent; protein, 21.9 percent; salt, 2.3 to 2.5 percent.
Bergkäse
Bergkäse is the name of a group of Alpine cheeses, chiefly of the Swiss type. The group includes Battelmatt and Piora, which are made in the Canton of Tessin, Switzerland; Gruyere, made in Switzerland and France; Fontina, made in the Aosta Valley in Italy; Montasio, made in Carinthia and nearby areas; Walliser, made in the Canton of Wallis, Switzerland; and several others. A type of soft cheese known as Vacherin, which is made in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, is also classed in the Bergkäse group. A description of each cheese is given under its specific name.
Bergquara
Bergquara is a Swedish cheese resembling Gouda. It was made in Sweden as early as the 18th century.
Bernarde
Bernarde or Formagelle Bernarde, an Italian cheese, is made from cow's whole milk to which about 10 percent of goat's milk is added for flavor. The milk is ripened for 3 or 4 hours. It is colored lightly with saffron. Sufficient rennet is added to coagulate the milk in about 45 minutes at a temperature of 93° to 95° F., after which the curd is turned and then left to settle for 5 minutes. It is then broken with a harp until the pieces are the size of hazelnuts. The temperature is increased slightly and the curd is allowed to settle for about 10 minutes. It is placed in hoops and cured in a highly humid room at a temperature of 50° to 59°. After 3 days in the curing room salting is begun. In the following 18 days about 2.5 to 3 percent of salt is added by rubbing dry salt on the surface of the cheese 3 or 4 times. The cheese is ready to eat after curing for 2 months.
Bgug-Panir
Bgug-Panir cheese, sometimes called Daralag, is made in Armenia from partly or entirely skimmed ewe's milk. Rennet is used to coagulate the milk, and the curd is put into a rack to drain after which it is broken up. Salt and herbs are added, and the cheese is pressed. After pressing, it is put into a salt bath for 2 days or more, after which it is cured.
Bitto
Bitto is a firm, semicooked cheese of the Swiss group, made originally in Friuli and now made also in Lombardy, in northern Italy. It is similar to Fontina and Montasio. It is made from cow's milk, from ewe's milk, or from a mixture of goat's milk and cow's milk, and from whole, slightly skimmed, or skim milk. It is heated to a temperature of 93° to 98° F., and sufficient rennet is added to coagulate the milk in 30 to 35 minutes. The curd is then subdivided and heated in about 30 minutes to a temperature between 113° and 122°. The curd is dipped and pressed; the cheese is dry-salted over a period of 25 to 40 days and is cured—sometimes for as long as 2 years. The cheese weighs between 35 and 75 pounds. It has small eyes. When made from whole milk and not fully cured, it is used as table cheese. When made from skim milk and fully cured, it is grated and used as a condiment.
Bleu
Bleu (or Fromage Bleu) is the French name for a group of Roquefort-type (blue-veined) cheeses made in the Roquefort area in southeastern France from milk other than ewe's milk. It applies also to Roquefort-type cheeses made elsewhere in France (that is, outside the Roquefort area), regardless of the kind of milk used. Because of the mottled, marbled, or veined appearance of the curd they are also called Fromage Persillé. Other cheeses in this group are Bleu d'Auvergne, Laguiole, Gex, Gex Bressans (goat's-milk Gex), Mont Cenis, Sassenage, Septmoncel, and St. Flour. Some of these are described under their specific names. Roquefort-type cheese made in the United States is called Blue cheese.
Blue
Blue, Blue-mold, or Blue-veined cheese is the name for cheese of the Roquefort type that is made in the United States and Canada. It is made from cow's or goat's milk, rather than ewe's milk. The French word for this type of cheese is Bleu. Considerable quantities of Blue cheese are made in the United States, and cheese of this type is imported from Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, and Sweden. Danish cheese of the Roquefort type is called Danablu. Blue cheese is about 7½ inches in diameter and weighs from 4½ to 5 pounds; it is round and flat like Gorgonzola, but smaller.
It was not until about 1918 that attempts to make Roquefort-type cheese in the United States met with success, primarily because prior to that time information was not available on methods of manufacture and curing, including isolation, identification, and use of the blue-green Penicillium roqueforti mold and means for maintaining the correct temperature and humidity in the curing room to prevent excessive drying. Caves which simulate the temperature and humidity of the Roquefort caves of France are now used successfully by many factories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Agricultural Experiment Station developed a method for making Blue cheese from goat's milk, and the USDA and the Iowa, Minnesota, and Washington stations have published information on making it from cow's milk. A brief description of the process for making Blue cheese follows:
Lactic starter is added to fresh clean milk, which may be pasteurized and may be homogenized, and it is set with rennet at a temperature of 84° F. From 1 to 1½ hours later the coagulated curd is cut, then the whey is drained off and the curd is placed in perforated metal hoops that are about 7½ inches in diameter and 6 inches deep. Blue-mold powder is mixed with the curd, either while it is still in the vat or while it is being put into the hoops. Some salt may be mixed with it. The hoops are turned frequently and the curd is held in the hoops at least 24 hours. Salting may be started either when the cheeses are removed from the hoops or several days later. The cheeses are dry-salted over a period of 7 to 10 days in a room which is maintained at a temperature of 46° to 48° and a relative humidity of about 95 percent. About a week after salting, each cheese is pierced with 40 or more ⅛-inch holes to permit air to reach the interior of the cheese; this is essential for mold growth. Then the cheeses are placed on their edges on racks in the curing room. They are cured for 3 months at a temperature of 48° and a relative humidity of 95 percent and are scraped or cleaned at regular intervals—usually every 3 or 4 weeks—to reduce slime formation and growth of foreign molds on the surface. Then they are wrapped in tinfoil and stored 2 or 3 months at a temperature of about 40° in a moist room. The total curing period must be at least 60 days. The yield of cured cheese is 10 to 11 pounds per 100 pounds of cow's whole milk.
Analysis: Moisture, not more than 46 percent (usually 40 to 42 percent); fat, 29.5 to 30.5 percent (not less than 50 percent in the solids); protein, 20 to 21 percent; and salt, 4.5 to 5 percent.
Bondon
Bondon is a small, unripened, whole-milk, French cheese of the fresh Neufchatel type. A lactic culture and rennet are added to fresh milk at a temperature of 60° to 65° F. From 18 to 24 hours later, when the curd is firm, it is transferred to a cloth which has been stretched over a tub. The curd is stirred frequently, and when it has drained sufficiently it is transferred to a clean cloth and pressed between boards with a weight on top. Salt is mixed in, and the curd is placed in molds that are lined with wax paper. The molds are 2¾ inches deep and 1¾ inches in diameter.
Analysis: Moisture, 54.3 percent; fat, 23 percent (50.3 percent in the solids); protein, 16.1 percent; and salt, 2.5 percent.
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