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Descriptions of Cheeses — Part 12

Descriptions of Cheeses — Part 12

Sardo

Sardo, or Sardo Romano, is a Romano-type cheese made on the Island of Sardinia. Originally it was made from ewe's milk only, but now it is made from a mixture of cow's and ewe's milk. When made from ewe's milk only it is properly called Sardinian Pecorino Romano or, briefly, Pecorino Sardo. Sardo is made also in the United States and in Argentina. The aged cheese is used for grating.

Sarrazin

Sarrazin, which has been described as a Roquefort-type cheese, is made in the Canton of Vaud in southwestern Switzerland.

Sassenage

Sassenage, a hard, blue-veined cheese about 12 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick, is almost exactly like Gex and Septmoncel. It is named for the village of Sassenage, which is in the Department of Isère, France. It is made from cow's milk to which small quantities of goat's or ewe's milk are usually added. The milk, usually a mixture of skim milk and whole milk, is set with rennet; the curd is cut, drained, and molded; and the cheese is cured in the same way as Gex and Septmoncel. The ripening period is about 2 months.

Scamorze

Scamorze (or Scarmorze), which is a small, soft, mild, plastic-curd (pasta filata) cheese, was first made in Abruzzi and Molise in central Italy from buffalo's milk. Production has spread to other parts of Italy, and it is now made also from cow's milk and occasionally from goat's milk. It is made mostly in autumn. Like Mozzarella, it is eaten while fresh. It is said to be very tasty when toasted with bread or fried with an egg. The surface has a yellow tint. It is oval in shape, with an indentation and lappets at the top, for handling. The cheeses usually weigh between ¼ and ½ pound but may weigh as much as 2½ pounds.

Scamorze is made in much the same way as Caciocavallo, except that Scamorze is not cured. Cream from the evening milk is mixed with morning milk in a kettle and warmed to a temperature of 95° to 98° F. Starter is added, color may be added, and sufficient rennet is added to coagulate the milk in from 30 to 35 minutes. The surface is turned under with a scoop; a few minutes later the curd is stirred with a paddle and then it is cut with a harp to pieces the size of a hazelnut. The whey and curd are stirred with a mechanical stirrer. After the curd settles, the whey is removed and the curd is collected in a cloth and transferred to a vat. More whey is squeezed out of the curd; then warm water or whey (at a temperature of 113° to 122°) is poured over the curd, and it is kneaded and stretched in the hot liquid and then collected in a mass. The temperature of the whey or water is increased to between 130° and 140° to keep the curd very warm, and kneading and stretching are continued until the curd is smooth and cohesive and will form long threads when it is stretched.

At this stage, the curd is cut into portions and each portion is cut into slices which are placed in a vat. Water heated almost to the boiling point (or preferably hot fresh whey) is poured over the slices, and they are kneaded and pressed with a paddle while they are immersed. The mass then is stretched by hand and with the paddle until it is very compact and elastic. It is drawn out into a rope, and this is divided into portions the size of a turkey egg or lemon—one for each Scamorze. In making soft Scamorze, each piece is folded several times; in making firm Scamorze, the pieces are drawn out and wound on a' reel. Then each piece is immersed in hot water, and as it cools it is shaped by hand and then is placed in a small mold. Later, the cheeses are tied in pairs and immersed in salt brine. They are dried in air and then are ready for shipment. The yield is 10 to 11 pounds per 100 pounds of cow's milk.

Analysis: Moisture, 40 to 45 percent; fat, 25 to 27 percent (fat in the solids, 46.5 to 49 percent); protein, 24 to 26 percent; and ash, 3.5 to 4.5 percent.

Scanno

Scanno cheese is made in Abruzzi, Italy, from ewe's milk. The milk is coagulated with rennet, and the curd is dipped from the whey. It is washed in salty water, then in hot water; then it is collected in a linen cloth and dipped in a 0.25-percent solution of iron oxide in sulfuric acid (in which part of the oxide or rust is undissolved). The curd is left in the solution for 24 hours, during which time it is turned frequently. Then the curd is taken to a dry room, but it is dipped occasionally in a similar but weaker solution. The exterior of the cheese is black and the interior is deep yellow. The cheese has a buttery consistency and a burned flavor. It usually is eaten with fruits.

Schamser

Schamser cheese, which is known also as Rheinwald, is made in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, from cow's skim milk. It is about 18 inches in diameter and 5 inches thick, and weighs from 40 to 45 pounds.

Schlesische Sauermilchkäse

Schlesische Sauermilchkäse is made in Silesia in much the same way as Hand cheese. The cheeses are placed on straw-covered shelves, by the stove in winter and in a latticework house in summer, to dry until they are very hard. Then they are cured for 3 to 8 weeks in a cellar. While curing they are washed with warm water every few days.

Schloss

Schloss cheese (in German, Schlosskäse), known also as Castle cheese, is a small, soft, ripened cheese made in Germany and northern Austria. It is very much like Romadur, that is, similar to but milder than Limburger.

It is molded in small rectangular blocks, slightly more than 1½ inches square by 4 inches long, which are wrapped in parchment with an outer covering of tinfoil.

Schottengsied

Schottengsied is a whey cheese made for home consumption by peasants in the Alps.

Schützenkäse

Schützenkäse is a Romadur-type cheese made in Austria. It is made in small rectangular blocks, slightly more than an inch square and 4 inches long, that weigh less than 4 ounces each. The cheeses are wrapped in tinfoil.

Schwarzenberger

Schwarzenberger, which is a Limburger-type cheese, is made in southern Bohemia, western Hungary, and Austria; it is popular in Austria as a beer cheese. It is made in cubes that weigh slightly more than a pound. It is made from cow's milk in the proportion of 1 part of skim milk to 2 parts of fresh, whole milk. Enough rennet is added to the milk to coagulate it in an hour, after which the curd is broken and stirred thoroughly. The curd is dipped into wooden forms and pressed slightly for about 12 hours. After 4 or 5 days, the cheese is rubbed with salt and is taken to the curing cellar. It is cured for 2 to 3 months and is washed frequently with salty water as it cures.

Sénecterre

Sénecterre is a soft, whole-milk cheese that was first made in St. Nectaire, in the Department of Puy-de-Dôme, France. It is cylindrical in shape and weighs about 1½ pounds.

Septmoncel

Septmoncel cheese, which is known also as Jura Bleu, is named for the village of Septmoncel, near St. Claude, in the Department of Jura, France, where most of it is made. It is a hard, blue-mold cheese, very much like Gex and Sassenage. It is made by a method similar to that used in making Roquefort, but somewhat more primitive as Septmoncel usually is made on isolated farms rather than in centralized plants.

Septmoncel cheese is made from cow's milk to which a small proportion of goat's milk is sometimes added. The milk, which usually is partly skimmed, is set with rennet at a temperature of about 85° F. About 1½ hours later, the curd is cut and stirred. Then, after the curd settles, the whey is poured off. The curd is stirred and the whey is drained several times to firm the curd. When it is firm enough, it is put into the hoops and moderate pressure is applied for a few hours. After 24 hours in the hoops, the cheeses are salted, and salting is repeated daily for several days. Then the cheeses are placed in the first curing room (which is cool and moist) for 3 or 4 weeks; during this time a blue mold grows on the surface of the cheeses. Then they are transferred to cellars or natural caves, where curing is completed in another 3 or 4 weeks.

Analysis: Moisture, 28.2 percent; fat, 31.3 percent; and protein, 32.1 percent.

Serra da Estrella

Serra da Estrella, which is named for the Serra da Estrella mountain range along which it is made, is the most highly prized of several kinds of cheese made in Portugal. Usually it is made from ewe's milk, but it also is made from a mixture of goat's and ewe's milk, or only goat's milk, and occasionally from cow's milk. It is rather soft and has a pleasing, acid flavor.

The method of making is simple. The milk is warmed in a kettle with little regard to the temperature. In most cases, an extract of the flowers of a kind of thistle is added to coagulate the milk. The coagulating period is from 2 to 6 hours, depending largely on the quantity of extract used. The curd is broken up with a ladle or by hand, squeezed to remove most of the whey, and then put into circular hoops. When firm, the cheeses are removed from the hoops and cured for several weeks, during which time they are washed frequently with whey and are salted on the surface. The cheeses differ in size; the largest is about 10 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick and weighs about 5 pounds.

Another Portuguese cheese known as Castello Branco is similar to Serra da Estrella.

Analysis: Moisture, 24 to 50 percent; fat, 19 to 40 percent; protein, 18 to 32 percent; and salt, 1 to 5 percent.

Silesian

Silesian cheese, known locally as Schlesische Weichquarg, is made from cow's skim milk by a method similar to that used in making Hand cheese. In fact, one style is known as Silesian Hand cheese. The milk is coagulated by souring, and the curd is broken up and cooked at a temperature of 100° F. for a short time. Then the curd is put into a sack and pressed lightly for 24 hours, after which it is kneaded by hand and salted. Either milk or cream and sometimes flavoring substances, such as onions or caraway seed, are added. The cheese is eaten either fresh or after slight ripening.

Siraz

Siraz is a Serbian semisoft cheese made usually from whole milk. The milk is curdled at a temperature of 104° F., and the curd is dipped into a cloth and pressed into round, flat cakes from 4 to 6 inches in diameter and an inch thick. The cakes are placed in the sun to dry until the fat begins to exude; then they are rubbed with salt several times. When a crust has formed on the cheeses, they are placed in wooden containers to ripen. The ripened cheese has a mellow and compact body.

Sir Iz Mjesine

Sir Iz Mjesine cheese is made in Yugoslavia (formerly Austria) from ewe's skim milk. The milk is warmed in a bottle over a fire and coagulated very quickly with rennet made from the dried stomachs of calves or hogs. The curd is broken up with a wooden spoon, then is heated and stirred by hand. When sufficiently firm, it is placed in forms about 8 inches square and pressed into cakes about 2 inches thick. These cakes of cheese are sometimes eaten fresh. However, they usually are dried for a day, then cut into cubes, salted, and cured in the fresh skin of a goat or sheep.

Sir Mastny

Sir Mastny cheese is made in Montenegro, Yugoslavia, from ewe's milk. Fresh milk is coagulated with rennet, and the curd is cut, stirred, and heated to a temperature of 100° F. or somewhat higher. The whey is removed, and the cheeses are molded in forms.

Sir Posny

Sir Posny cheese, known also as Tord and Mrsav, is made in Montenegro, Yugoslavia, from ewe's skim milk. The milk is curdled with rennet, and the curd is heated to a temperature of approximately 100° F., drained, and molded in forms.

Slipcote

Slipcote, known also as Colwick, is a soft cheese that is made from cow's whole milk in Rutlandshire County, England, where it has been well known since the middle of the 18th century. Its peculiarity is that when it is ready to eat (ripe), the surface softens and loosens and has a tendency to slip off. The cheeses are either round or rectangular, from 4 to 6 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches thick.

The milk is coagulated with rennet, and the curd is first drained on a strainer and then is placed in suitable forms to drain until firm. The cheeses are said to be ripened between leaves of cabbage for 3 days to a week, after which they are ready to eat.

Smoked

Smoked cheese, which is characterized by the flavor and aroma of smoke, usually is American-type or Cheddar cheese. Only good-quality cheese should be smoked. The smoked flavor is imparted in 1 of 3 ways:

(1) A chemical or so-called liquid smoke may be added to the milk from which the cheese is made, or to the curd shortly after it is cut.

(2) The cheese may be salted with so-called smoked salt. However, this sometimes gives the cheese a streaked appearance.

(3) The cheese may be smoked in the same way as meat. The smoking facility consists of two rooms. In one room, wood—preferably hickory—is burned slowly, in a smothered condition. An opening or pipe conveys the smoke to the second room. The temperature in this room should be low enough so the cheese will not melt—preferably not over 100° F. The cheese is cut into small portions, which may be wrapped loosely in parchment, and they are placed on shelves in the second room for a day. Then the cheese is rewrapped for marketing.

Some Italian cheeses, such as Provolone, are also smoked. Some manufacturers make smoked process cheese, cheese foods, and cheese spreads. The principal ingredient in these is smoked American cheese.

Spalen

Spalen, which is named for the wooden containers (spalen) in which the cheeses are shipped, is a very hard cow's-milk cheese that was first made in the Swiss Canton of Unterwalden, where it is known also as Nidwaldner Spalenkäse. It is now made in other parts of Switzerland, and also in the Italian Alps, where it is known as Sbrinza (or Sbrinz) and in some areas as Sbrinz de Raspa. This type of cheese is made also in Argentina and Uruguay, where it is called Sbrinz. Like Fribourg and Battelmatt, Spalen is a cooked-curd cheese of the Swiss type.

Cured Spalen has a grainy texture and a sharp, nutty flavor; if there are eyes, they are small. When fully cured it is used as a grating cheese. The cheeses usually are 18 to 20 inches in diameter, 3 to 4 inches thick, and weigh 30 to 45 pounds. Sbrinz from Argentina is smaller, weighing about 12 pounds.

The method of making is not uniform in the different factories and consequently the cheese is not a uniform product. However, the method is in general as follows:

Usually whole milk is used, but sometimes the milk is partly skimmed. The milk is put in a round kettle and warmed to a temperature of about 85° F. Rennet is added and after a coagulation period of about 30 minutes the curd is cut and stirred with a scoop. Then it is heated gradually to a temperature of 130° to 135° and cutting and stirring are continued until the curd particles are about ¼ inch in diameter and relatively firm. Then the curd is dipped into hoops and pressed with heavy weights for 12 to 24 hours. The cheeses are rubbed liberally with salt several times over a period of 3 to 4 weeks. They are cured in a cool room, sometimes for as long as 3 years, and in winter they are rubbed with oil. About 7 pounds of cheese is obtained from 100 pounds of whole milk.

Analysis: Moisture, 28.1 percent; fat, 33.7 percent (fat in the solids, 47 percent or more); protein, 30.8 percent; and salt, 4.5 percent.

Spiced

Spiced cheese is cheese to which one or more spices are added during the making process in such a way that the spices are distributed evenly throughout the finished cheese. Spices used include caraway seed, cumin or cumin seed, pepper, cloves, anise, and sage. Sometimes the oil extracted from a spice is used to impart the spiced flavor. Among the spiced cheeses are: Caraway, Kuminost or Kommenost, Noekkelost, Leyden, Friesian Clove, Christian IX, Pepato, and Sage. Bondost, Sapsago, and others are sometimes included in this group. Many of these are of Scandinavian origin and spiced cheeses are especially popular in the Scandinavian countries.

Spiced cheese usually is hard cheese made by the same general method as other hard cheeses, that is, the curd is heated but not excessively, it is stirred while the whey drains off, it is not milled, and the spices usually are added at the same time as the salt before the curd is hooped.

In the United States, Federal definitions and standards for spiced cheese specify that it must either be made from pasteurized milk or be cured for not less than 60 days at a temperature not lower than 35° F.; that it must contain not less than 1½ ounces of spice per 100 pounds of cheese; and that if it is made from whole milk it must contain not less than 50 percent of fat in the solids, and if it is made from partly skimmed milk not less than 20 percent of fat in the solids.

Spitzkäse

Spitzkäse is a small spiced cheese made in Germany from cow's skim milk. It is a Limburger-type cheese similar to Backsteiner and is made in much the same way as Backsteiner except that caraway seed is added to the curd. It is made in two shapes: Rectangular, measuring 1½ by 1 1/5 by 4 inches in size; and irregularly cylindrical, about 1½ inches in diameter and 4 inches long.

Stangenkäse

Stangenkäse, which is a Limburger-type cheese similar to Backsteiner, is made in Germany from partly skimmed cow's milk. It is about 8 inches long, 2¾ binches wide, and 2⅛ inches thick, and weighs about 1¾ pounds.

Analysis: Fat in the solids, 25 to 40 percent.

Steinbuscher

Steinbuscher, made first in 1860 in Steinbusch, Brandenburg, Germany, is a soft cheese similar to Romadur. The cheeses are about 5 inches square and 2 inches thick. They have a yellow surface, and the interior has a buttery consistency.

The milk, which must be fresh and of high quality, may be partly skimmed but should contain at least 3 percent of fat. It is warmed to a temperature of 86° to 90° F., and cheese color and rennet are added. After a coagulation period of 30 minutes, the curd is cut into cubes about 4 inches in diameter, then stirred and subdivided with a scoop. The curd is warmed gradually to a temperature of 95° and stirring and cutting are continued until the curd particles are the size of cherries. Then the curd is transferred to forms similar to those used in making Limburger. About 2 hours later, the forms of curd are turned, and they are turned again in 6 hours and again in 10 hours. Then the cheeses are removed from the forms and salted on the surface. They are kept in a drying room for a few days; and then are placed in a humid curing room where they are cured for about 8 weeks in summer and 10 weeks in winter at a temperature not higher than 58°. A layer of white mold forms on the surface of the cheeses during the first 2 weeks. They are washed with salty water and turned frequently, and when the growth of surface mold is sufficient they are rubbed dry and wrapped in parchment.

Steppe

Steppe cheese, first made in Russia by German colonists, is made also in Austria, Denmark, and Germany. It is made in two shapes: (1) Flattened spheres, usually 10 to 12 inches or more in diameter and 4 to 6 inches thick, that weigh from 14 to 25 pounds; and (2) rectangular blocks, about 10 by 5½ by 7 inches, that weigh about 13 pounds. It is a rich, mellow cheese, with a flavor something like Tilsiter, but milder. This cheese usually has small, regular eyes.

Steppe is made from whole milk with color added. The milk is heated to about 90° F., and rennet is added. About 40 to 45 minutes later, the curd is cut into large cubes and some of the whey is removed; then the curd is cut into pieces the size of peas. It is stirred and heated to a temperature of 100° to 104°; after heating ceases, stirring is continued, as the whey drains off, until the curd is firm. Then it is placed in the forms. After the cheeses are removed from the forms, they are turned frequently, salted, and then transferred to a moist curing cellar where they are cured at a temperature of about 55°. They are washed occasionally with salty water while curing.

Stilton

Stilton, considered by many people to be the finest English cheese, is a hard, mild, blue-veined, cow's-milk cheese. It was first made about 1750 in Leicestershire but acquired its name and excellent reputation when it was made and served at Stilton, in Huntingdonshire. It is now made also in other parts of England. High-quality cheese of this type is also made in the United States.

Stilton, which is one of the mold-ripened group of blue-veined cheeses that includes French Roquefort and Italian Gorgonzola, is rich and mellow and has a piquant flavor; however, it is milder than either Roquefort or Gorgonzola. Its distinguishing characteristics are the narrow blue-green veins of mold throughout the curd and the wrinkled, melon-like rind that results from the drying of molds and bacteria that grow on the surface. The open and flaky texture of the curd in Stilton cheese provides conditions suitable for mold growth, so holes are not usually punched in the cheese as in Roquefort and Gorgonzola. At one time the desirable open, flaky texture was obtained by preparing curd in the evening and in the morning and mixing the two curds together. Some dairies still make the cheese twice a day, but the curds are not mixed.

The cheeses usually measure about 8 inches in diameter and from 8 to 12 inches thick, and they weigh from 12 to 15 pounds. However, in some localities, smaller cheeses weighing about 10 pounds and also larger cheeses Weighing 16 to 18 pounds are made.

Originally cream was added to the whole milk used in making Stilton, usually cream from one milking being added to whole milk of the next. However, it is now common practice to make "single-cream" Stilton rather than the so-called "double-cream" type. Usually the milk is ripened slightly; if not, a small quantity of lactic starter is added. The temperature in the manufacturing room is maintained at about 65° to 68° F. The milk is warmed to about 85° and enough rennet is added so the curd will be firm enough to dip in about 80 minutes.

The curd is broken carefully, and about 10 minutes later it is dipped in thin slices into cloth-lined draining tins where it remains in the whey for about an hour and a half. Then the whey is drained off, and the cloths are tightened frequently around the curd to aid in draining the whey more completely. Sometimes the curd is removed from the cloths and cut into cubes, and the cubes are turned frequently as the curd develops the desired acidity and firmness. When the curd has drained and matted sufficiently, it is broken into coarse pieces and salted at the rate of 1 pound to 60 pounds of curd. Then it is put into tinned, perforated metal hoops, 8 inches in diameter and 10 inches or more deep. The hoops of cheese rest on cloth-covered drain boards and are turned frequently the first day and then daily for 6 or 7 days. Then the cheeses are removed from the hoops, scraped to smooth the surface, bandaged tightly, and they may be replaced in the hoops. This process is repeated one or more times, until the cheeses are sufficiently firm, at which time the bandaged cheeses are moved to a cool, ventilated room. They are kept in this room until a moldy coating forms on the surface, usually about 2 weeks; then the bandages are removed and the cheeses are transferred to clean shelves in a cool, moist curing room. The mold, said to be Penicillium roqueforti, gradually develops in the curd. The cheeses are kept clean and are turned frequently. The usual curing period is 4 to 6 months, but the cheeses may be wrapped and shipped earlier.

Analysis: Moisture, 33.5 to 35 percent; fat, 32 to 34 percent; protein, 23 to 33 percent; and salt, 1.5 percent.

Stracchino

Stracchino is a generic name applied to several types of whole-milk cheeses made in Italy. The best known is Stracchino di Gorgonzola. Others are Stracchino di Milano (also known as Fresco and Quardo), Stracchino Quartirolo, Stracchino Crescenza, and Stracchino Salame or Formaggio Salame. These are described under their specific names.

Analysis: Moisture, 47.5 percent; fat, 26.4 percent; and protein, 22.1 percent.

Styria

Styria cheese is a cow's whole-milk, cylindrical cheese made in the Province of Styria, Austria.

Surati

Surati (or Panir) cheese, which is made from buffalo's milk, is perhaps the best known of the few varieties of cheese made in India. It is named for the town of Surat in the Gujarat district, Bombay Province. The cheese is uncolored and is characterized by the fact that it is kept in whey while it cures and is transported in whey in large earthen containers. It is supposed to have therapeutic properties.

The making process is simple. Lactic starter is added to fresh, whole milk (preferably pasteurized), and rennet is added at a temperature of about 95° F. An hour later the curd is ladled in thin slices into small, clean bamboo baskets that are dressed on the inside with salt. Additional salt is mixed with the curd. The baskets of curd are placed on a draining rack to drain (and shrink) for about an hour, and the cheeses are inverted in the baskets. The whey that drains from the cheeses is strained, and the cheeses are removed from the baskets and ripened by floating them in the whey, at a temperature of 75° to 80°, for 12 to 36 hours. Then they are ready for consumption or shipment. Each cheese weighs about 4 ounces. About 38 pounds of cheese is obtained from 100 pounds of buffalo's milk containing 6 percent of fat.

Sveciaost

Sveciaost is a Swedish cow's-milk cheese, made principally for domestic consumption. It is simpler to make and cure than other Swedish cheeses and often is made when conditions are not just right for making other cheese. It is made from whole, partly skimmed, or skim milk that usually has developed more or less acidity, and there is considerable variation in the composition of the cheese.

Sveciaost is made in much the same way as Gouda, and the cheese resembles Gouda except that it has a more open texture. The curd is cut to about the size of the common bean and is firmed considerably in the vat, the development of acidity is relatively rapid, the drained curd is stirred to prevent matting, sometimes spices are added, and the curd is salted before it is hooped and pressed. When the cheeses are removed from the press, they may be immersed in salt brine at a temperature not over 59° F. for 3 or 4 hours, to harden the rind. The cheeses are cured for several days at a temperature of 59° to 65°, then finally at 50° to 59°. The cheeses are flat, about 15 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches thick, and they weigh 26 to 33 pounds. About 9½ pounds of cheese is obtained per 100 pounds of partly skimmed milk.

Analysis: Sveciaost made from partly skimmed milk—moisture, 42 to 43 percent; fat, 26.5 percent; protein, 25.5 percent; and salt, 1.5 percent.

Sweet-curd

Sweet-curd cheese in the United States refers to cheese made by the usual Cheddar process, except that the milk is not ripened and the curd is cut, heated, and drained rather quickly, without waiting for the development of acidity, and the curd is not milled. In other respects, the process is similar to the Cheddar process, and the cured cheese is much like Cheddar cheese but usually contains more moisture and the curd is not so compact. Such varieties as Brick, Minster, Edam, and Gouda are also Sweet-curd cheeses.

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