Nieheimer
Nieheimer, a sour-milk cheese, is named for the city of Nieheim in the Province of Westphalia, Prussia, where it is made. Like Hop cheese, which it resembles, it is packed with hops for curing. Although the two cheeses are not identical, Nieheimer is known as Hop cheese in some localities.
The sour milk is heated to a temperature between 100° and 120° F. The curd is collected in a cloth, and the whey is drained from it for a 24-hour period. Then the curd is worked until it is mellow, after which it is shaped into cakes. The cakes of curd are ripened in a cellar for 5 to 8 days, during which time they are turned frequently. When they have ripened sufficiently, they are broken up, and salt, caraway seed, and sometimes beer or milk, are added. The mixture is molded into small cheeses, shaped like flattened spheres, that weigh about 4 ounces. The cheeses are covered lightly with straw, and when they are sufficiently dry they are packed in casks with hops to ripen.
Noekkelost
Noekkelost (or Nögelost ), which is a Norwegian spiced cheese, is similar to other spiced cheeses such as Kuminost and Dutch Leyden. Cumin seed, cloves, and sometimes caraway seed are the spices used. In Norway, Noekkelost usually is made from partly skimmed milk; in the United States, it may be made from either whole or partly skimmed milk. In the United States, Noekkelost usually is made in a loaf that weighs between 5 and 7 pounds, and it may be coated with paraffin or wax. Imported Noekkelost may be this shape and size, but the cheeses usually are cylindrical and weigh about 18 pounds although some cheeses weigh as much as 32 pounds.
Analysis: Imported—Moisture, usually not more than 45 percent; fat in the solids, usually about 30 percent and not less than 20 percent. Domestic, whole-milk—Fat in the solids, not less than 50 percent. Domestic, part-skim—Fat in the solids, not less than 20 percent.
Nostrale
Nostrale is the local name for two kinds of cheese made from cow's milk in the mountainous region of northwestern Italy. One kind is a hard cheese (Formaggio Duro) that is made in the spring while the herds are still in the valleys; the other is a soft cheese (Formaggio Tenero) that is made in the summer when the herds are pastured in the mountains. The cheese is said to be a very old variety, and the methods of manufacture have remained primitive. A cheese called Raschera, which is made in the region of Mondovi, Italy, is probably the same as Nostrale.
Oka
Oka cheese, made in the Trappist monastery at Oka, Canada, is a type of Trappist or Port du Salut cheese.
Old Heidelberg
Old Heidelberg, a soft, surface-ripened cheese, is made in Illinois. It is said to be very much like Liederkranz.
Olivet
Olivet, a soft, cow's-milk cheese, undoubtedly is named for Olivet, in the Department of Loiret, France, the center of manufacture.
There are three types of Olivet: (1) Unripened, made from whole milk, sometimes with cream added. This is consumed as fresh, summer, white, or cream cheese. (2) Half-ripened or blue, made from whole or partly skimmed milk. This is the most common type. (3) Ripened, also made from whole or partly skimmed milk.
The curd is made by a process similar to that used in making Camembert. Rennet is added to the milk, and after a coagulation period of about 2 hours the curd is transferred to a container that is perforated on the sides and bottom to facilitate drainage of the whey. About 24 hours later, the curd is put into forms, and pressed. The cheeses are turned and salted the next day, and they are then ready for consumption as unripened (fresh) cheese.
If half-ripened (blue) Olivet is being made, on the day following salting, the cheeses are placed on straw-covered shelves in the first curing room, which is maintained at a temperature of about 65° F. A reddish tint appears on the surface in a few days, and this is soon followed by a bluish tint. The blue color appears in from 10 to 15 days in summer and in about a month in winter. It is a sign of maturity, and the cheeses then are ready for consumption as half-ripened (blue) cheese. When cared for properly, this type keeps for several months.
If ripened Olivet is being made, when the blue color appears the cheeses are transferred to a second curing room where ripening is continued for an additional 15 to 30 days. Sometimes they are covered with ashes, which is believed to hasten the ripening process.
Analysis (cheese made from milk with cream added): Moisture, 28.4 percent; fat, 48.2 percent; and protein, 14.0 percent.
Olmützer Quargel
Olmützer Quargel, a sour-milk spiced Hand cheese made in western Austria and Bohemia, is similar to Mainzer Hand cheese (Mainzer Handkäse). It contains caraway seed. The cheeses are about 1½ inches in diameter and ⅓ of an inch thick. They are formed, dried, then soaked for a short time in salty whey. Then they are packed in kegs and cured for 8 to 10 weeks.
Analysis: Moisture, 44 to 52 percent; fat, 3.5 to 8 percent; protein, 38 to 41 percent; and salt, 5 percent.
Oschtjepek
Oschtjepek (or Oschtjepka) is a plastic-curd cheese made from ewe's milk in Slovakia. It is said to be made in the same way as the Italian Caciocavallo.
Ossetin
Ossetin cheese, also called Tuschinsk and Kasach, is made in the Caucasus from either ewe's or cow's milk. However, Ossetin made from ewe's milk is considered to be better cheese than that made from cow's milk. Enough rennet is added to fresh, warm milk to coagulate it quickly. The curd is broken up by hand and cooked until it is firm; then it is kneaded while the whey drains off. It 'is put into round forms and sprinkled with salt. After 2 days, it is placed in brine for 2 months to a year or more. The cheese will be softer and milder if it is left in the brine for only 2 months.
Ovcji Sir
Ovcji Sir cheese is made in the Slovenian Alps from ewe's milk. Evening and morning milk are mixed in a kettle that holds about 110 pounds, and warmed to a temperature between 86° and 95° F. over an open fire. Enough rennet is added to coagulate the milk in about 30 minutes. The curd is broken up, heated to 122°, drained for an hour in a rack, and then placed in a wooden hoop. Salt is rubbed on the surface of the cheese daily for a week. It is cured for about 3 months in a cool, moist cellar. When cured, a cheese weighs between 6 and 10 pounds.
Paglia
Paglia is a Gorgonzola-type cheese made in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is circular, about 8 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick. Enough rennet is added to the milk at a temperature of 100° F. to curdle it in 15 minutes. The curd is cut or broken up, stirred, drained, and put in hoops. When it is sufficiently dry, the cheese is taken to a cool, moist cellar and placed on straw to ripen. The fermentation (ripening) usually is rapid and intense. It is controlled to some extent by salting the cheese; salting is continued for about a month. The cheese has a rather soft, mellow body and a pleasing aromatic flavor.
Pago
Pago cheese is made from ewe's milk on the Island of Pag (Italian, Pago), in Yugoslavia. It weighs between ½ and 8 pounds.
Pannarone
Pannarone cheese, also known as Stracchino di Gorgonzola bianco and Gorgonzola dolce, is a fast-ripening Gorgonzola-type cheese with white curd but without blue veining. It is made in much the same way as Gorgonzola except that Pannarone undergoes rapid fermentation for 7 or 8 days at a temperature of 77° to 82° F. before it is placed in the cold room. It is said to be unsalted, and the curing period is only 15 to 30 days. Each cheese weighs between 17 and 22 pounds.
Parenica
Parenica, or Parenitza, is a ewe's-milk, Caciocavallo-type cheese made in Hungary and Slovakia.
Parmesan
Parmesan is the name in common use outside of Italy, and sometimes in Italy, for a group of very hard cheeses that have been made and known in that country for centuries as Grana. Included in the group are Parmigiano, Reggiano, Lodigiano, Lombardy, Emiliano, Veneto or Venezza, and Bagozzo or Bresciano. They differ in size and shape and in the extent to which the milk is skimmed, and there are slight differences in the methods of manufacture. This type of cheese was first made in the vicinity of Parma, in Emilia, hence the name; its manufacture has spread to other parts of Italy and to other countries. It is made mostly from April to November. Following is a general description of the process of making Parmesan-type cheese:
Cow's milk, which is skimmed more or less in different localities and in different seasons, is warmed to a temperature between 90° and 98° F., in copper kettles that hold as much as 1,600 pounds, and a starter containing heat-resistant lactobacilli and Streptococcus thermophilus is added. Cheese color may be added. Enough rennet extract, diluted in water, is added to produce curd firm enough to cut in 20 to 30 minutes. Then the curd is cut with a so-called cheese harp; cutting and stirring are continued until the particles of curd are ⅛ to 3/16 inch in diameter and are uniform in size. The curd is heated in 35 to 50 minutes, with stirring, to a temperature of 115° to 125°, or as high as 130° if necessary to firm the curd sufficiently.
When the curd is sufficiently firm, stirring is discontinued and the curd is allowed to settle for about 10 minutes. It may be pressed in the bottom of the kettle with a curd presser, then lifted with a scoop as a cloth is placed under it; or it may be dipped into a cloth like that used in dipping Swiss. The curd in the cloth is lifted and hung up to drain for 20 to 40 minutes; then it is placed in a hoop on a drain table. The hoop is 18 or more inches in diameter and up to 10 inches deep. The cloth is folded over the curd; a circular board is placed on top, and pressure is applied. The cloth is changed and the cheese is turned four or five times, frequently at first and then at longer intervals; then the cloth is removed and the pressure is increased. The cheese remains under pressure in the hoop for 18 to 20 hours. It is then taken to the salting room, which is maintained at a temperature of 60° to 65° F., where it may be left in the hoop for about 3 days. Then it is removed from the hoop and salted in brine for 12 or 15 days, or as long as 20 days, depending on the size of the cheese. It is dried for 8 to 10 days, usually on shelves but sometimes in the sun.
It is cured on shelves for about a year (the first stage of curing) in a room which usually is a few degrees cooler than the salting room and which has a relative humidity of 80 to 85 percent. The cheese is turned frequently and is kept clean by washing and scraping; it is rubbed with oil from time to time, and dark coloring may be rubbed on the surface. In the second stage of curing, it usually is held by dealers in large curing rooms, at a temperature of 54° to 60° F. and a relative humidity as high as 90 percent. It may be coated with a mixture of burnt umber, lamp black, and dextrin, dispersed in wine or grapeseed oil.
The yield of cheese cured for 4 months is 5 to 6 pounds per 100 pounds of partly skimmed milk.
Fully cured Parmesan is very hard but keeps almost indefinitely. It can be grated easily, and is used as grated cheese on salads and soups, and with macaroni. Considerable quantities are imported into the United States for use as grated cheese. However, successful domestic production, largely in Wisconsin and Michigan, is displacing the imported product to some extent. In the United States, Parmesan is cured for at least 14 months.
Analysis: Moisture, 30 percent (not more than 32 percent); fat, 28 percent (not less than 32 percent in the solids).
Parmigiano
Parmigiano, which is about the same as Reggiano, is one of the sub-varieties of Grana (commonly called Parmesan), the hard Italian cheeses used for grating. It is made in Parma (hence the name Parmigiano), Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua, and Bologna, usually between April and November. The cheeses usually are from 12½ to 18 inches in diameter, from 7 to 9 inches thick, and they weigh between 48 and 80 pounds. The surface of the cheese is colored dark and coated with oil; the interior is the color of straw. The cheese may have no eyes or it may contain a few small eyes. It is cured for 1 to 2 years or longer.
Analysis: Moisture, 27 to 32 percent at 2 years; 18 to 27 percent at 3 years; fat in the solids, 32 to 38 percent; salt, 2.4 to 3 percent.
Pasta Filata
Pasta Filata (plastic curd) are Italian cheeses characterized by the fact that, after the whey is drained off, the curd is immersed in hot water or hot whey and is worked, stretched, and molded while it is in a plastic condition. The principal varieties of pasta filata cheeses are: Hard cheeses—Caciocavallo, Provolone, and Provolette; soft, moist cheeses—Mozzarella, Provole, Scamorze, and Provatura. There are numerous others. A description of each is given under its specific name.
Patagras
Patagras is a hard cheese made in Cuba from pasteurized, whole or slightly skimmed cow's milk. Gouda and Patagras are almost identical and are made by a similar process. Patagras is shaped like Gouda, weighs from 7 to 9 pounds, is coated with red wax, and usually is wrapped in a cellophane-type wrapper. It is considered one of the best Cuban cheeses.
Analysis: Moisture, 40.3 percent; fat, 26.0 percent; and salt, 3.0 percent.
Pecorino
Pecorino (Formaggio Pecorino) are Italian cheeses that are made from ewe's milk. There are numerous more or less clearly defined kinds. The most common is Pecorino Romano. (Romano made from cow's milk is called Vacchino Romano; and from goat's milk, Caprino Romano.)
Although Pecorino Romano was first made in Italy, it has been made in Sardinia since 1920, where it is known as Sardo, Sardo Romano, and Pecorino Sardo. More than 60 percent of the total output is now made in Sardinia.
A type known as Pecorino Dolce is colored artificially with annatto, and the curd is subjected to considerable pressure after it is placed in the forms. Pecorino Tuscano is a smaller cheese than Romano; it usually is about 6 inches in diameter and 2 to 4 inches thick, and weighs between 2 and 5 pounds. Some local names for other Pecorino cheeses are: Ancona, Cotrone, Iglesias, Leonessa, Puglia, and Viterbo. The milk used in making Viterbo is curdled with rennet obtained from the wild artichoke, Cynara scolymus.
Pecorino Urbina and Pecorino Grosseto, which are very much alike, are other Italian ewe's-milk cheeses. They are small, soft, mild cheeses.
Peneteleu
Peneteleu cheese is made in Rumania by the general process used in making Italian Caciocavallo and Rumanian Kaskaval.
Analysis: Moisture, 27.4 percent; fat, 20.1 percent; protein, 45.6 percent; and salt, 1.9 percent.
Pepato
Pepato or Siciliao Pepato is a Romano-type, spiced cheese made in Sicily and southern Italy. Sometimes the curd is packed and cured in layers, with pepper between the layers, and sometimes the pepper is mixed with the curd in the vat. Some cheese of this type is made also in northern Michigan.
Petit Suisse
Petit Suisse is a small, rich, unripened cheese made in France. It is similar to Carré, but contains more fat. It is made from fresh milk with cream added, and is not salted. It is cylindrical and flat and is made in two sizes: one about 1⅔ inches in diameter and 2 inches thick, the other 1¼ inches in diameter and 1⅔ inches thick.
Analysis: Moisture, 54.6 percent; fat, 35.0 percent (77.1 percent in the solids); and protein, 7.3 percent.
Pfister
Pfister cheese is named for Pfister Huber, a Swiss who is supposed to have originated it. It is classed in the same group as Swiss cheese although the method of making differs considerably.
Cow's fresh, skim milk is set with rennet at a temperature of 85° F., and this temperature is maintained until the curd is hooped. After a coagulation period of 30 minutes the curd is cut coarsely, and when the curd settles some of the whey is removed. Then the curd is stirred for 5 minutes, after which it is left undisturbed for another 5 minutes, while it settles again, before it is collected in a cloth and pressed in hoops for a day. The hoops of curd are redressed and turned occasionally. The next day the cheeses are removed from the hoops, salted in a brine tank for about 3 days, and then transferred to a moist room to cure for about 6 weeks. They are cleaned and salted frequently while curing. The cheeses, which weigh about 50 pounds, are shaped like small wheels of Swiss cheese.
Pickled
Pickled cheese is the term used to describe a group of cheeses to which considerable salt is added in order to prolong their keeping quality. They usually are soft cheeses with a white curd and are made in warm climates, principally in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The salt may be added either to the milk or to the curd, or the cheese may be packed in either salt brine or dry salt. Included in the group are: Domiati and Kareish, which are made in Egypt; Feta, made in Greece; and Teleme, made in Bulgaria, Greece, Rumania (where it is called Brãndza de Braila), and Turkey. A description of each of these is included under its specific name.
Pie
Pie cheese is any cheese, such as Bakers' or Cottage cheese, which is used in making cheese pie, cheese cake, or other bakery goods. Usually Bakers' cheese is used; however, in making cheese rolls, some bakers use well-aged American cheese or a mixture of American and Bakers' cheese.
Pimento
Pimento cheese is any cheese to which ground pimentos have been added. Pimentos are added most often to cheese spreads and to Neufchâtel cheese and Cream cheese; sometimes to Club cheese and Cottage cheese; and occasionally to hard cheese of the Cheddar type.
Pineapple
Pineapple cheese is supposed to have been first made about 1845 in Litchfield County, Conn. It derives its name from its shape and the diagonal corrugations on its surface that resemble the scales of a pineapple.
The curd is prepared as in making Cheddar or Granular or Stirred-curd cheese except that it is heated until it is firmer. The curd is pressed in pineapple-shaped forms of various sizes, to make cheeses weighing up to 6 pounds. After the cheeses are pressed, they are immersed in hot water (120° F.) for a few minutes; then each is hung up in a small, loose-meshed net to dry and cure.
The cheeses are cured for several months. While curing, they are kept clean and are rubbed with oil several times; they may be shellacked to give the surface a hard, shiny, varnish-like finish.
Analysis: Moisture, 12 to 30 percent; fat, 33 to 45 percent; protein, 27 to 35 percent; and salt, 2 to 3 percent.
Piora
Piora, made in the Canton of Tessin in the Swiss Alps, is a hard cheese with small eyes, similar to Tilsiter. It is made from whole milk, either cow's milk or a mixture of cow's and goat's milk. It is round -and flat, usually 12 to •6 inches in diameter, 3 to 4½ inches thick, and 18 to 35 pounds in weight.
A mixture of evening and morning milk is warmed to a temperature of about 92° F. in round kettles, and a starter usually is added. Rennet is added, and about 40 minutes later the curd is cut. The curd is stirred slowly with a harp or curd breaker, steadily for 10 to 15 minutes; then at intervals for about 20 minutes; then steadily for 35 to 45 minutes while it is being warmed gradually to a temperature of 118° to 125°, and stirring is continued for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the curd is firm enough to dip.
The curd is transferred to wooden hoops and pressed in Swiss-type presses for about 12 hours, after which the cheeses are removed from the presses and salted in a salt tank for a day. They are cured on shelves in a curing room at a temperature usually between 50° and 55° F. and a relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent, for 3 to 6 months. They are washed, rubbed with dry cloths, and turned frequently while curing. About 10½ pounds of unripened cheese is obtained per 100 pounds of whole milk.
Analysis: Moisture, 43.2 percent; fat, 29.0 percent; and salt, 1.5 percent.
Pont l'Évêque
Pont l'Évêque, a soft cheese similar to Romadur, is manufactured in the vicinity of Pont l'Évêque, in the Department of Calvados (Normandy), France. It is mold-ripened like Camembert, but there are differences in the making process and also in the finished cheese. In making Pont l'Évêque, the milk is set at a higher temperature; the coagulation, draining, and curing periods are shorter; the cheeses are washed while curing; and there is less development of surface mold. When cured, Pont l'Évêque has a firmer body and is a yellower color.
St. Rémy cheese, which is made in the Department of Haute-Saône, France, is very much like Pont l'Évêque; and Brioler, Steinbuscher, and Woriener are German cheeses that are similar to Pont l'Evêque but milder.
Pont l'Évêque is made usually from cow's milk, either whole or slightly skimmed; preferably the milk should contain at least 3.7 percent of fat. Usually cheese color and lactic starter are added to the milk, which is warmed to a temperature of 90° to 95° F. Enough rennet is added so the curd will be ready to cut in 35 to 40 minutes. After the curd is cut and has settled, it is transferred to a cloth, which is spread on a drain rack, and it is covered to retard cooling. When the whey has drained off and the curd is sufficiently firm, it is put into square, perforated, metal forms, which rest on straw mats on a drain board. The forms of curd are turned and the mats are changed every 5 minutes for the first half hour, and 5 or 6 times more during the first day, and then less frequently. At the end of the second or third day, the cheeses are removed from the forms and salted on the surface with fine, dry salt. Then they are placed in a well-ventilated room to dry.
After several days in the drying room, the cheeses will be sufficiently dry to transfer to shelves in the curing room. However, in some factories the cheeses are packed dose together in a large wooden box and covered with a damp cloth before drying is completed, and they are kept in the box in the curing room for a few days to favor the development of surface mold. Then they are placed on the shelves. The curing room is maintained at a temperature of 55° F. and a relative humidity of 80 to 85 percent. Successful manufacture of Pont l'Évêque depends largely on careful regulation of the temperature and humidity in the curing room. The cheeses are cured for 3 to 6 weeks. They are turned daily while curing and are washed occasionally with salty water. A normal growth of grayish-white mold soon covers the surface, but it is not permitted to develop as much as on Camembert.
The cheeses are about 4¼ inches square and 1¼ to 1½ inches thick and weigh about 12 ounces. When cured, they are wrapped in wax paper or parchment. Between 11½ and 12 pounds of cured cheese is obtained from 100 pounds of cow's milk.
Analysis: Moisture, 45 to 50 percent; fat, 25.3 to 28 percent; protein, 18.2 to 22 percent; and salt, 2 percent.
Poona
Poona, a whole-milk, surface-ripened, soft cheese, was first publicized widely in 1949. It is said to have been made originally in New York State. The connotation of the name is unknown. Poona is round and flat, about 4 inches in diameter and 1¾ inches thick, and weighs about a pound. It has an aroma like that of mild Limburger and has a reddish smear on the surface. It is cured for 6 weeks. During the curing period, it is rubbed daily to control surface ripening and to produce some firmness of the rind.
Port du Salut
Port du Salut (or Port Salut) cheese was first made about 1865 by Trappist Monks at the Abbey at Port du Salut, which is near Laval in the Department of Mayenne, France. Its manufacture has spread to abbeys in various parts of Europe, especially Austria, Czechoslovakia, and southern Germany, and also to Canada and to the United States, where it is made in at least one monastery in Kentucky. The Trappists have kept the exact process secret, but similar cheese is made outside the monasteries in central and southern Europe. In France, cheese of this type made outside the monasteries is called St. Paulin.
The curd of Port du Salut cheese is compact and elastic, similar to Pont l'Évêque; the flavor is similar to Gouda; and in some instances the aroma is like very mild Limburger. The cheeses are cylindrical and flat. In France, they usually are 10 inches in diameter, nearly 2 inches thick, and weigh about 5 pounds; in Austria (and Kentucky), they are about 7 inches in diameter, 2 inches thick, and weigh nearly 3 pounds.
The details of the making process differ in different localities, but in general are as follows:
Usually the cheese is made from cow's milk. Although the milk may be partly skimmed, it is recommended that it contain not less than 3.5 percent of fat. The milk is ripened slightly; or, if fresh milk is used, lactic starter is added. Cheese color may be added. Rennet is added to the milk at a temperature between 82° and 95° F. The coagulation period varies from 35 or 40 minutes to 60 or 80 minutes; it is longer if fresh milk rather than ripened milk is used, if rennet is added at a relatively low setting temperature, or if the curd is to be heated later.
The curd is cut carefully and stirred in much the same way as Swiss-cheese curd. Cutting and stirring is continued for 20 to 30 minutes. When the curd particles are cut to ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter, part of the whey is removed, and sometimes the curd is heated, with stirring, to a temperature between 96° and 105° F., the final temperature depending on the acidity of the milk. Then, after the curd settles, much of the whey is removed.
The curd is stirred vigorously and then transferred rapidly to perforated, cloth-lined metal forms, which are either 7 or 10 inches in diameter and about 3 inches deep, and which rest on small drain boards. The curd is heaped high in the forms and weighted with a disk. The curd remains in the forms for 10 to 12 hours. The cheeses are turned and the cloths are changed every 20 minutes the first hour and less frequently thereafter. Then the cheeses are removed from the forms, dried for about 20 hours, and salted. Usually they are rubbed with dry salt and then placed in a salt bath for a day. They are cured in a cellar on clean shelves for 6 to 8 weeks. Some authorities recommend curing at a temperature of 55° F.; others recommend as high as 65°. Some recommend a relative humidity of 85 or 90 percent, others suggest a relatively dry room. At regular intervals during the curing period, the cheeses are washed with salty water, wiped nearly dry, and turned. They are wrapped in parchment and packed in boxes for marketing. These cheeses may be marketed before they are fully cured. Usually between 7 and 8 pounds of cured cheese is obtained from 100 pounds of cow's milk, but the yield may be as high as 9.5 pounds.
Analysis: Moisture, 40 to 46 percent; fat, 25 to 30 percent; and salt, 1.3 to 2.5 percent.
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