Cheese is one of the happiest accidents of food history. It is delicious and a piece of goodness when it comes into your mouth and gives you the heavenly treat. It is melting and gooey extravagance that amalgamates with anything.
Cheese is a dairy product and is made from milk usually of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. Natural cheese is made with milk, salt, a starter culture, and an enzyme called rennet. When you mix these milk, salt, and live microbial cultures including rennet together, the rennet immediately curdles the milk. Simply drain off the curdled milk and pack it together with the curds.
The making of cheese has been started from milk, but the milk comes from different animals give them a distinct flavor. Cow milk is the mildest, with a creamy, sweet flavor that gives the subtle base. Sheep milk has a mild grassy flavor with a tangier backbone and less buttery sweetness. So different animals have distinct flavors which varied the flavor of cheese also.
There are different kinds of cheeses are made in different regions all over the world and there are so many variants of them. There are several cheese-making techniques. There are also different cheeses such as taste, color, aroma, flavor, texture, softness, mold content, and their shelf life.
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As cheeses contain a few key nutrients, including calcium, which leads to better bone health. It may help to prevent cavities. It may help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. It speeds up the metabolism and possibly reduces the risk of obesity. Because cheese contains healthy nutrients plus saturated fat and sodium so it is difficult to classify it as good or bad.
Types Of Cheese
MOZZARELLA
Mozzarella is one of the best-known cheeses in the world. It is originated in Italy and traditionally made from buffalo milk. It comes in two varieties: fresh and dried. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but it may vary seasonally to slightly yellow. It is consumed fresh within few hours of being made from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk. It is quite versatile and can be used in making salads, pizzas, meat, and vegetable recipes.
FETA
Feta is a famous Greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk. Feta has a unique taste, and it is very soft and creamy with a salty and tangy taste which can be reduced by washing. It is used in various greek dishes such as Greek salad and spanakopita. It can also be used in pizzas and pies. It tastes wonderful when served with olive oil, roasted peppers, and nuts. It can be paired with beer as well as certain wines.
GOUDA
Gouda is a Dutch cheese from the town of Gouda in the Southern Netherlands. It is a rich flavorful and semi-hard cheese that is made from cow’s milk, but sometimes goat’s milk to manufacture cheeses. It has an interesting taste, texture, and flavor which may vary a lot. The different varieties of Gouda are classified based on their age. It may be served sliced, cubed or melted, and can be used as a table cheese or dessert cheese.
CHEDDAR
Cheddar is a hard /firm cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. In the olden days, it was produced only in England. It has a crumbly texture when it is young but is still largely smooth. As it ages, its texture gets sharper. It has a pale yellow color and has drum shape. Chaddar can range from mild flavor to sharp and powerful cheese. It is possibly the world’s recognizable cheese.
COTTAGE CHEESE
It is very different from most other varieties, somewhat similar to ricotta. It is acidifying curds from milk with a bacterial starter culture. It has a high nutritional profile and very different from other types of cheeses. It has a very low-fat content and lowers calories. It is used in a wide variety of food like toast, fruits, granola, salads, as a dip and you can replace it with mayonnaise. It is popular, especially in the UK and United States.
PARMESAN
Parmesan is one of the most commonly eaten cheeses in the world. It has a hard, crumbly texture and a fruity, nutty flavor. It is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk and is pale yellow. While it can be eaten on its own, it is also widely used in a grated form over soups, risottos, pizzas, pasta, and other snacks. Its creation was inspired by the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Parma, Italy.
BRIE
Brie is a soft and creamy cheese from the region of Brie in Northern France. It is a delicious soft center surrounded by a slightly chey rind. Brie is much milder and creamier in flavor. Before fermentation cream is added and then smaller amounts of bacterial culture are added to Brie giving it a lighter flavor. It is the most popular cheeses in the world and it is paired well with ham, fruits, and wine.
GRUYERE
It is made from cow’s milk and named after a Swiss village. It has a hard texture is pitted with holes and has a brownish rind. It has a fruity flavor initially, only for an earthy and nutty taste to take over later. It is slightly grainy as well as dense. Gruyere is often used in salads, pasta, soups and served with bread. It pairs well with beer as well as white wines. It is one the best type of cheeses you can eat and the older ones are particularly delicious.
RICOTTA
Ricotta is a soft fresh Italian cheese made from whey. This has a mild, slightly sweet, and creamy texture and it is one of the most popular types of cheeses in the world. It has excellent nutritional benefits. It has lower in calories and an excellent source of protein. Low-fat versions of ricotta are also available and they are very popular among athletes and bodybuilders due to protein density.
BLUE CHEESE
It is one of the famous cheeses among the all. It carries a distinct smell, as it was cultivated from bacteria. It has a sharp and salty flavor. It is made from cow’s milk and kept for three to six months of ripening. It has soft and creamy or crumbly in texture, with a characteristically sharp, piquant flavor. It can be used as a spread, crumbled or melted over foods.