Cheese- a food product obtained from raw milk using milk-clotting enzymes and lactic acid bacteria or by melting various dairy products and raw materials of non-dairy origin using melting salts.
Etymology
The Russian word "cheese" through other Russian. cheese goes back to Praslav. *surъ, which is a substantivized adjective meaning “raw”. Same root as Old Prussian. suris "cheese", Old Norse súrr “leaven”, Old German. sûr “sour”, as well as raw, whey (a modern form of the metathetic character of the Proto-Slavic *surowatъka), harsh. Cheese is initially “sour milk”, then “cottage cheese” and “cheese”.
The nutritional value
Cheeses are distinguished by their high content of proteins (up to 25%), milk fat (up to 60%) and minerals (up to 3.5%, not counting table salt). Cheese proteins are better absorbed by the body than milk proteins. The extractive substances of cheeses have a beneficial effect on the digestive glands and stimulate appetite. The nutrients contained in cheese are absorbed by the body almost completely (98-99%). Cheeses contain vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B12, PP, C, pantothenic acid and others. Depending on the fat and protein content, the energy value of cheese varies significantly. Cheese is like a concentrate of milk: proteins, fats, minerals are contained in it in approximately the same proportions, it contains a high content of calcium and phosphorus, which are in the cheese in an optimally balanced ratio.
Classification
Cheese production Based on their appearance, cheeses are divided into fresh, soft with a delicate rind (with white mold), soft with a washed rind, cheeses with blue mold (blue cheese), pressed and boiled-pressed. Other types of cheese are whey-albumin, albumin, processed, and also fall under several categories. Rare types of cheeses are German sour milk cheese and Norwegian brown cheese (Brunust).
According to production technology, cheeses are divided into hard, soft, brine and processed (processed).
Rennet cheeses
Rennet (rennin, also known as chymosin) is a digestive enzyme of animal origin that was isolated from the stomachs of calves (after slaughter). Such calves are usually no more than 10 days old. Rennet is used to curdle milk and make cheese.
With the development of genetic engineering, it has become possible to extract the genes responsible for the production of chymosin from animals and insert them into some bacteria, fungi or yeast so that they produce chymosin during fermentation. Genetically modified microorganisms cease to exist after fermentation, and chymosin is isolated from the culture liquid, for this reason the cheese does not contain any GMO component or ingredient.
Products based on recombinant chymosin (Fermentation-Produced Chymosin, FPC) have been on the market since 1990. Over the next 20 years, they came to be seen as ideal enzymes for milk coagulation.
By 1999, about 60% of hard cheeses in the United States and up to 80% worldwide were produced using recombinant chymosin.
Depending on the production method, rennet cheeses can be distinguished hard, soft And pickle.
Solid
Traditional Swiss cheese "Emmental" 
Gouda cheese" Based on hardness, cheeses are divided into fresh, soft, semi-hard sliced, hard sliced and hard.
- Parmesan is the most famous and world-famous Italian variety of long-ripening hard cheese. Mass fraction of fat - 32%.
- Swiss type - cheeses are cylindrical in shape, have large round eyes, and a sweetish-spicy taste; mass fraction of fat - 50% on dry matter (Swiss, Soviet, Altai, Moscow);
- Dutch type - cheeses are round, flattened, oval in shape, have small eyes, a sharp, slightly sour taste; mass fraction of fat - 45% on dry matter (Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Holland);
- mountain grated type - consumed in grated form, used as a seasoning (Gorno-Altai, Caucasian);
- cheddar type - has the shape of a cylinder, there are no eyes, the consistency is soft; mass fraction of fat - 50%, slightly sour taste (cheddar, black Altai);
- Russian type - cylindrical shape, delicate consistency, mass fraction of fat - 50% (Russian);
- smoked cheeses - mass fraction of fat - 55%, have a smoked taste (Russian);
- semi-hard cheeses - without eyes, fat mass fraction - 20, 30, 45% (Latvian, Lithuanian, Kaunas, etc.);
- Uglichsky type - has the shape of a bar, a soft crust, mass fraction of fat - 45% (Uglichsky).
Soft
Camembert cheese - Dorogobuzhsky type - they have a coating of mucus on the crust, there are no eyes, the mass fraction of fat is 45% (Dorogobuzhsky, Medynsky, Dorozhny, Kalininsky, etc.);
- type of Camembert - in shape - a cylinder weighing 130 g, on the surface there is a white coating of mold, mass fraction of fat - 60%, with a pleasant aftertaste of champignons (Russian Camembert);
- Smolensky type - a cylinder, weighing 0.8-1.2 kg, spots of dried mucus on the crust, mass fraction of fat - 45% (Okhotnichiy, Smolensky, Zakusochny);
- Roquefort type - cheese permeated with blue-green mold, shape - cylinder 2-3.5 kg, fat mass fraction - 45% (Roquefort).
Brine cheeses
Feta Cheese Main article: Brine cheeses
Their main difference is that they are ripened and stored in brine, do not have a crust, small eyes of different shapes, the dough is brittle, the mass fraction of fat is 40-45%, salt is 7% (Ossetian, Suluguni, feta cheese, etc.) . Brine cheeses are divided into soft and hard. In Europe, brine cheeses similar to Greek Feta, whose fat content can exceed 50%, are very popular. Unlike the classic recipe, they are made from cow's milk. However, manufacturers from countries outside of Greece, which has reserved this trademark for itself, tend to give their products a name similar to the Greek one (fetaki, fetaxa, sirtaki, etc.).
Fermented milk
Main article: Fermented milk cheeseFermented natural cheeses. Fermented milk cheeses are made from skim milk fermented with lactic acid starter. After ripening (1-1.5 months) mix with salt and spices. The cheese mass is dried and shaped. The cheese has no pattern. The most common grated fermented milk cheese is green.
Cheeses are divided into grated (green cheese), curd and unripened curd.
Processed (processed) cheeses are produced by melting rennet fermented milk natural cheeses with the addition of cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, spices and fillers (cocoa powder, coffee, vanillin, etc.).
Processed cheeses come in sweet, pasty, sausage, canned, with mushrooms, with onions, and elite, very expensive varieties with salmon and walnuts.
Processed cheeses, being a recycled product, packaged in foil or sealed packages, have a longer shelf life and are less sensitive to temperature changes. This allows you to increase the selling season of processed cheese and the areas of its distribution.
Serum
Main article: Whey cheeseThe whey remaining after casein coagulation during the preparation of hard or soft cheeses contains the so-called whey protein, albumin, which coagulates at a higher temperature. This allows you to make several more types of cheeses.
- Ricotta
- Vurda
- Brunust
On the use of molds from the genus Penicillium
Gorgonzola cheese Some cheeses are made using edible molds from the genus Penicillium. Such cheeses can be covered with a moldy rind, such as Brie, Hermeline and Camembert, or they can be permeated throughout with blue-green mold (the so-called blue cheeses), such as Roquefort and Gorgonzola.
According to the effects of smoking
Some cheeses are smoked after preparation to give the cheese a special taste and aroma and to improve resistance to spoilage during storage. The most famous representatives of such cheeses in Russia are smoked suluguni and sausage cheese.
Production
Milk and fat contentVarious types of cheese are made from pasteurized or raw milk of cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes or mares. The fat content of cheese can be either less than 10% or more than 70% in dry matter. Based on fat content, cheeses are divided into low-fat, light, normal, double and triple fat.
Leaven
In addition to milk, cheese may contain rennet or acid, under the influence of which milk coagulates (rennet or fermented milk cheeses). During ripening, various types of mold, microorganisms or bacteria may be active in the cheese. Sometimes cheese mites or even insect larvae become attached to a head of cheese. The “Sourdough” column indicates the type of fermenting element, as well as the type of bacteria or other microorganisms added during cheese production (usually during ripening).
Manufacturing process
Each type of cheese is made using its own technology. The general principle of making cheese is usually the same: milk is prepared, rennet is used, the cheese mass is collected, filtered, stirred, heated; then salting and ripening of the cheese occurs. Some cheeses have mold or bacteria added to them.
Name
Very often the name of a cheese indicates the place where this type of cheese was first made. Sometimes cheese is named after the person who invented the method of making it. The name of the cheese may reflect any of its characteristic features - the shape of the head, the texture.
Some types of cheese are registered to control the authenticity of origin. The certificate guarantees that this cheese was produced in a strictly defined territory in compliance with strictly defined rules. In France this certificate is called Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), in English-speaking countries - Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (P.G.I.), in Italian - Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP), in Spanish - Denominación de origen (DO). Next to the designation of the protected status of the cheese variety, the year of registration is indicated.
Pasteurization
Kesong puti (Philippine Dairy) More information: pasteurization Numerous food safety agencies around the world have warned about the dangers of using raw milk and the risks associated with eating cheeses that have not been pasteurized or otherwise disinfected. For example, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States states that drinking raw milk or making soft cheese or other cheeses from it can lead to “serious infectious diseases, including listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis and tuberculosis.” According to US law, all cheeses made from raw milk in the US since 1944 (and since 1951, including imports) must be aged for at least 60 days. In addition, in Australia there is still a broad ban on the production of cheeses from raw milk, although in recent years exceptions have been made for Swiss ones: Gruyère (French. Gruyère), Emmenthal (or Emmenthaler) and Sbrinz (German) Sbrinz), and for French Roquefort cheese (fr. Roquefort). There is currently a worldwide trend towards pasteurizing cheeses, even when it is not required by law. However, whether it is mandatory to pasteurize cheeses is a controversial issue. One of the arguments against it is that pasteurization can change the taste of the cheese. All over the world it is often believed that unpasteurized cheeses have the best taste and this is already a reason not to subject all types of cheeses to the pasteurization process. In addition, some authors believe that health issues are associated with excessive requirements, or claims have been made that the production of cheeses from pasteurized milk does not ultimately ensure the safety of the finished product.
Pregnant women may also face additional risks and problems when consuming traditional cheeses. Thus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns pregnant women of the danger associated with eating soft cheeses and mature (hard) cheeses with blue veins due to the risk of developing listeriosis, which can lead to miscarriage or harm the health of the fetus during pregnancy. time of birth.
Consumption
No. Country Cheese production(in thousands of tons)
| European Union European Union | 9,610 (2015) / 9,560 (2014) | |
| 1 | USA USA | 5,299 (2015) / 5,194 (2014) |
| 2 | France France | 1,940 (2014) |
| 3 | Germany Germany | 1,893 (2014) |
| 4 | Italy Italy | 1,176 (2014) |
| 5 | Russia, Russia | 850 (2015) / 760 (2014) |
| 6 | Netherlands Netherlands | 772 (2014) |
| 7 | Brazil Brazil | 751 (2014) |
| 8 | Poland Poland | 744 (2014) |
| 9 | Turkey Turkey | 631 (2014) |
| 10 | Argentina Argentina | 570 (2014) |
| 11 | Canada Canada | 400 (2014) |
| 12 | Spain Spain | 388 (2014) |
| 13 | 378 (2014) | |
| 14 | Denmark Denmark | 369 (2014) |
| 15 | 347 (2014) | |
| 16 | Australia Australia | 330 (2014) |
| 17 | Mexico Mexico | 282 (2014) |
| 18 | Greece Greece | 190 (2014) |
| 19 | Belarus Belarus | 190 (2014) |
| 20 | Ireland | 188 (2014) |
| 21 | Switzerland Switzerland | 185 (2014) |
| 22 | Austria Austria | 172 (2014) |
| 23 | Norway Norway | 106 (2014) |
| 24 | Lithuania Lithuania | 103 (2014) |
| 25 | Ukraine Ukraine | 100 (2014) |
| 26 | Sweden Sweden | 88 (2014) |
| 27 | Belgium Belgium | 85 (2014) |
| 28 | Bulgaria Bulgaria | 77 (2014) |
| 29 | Hungary Hungary | 75 (2014) |
| 30 | Romania Romania | 75 (2014) |
| 31 | Portugal Portugal | 73 (2014) |
| 32 | Japan Japan | 42 (2014) |
| 33 | Estonia Estonia | 41 (2014) |
| 34 | Latvia Latvia | 35 (2014) |
| 35 | Slovakia Slovakia | 33 (2014) |
| 36 | South Korea | 24 (2014) |
| 37 | Cyprus Cyprus | 20 (2014) |
| 38 | Slovenia Slovenia | 17 (2014) |
| 39 | Philippines Philippines | 2 (2014) |
| 40 | Croatia Croatia | 2 (2013) |
The largest exporter of cheese in value terms is France; Germany ranks second. Among the top 10 exporters, only Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia focus their cheese industry primarily on exports; 95%, 90%, 72% and 65% of their products are exported, respectively.
Largest cheese exporters (cow's milk cheese only) - 2004
(in thousands of US dollars)
| France France | 2,658,441 |
| Germany Germany | 2,416,973 |
| Netherlands Netherlands | 2,099,353 |
| Italy Italy | 1,253,580 |
| Denmark Denmark | 1,122,761 |
| Australia Australia | 643,575 |
| New Zealand New Zealand | 631,963 |
| Belgium Belgium | 567,590 |
| Ireland | 445,240 |
| UK UK | 374,156 |
Germany is the largest importer of cheese, with the UK and Italy in second and third place.
Largest consumers of cheese
- 2009 Cheese consumption
in kg. per capita per year
| Greece Greece | 31.1 |
| France France | 26.1 |
| Iceland Iceland | 25.4 |
| Germany Germany | 22.6 |
| Switzerland Switzerland | 21.4 |
| Netherlands Netherlands | 21.0 |
| Italy Italy | 20.9 |
| Finland Finland | 20.7 |
| Turkey Turkey | 19.4 |
| Sweden Sweden | 18.9 |
| Austria Austria | 17.4 |
| Czech Republic Czech Republic | 16.7 |
| Israel Israel | 16.4 |
| Norway Norway | 15.3 |
| USA USA | 14.8 |
| Canada Canada | 12.3 |
| Australia Australia | 12.0 |
| Argentina Argentina | 11.3 |
| Hungary Hungary | 11.0 |
| UK UK | 10.9 |
| Poland Poland | 10.8 |
| Russia, Russia | 5.9 |
Emmental (used mainly as an ingredient) and Camembert are the most common cheeses in France. Iceland is the third largest consumer with 25.4 kg per person. In the US, cheese consumption is growing rapidly, almost tripling between 1970 and 2003. Per capita consumption in 2003 reached 14.8 kilograms. Mozzarella is America's favorite cheese, mainly because it is one of the main ingredients on pizza.
History of cheese
Cheese making (14th century) Cheese is an ancient food product whose origins, predating recorded history, are believed to lie in the technology of transforming certain types of milk into cheese wheels made using rennets obtained from the stomach (rennet) of ruminants. There is still no convincing evidence indicating where exactly the technological process of making cheese (cheesemaking) originated - in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East or the Sahara. The earliest evidence of cheese making in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BC. e. - on the territory of modern Poland, sieves were discovered on which milk fat molecules were identified. The oldest estimated date for the beginning of cheese production dates back to 8000 BC. e., when sheep were first domesticated. People have been using the skins and internal organs of killed animals since ancient times. Probably, the process of cheese formation was discovered by accident during the use of the stomach of ruminants as a container for storing milk, as a result, under the influence of rennet enzymes, the milk was converted into curds and whey. There are several versions of the legend that cheese was discovered by Arab nomads who used the method described above to store milk. According to ancient Greek myths, the tradition of cheese making spread in Europe in ancient times - even the ancient Greek hero Aristaeus mastered the art of making cheese long before the Greeks knew about wine. According to Pliny the Elder, cheese making became a complex enterprise of the time and originated outside of Ancient Rome, where valuable foreign cheeses were brought to satisfy the tastes of the Roman elite.
In Russia, before Peter I, cheese was produced in a “natural, raw” way - that is, without heat treatment. That's why it was called cheese. Under Peter I, European varieties of cheese appeared in Russia.
In culture
Cheese weighing 721 kg (Altai Territory) In Russia, the largest wheel of cheese weighing 721 kg was made in the Altai Territory and presented at the Cheese Festival in Barnaul on September 14, 2007.
In France there is a special law, it is called the “Law on appellations of origin controlled”. According to this law, cheese whose name comes from a geographical region of France can only be produced in that very region of France. Today there are 36 such cheeses.
The so-called numbers in cheese- numbers made of black or blue food-grade plastic (polyethylene), which were sometimes found in the rind of cheese. When making a cheese head, plastic numbers pressed into it marked the date of manufacture, brewing number and other information. Subsequently replaced by ink stamps, it was assumed that the rind of the cheese along with the stamp should be cut off. Currently, the necessary information is most often burned with a laser onto the cheese crust or applied to the packaging. Some cheese factories - in particular, Vozhgalsky in the Kirov region - still put numbers on the cheese (information correct as of the end of May 2015).
Collecting cheese labels is called tyrosemiophilia ( tyrosemiophilia).
In English the word cheese ( cheese) when pronounced, stretches the lips, forming something like a smile. A similar effect is also observed in the Russian language when pronouncing the words “iris”, “kishmish”, “crisis”, etc. in a drawn-out manner. The effect is used in portraiture in photography.
The popular belief that mice love cheese is a misconception. In fact, rodents prefer foods without strong odors, such as grains and fruits. The reason for the misconception lies in the fact that cheese was left on the table and it was a more affordable product.[ source not specified 791 days]
See also
- List of cheeses by country of origin
Why are numbers in cheese?
The numbers in the cheese are made of food-grade plastic and serve to mark a head of cheese. These numbers contain information about the date of manufacture, batch number, brewing number. In the USSR, numbers made from cheese were collected by children.
Nowadays numbers in cheese are not so common. Basically, information is applied to the crust using ink stamps or burned with a laser. But some factories, for example Vozhgalsky in the Kirov region, still use plastic numbers for marking.
I've often come across black numbers in cheese before. They are safe for humans because they are made of food-grade plastic. And these numbers indicate the date, which is indicated by a fraction (if you look, some numbers are higher and others lower - this is the date), the production number, which is located to the right of the production date.
There was a program on TV (Galileo) about how cheese is made, they described in detail and showed the entire manufacturing process. And they also talked about black (blue) numbers. They are made of food-grade polyethylene and serve to mark the cheese wheel; they can indicate both the date and the shift number.
Stepanoff
The numbers pressed into the cheese heads are used for marking (date of manufacture, production number, operator number, cooking bath number, etc.). The numbers come in black or blue and are made from food-grade plastic. Labeling is needed to control the ripening period of cheese in production.
What are the numbers in cheese for?
Numbers in cheese
The so-called cheese numbers are numbers made of black or blue food-grade plastic (polyethylene), which were sometimes found in the rind of the cheese. When making a cheese head, plastic numbers pressed into it marked the date of manufacture, brewing number and other information.
During the Soviet era and the early years of the Russian Federation, numbers in cheese were a popular collecting item among children. Sometimes, when buying cheese, you were specifically asked to choose a piece with numbers.
Subsequently replaced by ink stamps, it was assumed that the rind of the cheese along with the stamp should be cut off. Currently, the necessary information is most often burned with a laser onto the cheese crust or applied to the packaging.
Some cheese factories - in particular, Vozhgalsky in the Kirov region - still put numbers in cheese (information correct as of the end of March 2011).
PS
Yopt. The 21st century is upon us. and they still care... are you okay??
You can still find them now, but not often. 
Caroline
In Soviet cheese, as well as sometimes in today’s, apparently real) cheese, one could find numbers made of food-grade plastic. I remember collecting them as a child)). At the factory where milk was processed,
pressed numbers in the cheese marked the date of manufacture
and other information. Today, you can sometimes find such numbers in cheese.
Previously, these plastic numbers in cheese were used to mark it. They indicated both the date of manufacture of the cheese and the number of its production. In general, all the necessary information for the manufacturer and distributor.
Now, thanks to modern technologies, the need for plastic numbers has disappeared, since all this information can be printed on the packaging.
The modern generation, especially young people, probably do not know that cheese used to be sold with plastic numbers inside. Nowadays it’s difficult to find a number in a piece of cheese - it’s rare.
But there are cities where, as before in Soviet times, cheese companies produce their products using old technologies. This means that in their cheeses you can find numbers familiar to many of us from childhood.
During the Soviet era, it was the rule, not the exception, to find a number in cheese. Therefore, fans of delicious dairy products came across it very often, the numbers were not uncommon. And some specifically tried to buy a piece of cheese with such an original addition to it.
Numbers in cheese
And yet, what are the numbers in cheese for, what do they mean or what function do they perform? Let us note that the numbers are not made of plastic, as many are sure, but of casein. It is a complex protein, which, imagine, is also made from milk.
Casein is used in the production of casein glue, as well as durable plastic-like materials, such as numbers in cheese. Previously, they were made of metal.
Now let’s reveal the secret of what the numbers in the cheese were used for. To do this, we use our imagination and imagine the cheese mass, which has already been laid out in special forms. It lies there and gets ready. How can workers find out the brewing number, as well as the date when the product was made? There are a lot of cheese heads stored in the cheese storage, but how do you get the one you need? By the way, the brew number is no less important.
Let’s say that during the production of a batch the technology was not followed and the cheese for some reason turned out to be spoiled and does not meet the required standards. How to calculate all the cheese wheels in a particular batch? That's right, by the numbers. They are placed on top, and when the finished cheese mass is laid out on the shelves, it will be possible to determine the date and number of cooking. And no confusion.
After sending the cheese for sale, the numbers are left. Well, really, who are they bothering?
Today, numbers in cheese are sometimes found, but this is very rare. And all because now many cheese production processes have been brought to perfection, and new labeling methods are used. Technologies develop and do not stand still.
But, despite everything, in the Soviet Union, even without modern facilities, the cheese was tastier and more aromatic. It was made from fresh natural products. And the numbers didn’t bother anyone, it was something like a piquant addition to real, amazingly tasty cheese.
(Visited 1,723 times, 1 visits today)
History of cheese
Hard cheese began to be cooked presumably 8 thousand years BC. Archaeologists were able to find molecules of this food product on the territory of modern Poland. It is not possible to accurately determine the origin of the cheese, but it was made in different parts of the world. Once people learned to use enzymes from the stomachs of animals and mix them with milk, they began to enrich their diet with new foods.
Scientists are convinced that no one specifically set out to learn how to make hard cheese. It happened completely by accident, but the invention was to the taste of ancient people, which is why it has survived to this day. Recipes were passed down from generation to generation and modified. But the main ingredients remain the same. The creation of this product is surrounded by myths and legends, which only emphasizes the popularity of cheese in different countries of the world.
The largest wheel of cheese, weighing more than 700 kg, was brewed in Barnaul in 2007 to coincide with the Cheese Festival. The French have an interesting tradition: they have legislated the right of each region of the country to produce its own type of cheese. The product is named after the region in which it is created. To date, more than 30 types of such cheese have already been officially registered in France.
Enzymes of animal origin are added to rennet cheeses during production. They ripen in 10 days. Rennet cheeses are divided into:
- hard;
- soft;
- pickle.
The most popular are hard cheeses. The whole world knows about traditional cheese such as Gouda, Italian Parmesan cheese and Soviet Dutch cheese.
Camembert is a soft variety. Its peculiarity is a layer of mucus on the surface. Smolensky, Zakusochny and incredibly popular Roquefort cheese in their homeland are all soft varieties. Brine cheeses come in both hard and soft. The famous Feta cheese is a prominent representative of this type of dairy product.
