Cheese Ageing — how to mature and look after cheese. British Brie made the French way; a visit to Baron Bigod. Different cheese types, part one — classifying cheese by how it is made. An explanation of the methods of classifying cheese by how it is made. Opening a cheese-shop … for dummies. These friendly bacteria help transform lactose into lactic acid and build other amino acids to give aged cheese its unmistakable taste.
Aging is what helps give cheeses like parmesan their signature crunchy crystals, which are made up of an amino acid called tyrosine. Not all cheeses are aged, and some cheeses like mozzarella are best enjoyed fresh.
The younger and fresher the cheese, the milder and softer it is. The process of aging cheese is highly precise and scientific. Cheesemakers utilize the following different cheese aging techniques to achieve different flavors, textures, and aromas. The best part? Every single one is delicious. As the name suggests, this aging technique is when cheese is aged from the surface, down through to the cheese itself.
Cheesemakers can encourage this by rubbing the cheese with washes, brine, or introducing helpful microorganisms to the surface. Surface ripened cheeses are often known for their unique and often tasty rinds. Learn all about them in our Cheese Rinds guide. The opposite approach: interior ripening. With this technique, cheese is ripened from the inside outward. Here we explore what happens after cheese has been made, but before it is placed on the shelves of your local supermarket.
First and foremost the quality, taste and texture of a cheese is all dependent on the environment in which they are matured. Ensuring that temperature and humidity is carefully monitored is an essential part of the process. Within the first few months following cheese production, the cultures that were added to the milk in the first stages of the cheese making process begin to multiply.
These cultures eat the lactose within the milk, transforming it into lactic acid. This is the stage at which the rennet that was added during the initial stages to join the protein chains, begin to break down.
These compounds give aged cheese their unique smoky, fruity, or nutty flavors. This process also alters the texture of the cheese and can lead to the creation of crunchy crystals tyrosine in some aged cheese.
During the aging process, further variety is added by introducing special bacterial and mold cultures to the cheese. The local environmental factors like temperature and humidity also play an important part and are called " terroir " in French.
This delicate French cheese is typically aged for three to five weeks. During the aging process, it is given a surface coating of a mold called Penicillium camemberti. This mold is what gives the cheese its buttery texture and unique taste. The milder versions of this all-American cheese are only aged for a maximum of one month. But an older version, called Dry Jack, is aged for a minimum of three months and has a much sharper taste, and less moisture in it.
Somewhat of a staple in American cuisine , it is a common ingredient used in making sandwiches. This classic Swiss cheese is instantly recognizable because of the holes created in it during the aging process by carbon dioxide. Emmental cheese is graded into three types based on the aging time: Classic is aged for four months, while Reserve is allowed to sit for eight months, and Premier Cru for over a year. Made using grass-fed cow milk, rennet, culture, and Mediterranean sea salt, this cheese owes its complex flavors to the very long aging process.
Parmesan is aged for a minimum of two years. Since this mold is found in some caves in the Roquefort region in France, the authentic Roquefort cheese is aged for three months in these caves.
All cheeses owe their unique taste, character, flavor, and appearance to the aging process. While some of these factors can be replicated anywhere, the terroir can have a huge impact.
So, if you want to truly experience authentic varieties of exotic cheese, sometimes the only option is a visit to its native county! Italy, in particular, is home to a wide range of unique local cheeses, not to mention a vibrant historical and rich culinary tradition. Are you looking for a "cheesy" vacation? Why not head sign yourself up for a culinary vacation in Italy and enjoy the culinary delights of mozzarella, permesan, and more? Sign up for the BookCulinaryVacations newsletter and get the latest news about exciting destinations and inspirational stories into your mailbox!
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