The history of cheese reckons more than 5000 years, this product was appreciated both in Egypt, and in Sumer, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. Cyclops Polyphemus made cheese of sheep milk, using cribs for clotting milk. According to historical notes that we have, originally cheese was made by shepherds in small amounts. It permitted to store milk, preserving it for a season. Gradually, with development of cities, cheesemaking removes in more or less large factories. However till now the technique remains the same. Secrets of technology of reception of high-quality cheese are transferred from father to the son that allows to keep secret of subtleties of manufacturing.
Great breakthrough occurred in 19 century due to the two people — German chemist Justus von Liebig and French microbiologist Louis Pasteur. The first one investigated the process of pasteurization, and the second one discovered the activity of microorganisms during preparation of cheese. The method of pasteurization was advanced by Russian bacteriologist Ilya Metchnikov and began to be applied in cheesemaking (except for cheeses made from unpasteurized milk).
Cheeses need some classification but it is hard to be figured out, and here is no wonder because there are plenty distinguishes — geographic, styles and grades of cheese. One ranges kinds of cheese by place of origin, and someone ranges cheeses by taste — soft, hot, pungent etc. Though tastes differ…
They classify cheese by content of fat or protein but who cares that choosing, for example, between aged and fresh Gouda?
In Germany, cheese is subdivided into groups by the content of dry substance. Besides it allows to estimate hardness of cheese.
Hard cheese — not less than 60 % of dry substances, may be stored for a quite long time. All cheeses of this group have a firm rind. To this group fall Emmental, Gruyere, Cheddar, Cheshire cheese, and parmesan.
Hard cut cheese — is more soft and more juicy than some firm cheeses, and it is well cut. There are two subgroups: cut cheese without covering (Gouda, Edam) and with covering (Tilsit cheese).
Semi-hard cut cheese — such type is common only in Germany and covers all grades of cheese between firm cut cheeses and soft cheeses. This group includes cream cheese, Wensleydale cheese, blue mold cheese (Roquefort cheese, Gorgonzola, Steelton, etc.).
Soft cheese — differ by outside rind (Brie, Camembert) and soft cheese with covering (Limburger). These cheeses are sold unripened and ripen in a cool place after purchase.
Sour-milk cheese is made from cottage cheese and contains less than 10 % of fat in dry substance. Depending on a method of maturing, it can be coated with red covering, and yellow cheeses go with a rind. The most known are Meinz, Garz and Allmutzer Quargl.
Fresh cheese — also is made from cottage cheese, but has no stage of maturing. Therefore for long storage it is not necessary. To this group belong layered curdled cheese, cream cheese, as well as cottage cheese.
At one point, that classification do not distinguish processed cheese as it does not belong to natural cheeses. Also, according to this classification, there is no place for soy cheese and tofu.
Cheesemaking is quite a complex and labour-intensive process. It can involve, depending on technique, from 2 up to several tens of operations, and the time spent on manufacturing the end-product varies from several hours (cottage cheese) to about several years (parmesan). However, some operations are rather typical: pasteurization of milk, regulation of fat content (decreasing or on the contrary increasing of fat content of milk), curdling milk (bacterial or rennet), crushing cheese weight, pressing cheese clot, salting, maturing, and also operations by covering cheese with paraffin, wax, artificial film, packing.
At all stages there is a constant control over process, in it there are no trifles. Quality of milk is crucial important, but it is not less important than correct crushing of cheese weight, salting, endurance. The best and the most expensive are cheeses that are made by technologies existing for hundreds years, it is more preferable in small facilities from local milk. So, in Holland (Netherlands) Gouda cheese from the small farms, made mainly manually, is most appreciated. Among that must be mentioned Roquefort cheese and Parmesan that are strictly zoned.
According to a legend, it was a shepherd who has left the breakfast of a piece of black bread and a chunk of feta cheese in a cave, attracted by a beautiful herdess. When he saw the sandwich after several weeks, cheese was covered by green proveins and got a specific smell, but inimitable sharp taste. Certainly, more truthful will be the version that cheese has become covered by a mould in “grist” in shepherd’s cave where it was stored near to a piece of black bread. Anyway, Roquefort cheese from caves of mountain Combalu still has the status of a cheese-legend, dream of any gourmet and is considered as the king among cheeses.
