Concept in Definition ABC

Cheese is a universal and ancient food. In Spain it is served as a tapa before meals or in a sandwich, in France it is eaten before dessert, in Italy it is associated with pizza. It can garnish all kinds of dishes and accompany a good wine.

The bases of the production process

The first step for your elaboration is to heat the milk, which is normally cow, sheep or goat. Then sprinkle bacteria over the milk in order to sour it.

On some occasions, dry rennet extracted from the stomach of lactating animals. After waiting about an hour, the curd is cut and stirred so that the curd is distributed.

Then, the curd is separated from the whey and the curd is ready to be placed in a mold. Once settled in the mold, it is allowed to mature.

During this process you have to change the position of the cheese and remove the mold from its surface so that the moisture is distributed inside.

Historical origins of cheese

It is believed that his invention was accidental, as someone realized that leaving the milk in a hot place ends up curdling and separates from the whey. Then the idea was to store it in the stomach of a lactating animal and after curdling inside the stomach, the milk forms a solid residue.

About this method References can be found in Homer's Iliad, a work that was written a thousand years before Christ. Later the Romans extended their consumption as they were conquering new territories. Roman legionaries used to carry a piece of cheese among their provisions. In the Middle Ages the Cistercian monks were perfecting the techniques for its elaboration.

Some of its varieties

There are thousands of varieties around the world. Its very wide range can be classified according to its texture, its fat content and the amount of water used. The main modalities are the following: fresh, semi-hard, hard and spun. They can also be classified according to the type of pasta, which can be spreadable, slicable, gratable and spun.

Fresh cheeses are those with a high moisture content and usually have a doughy consistency and a taste of fresh milk. The soft ones have a maturation brief. One of the most prestigious is the Cammenbert of French origin, a cheese that was invented at the end of the 18th century in the region with the same name.

Blue paste cheeses (for example, cabrales or roquefort) are semi-hard.

For its part, ball cheese is of Dutch origin and is made with whole cow's milk or semi-skimmed milk.

Photos: Fotolia - Onticellllo / Roman