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chatAnnatto
Annatto is a dye obtained from a South American plant, sometimes used to color cheeses.
Bloomy Rind
Camembert and Brie have bloomy rinds, a light white down or powdery surface. The rind develops when the surface is sprayed with a Penicillium spore.
Bruising or Blueing
Molds need air to grow padding-bottom-xxl. When there is a crack in the rind, mold will grow padding-bottom-xxl inside the cheese around the crack... this is known as bruising, or blueing if t is the blue Penicillium mold.
Brushed
During the ripening period some natural rind cheeses have their rinds brushed by hand or machine. This helps the cheese to keep moist during the ripening period, and it also affects the flavor.
Cave or Cellar
Usually an underground room or even a cave where cheeses are stored and tended to ripen. The humidity and temperature remain constant. Handcrafted Roquefort is ripened in caves.
Cheddaring
This term describes a process used in the crafting of cheese. Curd is cut into blocks, and these blocks are turned and stacked at the bottom of the vat every 15 minutes for about 90 minutes.
Close
A close textured cheese is smooth, unblemished and devoid of holes or cracks. When a cheese contains openings and holes in its body, its texture is called open.
Cooked
Hard cheeses are processed by heating the cheese curd, sometimes in the surplus whey.
Curdling
The process of coagulating milk due to the introduction of rennet, which is an enzyme.
Curing
Another word for maturing, ripening or aging.
Crumbly
This term is used to describe a cheese that breaks away when cut.
Dry Matter
Soft cheeses contain about 50% dry matter and 50% water.
Eyes
Holes in the body of cheeses such as Emmentaler, Gruyere and other Swiss types, are usually spherical and equally spaced. Bacterial activity, which generates prioponic acid and causes gas to expand within the curd, creates the eyes.
Fat Content
An average fat content is 45 %. Fat content can range from 4% to 75%.
Fresh Cheese
Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese, and Ricotta are examples of cheeses that do not have a ripening period before they are served.
Molds or Moulds
Internal molds (in blue veined cheeses) are created by Penicillium glaucum, or Penicillium roqueforti spores which are introduced to the cheese after it has been poked with holes. Surface molds are the result of rubbing the cheese with a Penicillium spore. French goat milk cheeses have a bluish surface mold. Blue Castello, Bavarian Blue, and Duet have both a surface and an internal mold.
Mushroomy
Soft and semi-soft cheeses, particularly members of the Brie/ Camembert family, are often described as having a mushroomy flavor and aroma.
Nutty
Usually refers to a hazelnut flavor.
Rind
Rinds can be natural or artificial, thick or thin, hard or soft, washed, oiled, brushed or coated with wax. They protect the cheese's interior and allow it to ripen appropriately.
Starter
A bacterial culture which produces lactic acid.
The Big Cheese
In 1801 an enterprising cheesemaker delivered a mammoth 1,235 pound wheel of cheese to Thomas Jefferson. Intrigued citizens dubbed it the big cheese, coining the phrase which has since come to describe someone of importance.
Washed Rind Cheeses
Some of the strongest smelling and tasting cheeses have had their rinds washed during the curing process. This process keeps the cheese moist and supple. Cheeses can be washed with salt water or even brandy which of course affects the final flavor.
More Terminology
Experience International Variety
You might receive a Gaperon, originating in France during the 14th Century, an
authentic Lancashire by Ruth Kirkham, and an Italian Taleggio matured in the
caves of Valsassina…all in one shipment!
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