Cheese is a food made from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep, by coagulation. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice The milk is acidified, typically with a bacterial culture, then the addition of the enzyme rennet or a substitute (e. A microbiological culture, AKA microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins Rennet (ˈrɛnɪt is a natural complex of enzymes produced in any Mammalian Stomach to digest the mother's milk and often used in the production of Cheese g. acetic acid or vinegar) causes coagulation, to give "curds and whey". ^[1] Some cheeses also have molds, either on the outer rind (similar to a fruit peel) or throughout. WikipediaManual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English --> Molds (or Peel, also known as rind or skin, is the outer protective layer of a Fruit or Vegetable which could be peeled off

Hundreds of types of cheese are produced. This is a list of Cheeses by place of origin. Their different styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether it has been pasteurized, butterfat content, the species of bacteria and mold, and the processing including the length of aging. Mouthfeel is a product’s physical and Chemical interaction in the mouth Pasteurization is the process of heating Liquids for the purpose of destroying bacteria, Protozoa, Molds and Yeasts The process was Butterfat or milkfat is the Fatty portion of Milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive Smoking is the process of flavoring, Cooking, or preserving Food by exposing it to the Smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials The yellow to red color of many cheeses is a result of adding annatto. Annatto, sometimes called Roucou, is a derivative of the Achiote trees of tropical regions of the Americas used to produce a red Food coloring and also Cheeses are eaten both on their own and cooked in various dishes; most cheeses melt when heated.

For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid The lemon ( Citrus × limon) is a hybrid in cultivated wild plants Most cheeses are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, then the addition of rennet completes the curdling. Lactose (also referred to as milk sugar) is a Sugar which is found most notably in Milk. Lactic acid ( IUPAC Systematic name: 2-hydroxypropanoic acid) also known as milk acid, is a Chemical compound that plays a role Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are available; most are produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted from various species of the Cynara thistle family. Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Cynara is a Genus of about 10 Species of thistle-like Perennial plants in the family Asteraceae, originally from the Mediterranean

Cheese has served as a hedge against famine and is a good travel food. It is valuable for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Phosphorus, (ˈfɒsfərəs is the Chemical element that has the symbol P and Atomic number 15 Cheese is more compact and has a longer shelf life than the milk from which it is made. Cheesemakers near a dairy region may benefit from fresher, lower-priced milk, and lower shipping costs. A cheesemaker is a person who makes Cheese. The cheesemaking process is very old and dates back some 5500 years The long storage life of cheese allows selling it when markets are more favorable.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Origins 2.2 Ancient Greece and Rome 2.3 Post-classical Europe 2.4 Modern era 3 Making cheese 3.1 Curdling 3.2 Curd processing 3.3 Ageing 4 Types 4.1 Factors in categorization 4.2 List of common categories 4.2.1 Fresh, whey and stretched curd cheeses 4.2.2 Classed by texture 4.2.3 Classed by content 4.2.4 Blue-vein 4.2.5 Processed cheeses 5 Eating and cooking 6 Health and nutrition 6.1 Controversy 6.1.1 Effect on sleep 6.1.2 Casein 6.1.3 Lactose 6.1.4 Pasteurization 7 World production and consumption 8 Cultural attitudes 9 In language 10 See also 11 Notes and references 12 External links

Etymology

The origin of the word cheese appears to be the Latin caseus,^[2] from which the modern word casein is closely derived. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. See Casein paint for information about casein usage in artistic painting The earliest source is probably from the proto-Indo-European root *kwat-, which means "to ferment, become sour".

In the English language, the modern word cheese comes from chese (in Middle English) and cīese or cēse (in Old English). English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Similar words are shared by other West Germanic languages — West Frisian tsiis, Dutch kaas, German Käse, Old High German chāsi — all of which probably come from the reconstructed West-Germanic root *kasjus, which in turn is an early borrowing from Latin. The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of Languages and include languages such as English West Frisian ( Frysk) is a Language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland ( Fryslân) in the north of the Netherlands. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

The Latin word caseus is also the source from which are derived the Spanish queso, Portuguese queijo, Malay/Indonesian Language keju (a borrowing from the Portuguese word queijo), Romanian caş and Italian cacio. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

The Celtic root which gives the Irish cáis and the Welsh caws are also related. The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic

When the Romans began to make hard cheeses for their legionaries' supplies, a new word started to be used: formaticum, from caseus formatus, or "molded cheese". It is from this word that we get the French fromage, Italian formaggio, Catalan formatge, Breton fourmaj and Provençal furmo. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany Provençal ( Provençau) is one of several dialects of Occitan spoken by a minority of people mostly in Provence (in southern France Cheese itself is occasionally employed in a sense that means "molded" or "formed". Head cheese uses the word in this sense. Head cheese ( AmE) or brawn ( BrE) is in fact not a Cheese, but meat slices in Aspic, with onion black pepper allspice bayleaf salt

History

Origins

Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history. Shelf life is that length of time that Food, drink Medicine and other perishable items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale or Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, either in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East, but the practice had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and, according to Pliny the Elder, had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into being. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

Proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE (when sheep were first domesticated) to around 3000 BCE. Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals The first cheese may have been made by people in the Middle East or by nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Since animal skins and inflated internal organs have, since ancient times, provided storage vessels for a range of foodstuffs, it is probable that the process of cheese making was discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, resulting in the milk being turned to curd and whey by the rennet from the stomach. Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after Milk has been Curdled and strained it is a By-product of the manufacture of Cheese There is a widely-told legend about the discovery of cheese by an Arab trader who used this method of storing milk. The legend has many individual variations. ^[3][4]

Cheesemaking may also have begun independent of this by the pressing and salting of curdled milk in order to preserve it. Observation that the effect of making milk in an animal stomach gave more solid and better-textured curds, may have led to the deliberate addition of rennet.

The earliest archaeological evidence of cheesemaking has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, dating to about 2000 BCE. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now ^[5] The earliest cheeses were likely to have been quite sour and salty, similar in texture to rustic cottage cheese or feta, a crumbly, flavorful Greek cheese. Cottage cheese is a Cheese Curd product with a mild flavor It is drained but not pressed so some Whey remains Feta ( φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined Curd Cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat's and

Cheese produced in Europe, where climates are cooler than the Middle East, required less aggressive salting for preservation. In conditions of less salt and acidity, the cheese became a suitable environment for a variety of beneficial microbes and molds, which are what give aged cheeses their pronounced and interesting flavors. A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually Cheese has become the most popular milk invention.

Ancient Greece and Rome

Ancient Greek mythology credited Aristaeus with the discovery of cheese. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance A minor god in Greek mythology, which we read largely through Athenian writers Aristaeus or Aristaios ( Greek: Ἀρισταῖος "ever close Homer's Odyssey (8th century BCE) describes the Cyclops making and storing sheep's and goats' milk cheese. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, a cyclops (ˈsaɪklɒps or kyklops ( Greek) is a member of a primordial race of From Samuel Butler's translation:

“

We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. Samuel Butler ( December 4, 1835 - June 18, 1902 was an iconoclastic Victorian author who published a variety of works including the His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold. . . When he had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers. Wicker is hard woven Fiber formed into a useful object Wicker is usually used for Baskets or Furniture.

”

By Roman times, cheese was an everyday food and cheesemaking a mature art, not very different from what it is today. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Columella's De Re Rustica (circa 65 CE) details a cheesemaking process involving rennet coagulation, pressing of the curd, salting, and aging. Lucius Iunius Moderatus Columella ( Gades, Hispania Baetica, AD 4 - ca Pliny's Natural History (77 CE) devotes a chapter (XI, 97) to describing the diversity of cheeses enjoyed by Romans of the early Empire. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Naturalis Historia ( Latin for "Natural History" is an Encyclopedia written Circa AD 77 by Pliny the Elder. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial He stated that the best cheeses came from the villages near Nîmes, but did not keep long and had to be eaten fresh. Nîmes ( Provençal Occitan: Nimes in both classical and Mistralian norms is a city in southern France. Cheeses of the Alps and Apennines were as remarkable for their variety then as now. A Ligurian cheese was noted for being made mostly from sheep's milk, and some cheeses produced nearby were stated to weigh as much as a thousand pounds each. The Ligures (singular Ligus or Ligur; English: Ligurians, Greek:) were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria Goats' milk cheese was a recent taste in Rome, improved over the "medicinal taste" of Gaul's similar cheeses by smoking. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Smoking is the process of flavoring, Cooking, or preserving Food by exposing it to the Smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials Of cheeses from overseas, Pliny preferred those of Bithynia in Asia Minor. Description Several major cities sat on the fertile shores of the Propontis (which is now known as Sea of Marmara) Nicomedia, Chalcedon, Cius

Post-classical Europe

Rome spread a uniform set of cheesemaking techniques throughout much of Europe, and introduced cheesemaking to areas without a previous history of it. The Tacuinum (sometimes Taccuinum) Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on wellness based on the Taqwin al‑sihha ar تقوين الصحة ("Tables As Rome declined and long-distance trade collapsed, cheese in Europe diversified further, with various locales developing their own distinctive cheesemaking traditions and products. The British Cheese Board claims that Britain has approximately 700 distinct local cheeses;^[6] France and Italy have perhaps 400 each. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest (A French proverb holds there is a different French cheese for every day of the year, and Charles de Gaulle once asked "how can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?"^[7]) Still, the advancement of the cheese art in Europe was slow during the centuries after Rome's fall. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Many of the cheeses we know best today were first recorded in the late Middle Ages or after— cheeses like cheddar around 1500 CE, Parmesan in 1597, Gouda in 1697, and Camembert in 1791. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard fat Granular cheese, cooked but not pressed named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Gouda (ˈgaʊdə or; from Dutch IPA:, or Goudse kaas kaːs "Cheese from Gouda " is a yellow Cheese made from Camembert is a soft creamy French Cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northwestern France. ^[8]

In 1546, John Heywood wrote in Proverbes that "the moon is made of a greene cheese. Rome wasn't built in a day redirects here for the Morcheeba song see Rome Wasn't Built in a Day John Heywood (c " (Greene may refer here not to the color, as many now think, but to being new or unaged. )^[9] Variations on this sentiment were long repeated. Although some people assumed that this was a serious belief in the era before space exploration, it is more likely that Heywood was indulging in nonsense. History First orbital flights The first successful orbital launch was of the Soviet unmanned Sputnik Nonsense is a verbal communication or Written text which appears to be a Human language or other Symbolic system, but in fact does not carry any identifiable

Modern era

Until its modern spread along with European culture, cheese was nearly unheard of in oriental cultures, uninvented in the pre-Columbian Americas, and of only limited use in sub-mediterranean Africa, mainly being widespread and popular only in Europe and areas influenced strongly by its cultures. But with the spread, first of European imperialism, and later of Euro-American culture and food, cheese has gradually become known and increasingly popular worldwide, though still rarely considered a part of local ethnic cuisines outside Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America

The first factory for the industrial production of cheese opened in Switzerland in 1815, but it was in the United States where large-scale production first found real success. Credit usually goes to Jesse Williams, a dairy farmer from Rome, New York, who in 1851 started making cheese in an assembly-line fashion using the milk from neighboring farms. Rome is a City in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 34950 at the 2000 census. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous An assembly line is a Manufacturing process in which parts (usually Interchangeable parts) are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned Within decades hundreds of such dairy associations existed.

The 1860s saw the beginnings of mass-produced rennet, and by the turn of the century scientists were producing pure microbial cultures. Before then, bacteria in cheesemaking had come from the environment or from recycling an earlier batch's whey; the pure cultures meant a more standardized cheese could be produced.

Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking in the World War II era, and factories have been the source of most cheese in America and Europe ever since. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Today, Americans buy more processed cheese than "real", factory-made or not. Processed cheese, process cheese, prepared cheese, or cheese food is a food product made from regular Cheese and sometimes other unfermented ^[10]

Making cheese

Curdling

The only strictly required step in making any sort of cheese is separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey. Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after Milk has been Curdled and strained it is a By-product of the manufacture of Cheese Usually this is done by acidifying (souring) the milk and adding rennet. Souring is a cooking technique that uses exposure to an Acid to effect a physical and chemical change in food Rennet (ˈrɛnɪt is a natural complex of enzymes produced in any Mammalian Stomach to digest the mother's milk and often used in the production of Cheese The acidification is accomplished directly by the addition of an acid like vinegar in a few cases (paneer, queso fresco), but usually starter bacteria are employed instead. Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid Paneer ( Hindi: पनीर panīr, from Persian پنير panir) is the most common Persian and South Asian Cheese For the Philippine variety see Kesong puti. Queso blanco or queso fresco is a creamy soft and mild unaged white Cheese that Fermentation starters (called simply starters within the corresponding context are preparations to assist the beginning of the fermentation process in preparation These starter bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid. Lactose (also referred to as milk sugar) is a Sugar which is found most notably in Milk. Lactic acid ( IUPAC Systematic name: 2-hydroxypropanoic acid) also known as milk acid, is a Chemical compound that plays a role The same bacteria (and the enzymes they produce) also play a large role in the eventual flavor of aged cheeses. Most cheeses are made with starter bacteria from the Lactococci, Lactobacilli, or Streptococci families. Lactococcus is a Lactic acid bacterial Genus of five major species formerly included as members of the genus Streptococcus Group Lactobacillus is a Genus of Gram-positive Facultative anaerobic or Microaerophilic Bacteria. Streptococcus is a Genus of spherical Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and the Swiss starter cultures also include Propionibacter shermani, which produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles during aging, giving Swiss cheese or Emmental its holes. Switzerland is home to about 450 varieties of cheese. Cows Milk is used in about 99 percent of the cheeses produced Propionibacter shermani is a bacterium used in the production of Cheese. This article describes a kind of cheese produced primarily in Canada and the United States. Emmental, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmenthaler is a cheese from Switzerland.

Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses also use rennet. Rennet (ˈrɛnɪt is a natural complex of enzymes produced in any Mammalian Stomach to digest the mother's milk and often used in the production of Cheese Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and rubbery gel compared to the fragile curds produced by acidic coagulation alone. A gel (from the lat gelu &mdashfreezing cold ice or gelatus &mdashfrozen immobile is an apparently solid jelly-like material formed from a It also allows curdling at a lower acidity—important because flavor-making bacteria are inhibited in high-acidity environments. In general, softer, smaller, fresher cheeses are curdled with a greater proportion of acid to rennet than harder, larger, longer-aged varieties.

Curd processing

At this point, the cheese has set into a very moist gel. Some soft cheeses are now essentially complete: they are drained, salted, and packaged. For most of the rest, the curd is cut into small cubes. This allows water to drain from the individual pieces of curd.

Some hard cheeses are then heated to temperatures in the range of 35 °C–55 °C (100 °F–130 °F). This forces more whey from the cut curd. It also changes the taste of the finished cheese, affecting both the bacterial culture and the milk chemistry. Cheeses that are heated to the higher temperatures are usually made with thermophilic starter bacteria which survive this step—either lactobacilli or streptococci. A thermophile is an organism &mdash a type of Extremophile &mdash which thrives at relatively high temperatures between 45 and 80 °C (113 and 176 °F Lactobacillus is a Genus of Gram-positive Facultative anaerobic or Microaerophilic Bacteria. Streptococcus salivarius is a species of spherical, Gram-positive bacteria which colonize the mouth and Upper respiratory tract of

Salt has a number of roles in cheese besides adding a salty flavor. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants It preserves cheese from spoiling, draws moisture from the curd, and firms up a cheese’s texture in an interaction with its proteins. Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Some cheeses are salted from the outside with dry salt or brine washes. Most cheeses have the salt mixed directly into the curds.

A number of other techniques can be employed to influence the cheese's final texture and flavor. Some examples:

• Stretching: (Mozzarella, Provolone) The curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, developing a stringy, fibrous body. Mozzarella is a generic term for several kinds of originally Italian Cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting (hence the name the Italian verb Provolone is an Italian Cheese that originated in southern Italy, where it is still produced in various shapes as in 10 to 15 cm long pear shapes sausage
• Cheddaring: (Cheddar, other English cheeses) The cut curd is repeatedly piled up, pushing more moisture away. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset The curd is also mixed (or milled) for a long period of time, taking the sharp edges off the cut curd pieces and influencing the final product's texture.
• Washing: (Edam, Gouda, Colby) The curd is washed in warm water, lowering its acidity and making for a milder-tasting cheese. Edam ( Dutch Edammer) is a Dutch Cheese that is traditionally sold as Gouda (ˈgaʊdə or; from Dutch IPA:, or Goudse kaas kaːs "Cheese from Gouda " is a yellow Cheese made from Colby cheese is a Cow 's milk Cheese. It was originally called Colby "Swiss" Cheddar.

Most cheeses achieve their final shape when the curds are pressed into a mold or form. The harder the cheese, the more pressure is applied. The pressure drives out moisture — the molds are designed to allow water to escape — and unifies the curds into a single solid body.

Ageing

A newborn cheese is usually salty yet bland in flavor and, for harder varieties, rubbery in texture. These qualities are sometimes enjoyed—cheese curds are eaten on their own—but normally cheeses are left to rest under carefully controlled conditions. This article is about cheese curds as a regional delicacy For general information about the dairy product see Curd. This ageing period (also called ripening, or, from the French, affinage) can last from a few days to several years. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people As a cheese ages, microbes and enzymes transform its texture and intensify its flavor. This transformation is largely a result of the breakdown of casein proteins and milkfat into a complex mix of amino acids, amines, and fatty acids. See Casein paint for information about casein usage in artistic painting Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Butterfat or milkfat is the Fatty portion of Milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain In Chemistry, an amino acid is a Molecule containing both Amine and Carboxyl Functional groups In Biochemistry, this Amines are Organic compounds and Functional groups that contain a basic Nitrogen Atom with a Lone pair. In Chemistry, especially Biochemistry, a fatty acid is a Carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched Aliphatic tail ( chain) which

Some cheeses have additional bacteria or molds intentionally introduced to them before or during ageing. WikipediaManual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English --> Molds (or In traditional cheesemaking, these microbes might be already present in the air of the ageing room; they are simply allowed to settle and grow on the stored cheeses. More often today, prepared cultures are used, giving more consistent results and putting fewer constraints on the environment where the cheese ages. These cheeses include soft ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, and rind-washed cheeses such as Limburger. Camembert is a soft creamy French Cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northwestern France. Roquefort ( AmE, BrE, French; from Occitan ròcafòrt) is a Sheep milk blue Cheese from the south Stilton is a Cheese of England. It is produced in two varieties the well-known blue and the lesser-known white. Gorgonzola is a veined Italian Blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's Milk. Limburger cheese originated in Limburg, which is now divided between modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Types

Main article: List of cheeses

Factors in categorization

Factors which are relevant to the categorization of cheeses include:

• Length of aging
• Texture
• Methods of making
• Fat content
• Kind of milk
• Country/Region of Origin

List of common categories

No one categorization scheme can capture all the diversity of the world's cheeses. This is a list of Cheeses by place of origin. Gouda (ˈgaʊdə or; from Dutch IPA:, or Goudse kaas kaːs "Cheese from Gouda " is a yellow Cheese made from In practice, no single system is employed and different factors are emphasised in describing different classes of cheeses. This typical list of cheese categories is from foodwriter Barbara Ensrud. ^[11]

• Fresh
• Whey
• Pasta filata
• Semi-soft
• Semi-firm
• Hard
• Double and triple cream
• Soft-ripened
• Blue vein
• Goat or sheep
• Strong-smelling
• Processed

Fresh, whey and stretched curd cheeses

The main factor in the categorization of these cheese is their age. Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days. A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc

For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and drained, with little other processing. Examples include cottage cheese, Romanian Caş, Neufchâtel (the model for American-style cream cheese), and fresh goat's milk chèvre. Cottage cheese is a Cheese Curd product with a mild flavor It is drained but not pressed so some Whey remains Caş (kaʃ is a type of cheese made in Romania. It is made up by adding Rennet to the fresh milk and after it coagulates the Curd is crushed French Neufchâtel is a soft slightly crumbly mould-ripened Cheese made in the region of Normandy. Cream cheese is a sweet soft mild-tasting white Cheese, defined by the US Department of Agriculture as containing at least 33% Milkfat (as marketed Goat's milk cheese, goat cheese or chèvre ( French for goat) is Cheese made from Goat milk Such cheeses are soft and spreadable, with a mild taste.

Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from the whey discarded while producing other cheeses. Feta ( φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined Curd Cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat's and Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after Milk has been Curdled and strained it is a By-product of the manufacture of Cheese Provencal Brousse, Corsican Brocciu, Italian Ricotta, Romanian Urda, Greek Mizithra, and Norwegian Geitost are examples. Labrousse|Brousses Brousse is the name or part of the name of the following communes in France Brousse Creuse, in the Creuse department Brocciu is one of a few available Cheeses produced from Sheep milk. Ricotta (pronounced in Italian) is an Italian Sheep milk Whey cheese. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Urdă ('urdə is a Romanian Cheese -like dairy product made by reprocessing the whey drained from cheeses such as Caş or Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Brunost is a brown Norwegian Whey Cheese, also popular in Sweden, where it is called mesost. Brocciu is mostly eaten fresh, and is as such a major ingredient in Corsican cuisine, but it can be aged too.

Traditional pasta filata cheeses such as Mozzarella also fall into the fresh cheese category. thumb|right|200px|Mozarella - a type of pasta filata Pasta filata, an Italian term meaning literally ‘spun paste’ refers to a technique in the manufacture of a family of Mozzarella is a generic term for several kinds of originally Italian Cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting (hence the name the Italian verb Fresh curds are stretched and kneaded in hot water to form a ball of Mozzarella, which in southern Italy is usually eaten within a few hours of being made. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Stored in brine, it can be shipped, and is known world-wide for its use on pizzas. Other firm fresh cheeses include paneer and queso fresco. Paneer ( Hindi: पनीर panīr, from Persian پنير panir) is the most common Persian and South Asian Cheese For the Philippine variety see Kesong puti. Queso blanco or queso fresco is a creamy soft and mild unaged white Cheese that

Classed by texture

Categorizing cheeses by firmness is a common but inexact practice. Emmental, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmenthaler is a cheese from Switzerland. The lines between "soft", "semi-soft", "semi-hard", and "hard" are arbitrary, and many types of cheese are made in softer or firmer variations. The factor controlling the hardness of a cheese is its moisture content which is dependent on the pressure with which it is packed into molds and the length of time it is aged.

Semi-soft cheeses and the sub-group, Monastery cheeses have a high moisture content and tend to be bland in flavor. Some well-known varieties include Havarti, Munster and Port Salut. Havarti or Cream Havarti (Fløde Havarti in Danish is semi-soft Danish Cow 's Milk Cheese. Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. SAFR Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurized cow's milk Cheese from Brittany with a distinctive orange crust and a mild flavor

Cheeses that range in texture from semi-soft to firm include Swiss-style cheeses like Emmental and Gruyère. Emmental, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmenthaler is a cheese from Switzerland. Gruyère (Groo-Yair is a hard yellow Cheese made from cow's Milk, named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland, and made The same bacteria that give such cheeses their holes also contribute to their aromatic and sharp flavors. Other semi-soft to firm cheeses include Gouda, Edam, Jarlsberg and Cantal. Jarlsberg cheese is a mild Swiss Emmentaler -style cow's - Milk Cheese that has large irregular holes Cheeses of this type are ideal for melting and are used on toast for quick snacks.

Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content than softer cheeses. They are generally packed into molds under more pressure and aged for a longer time. Cheeses that are semi-hard to hard include the familiar cheddar, originating in the Cheddar Gorge of England but now used as a generic term for this style of cheese, of which varieties are imitated world-wide and are marketed by the length of time they have been aged. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Cheddar is one of a family of semi-hard or hard cheeses (including Cheshire and Gloucester) whose curd is cut, gently heated, piled, and stirred before being pressed into forms. Cheshire (ˈtʃɛʃə cheese is a dense and crumbly cheese produced in the English county of Cheshire, and four neighbouring counties two in Wales Gloucester cheese is a Traditional, Unpasteurized, semi-hard Cheese which has been made in Gloucestershire in England since the Colby and Monterey Jack are similar but milder cheeses; their curd is rinsed before it is pressed, washing away some acidity and calcium. Colby cheese is a Cow 's milk Cheese. It was originally called Colby "Swiss" Cheddar. Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 A similar curd-washing takes place when making the Dutch cheeses Edam and Gouda. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Edam ( Dutch Edammer) is a Dutch Cheese that is traditionally sold as Gouda (ˈgaʊdə or; from Dutch IPA:, or Goudse kaas kaːs "Cheese from Gouda " is a yellow Cheese made from

Hard cheeses — "grating cheeses" such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano — are quite firmly packed into large forms and aged for months or years. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard fat Granular cheese, cooked but not pressed named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Romano cheese is a type of Cheese that is known for being very hard salty and sharp

Classed by content

Some cheeses are categorized by the source of the milk used to produce them or by the added fat content of the milk from which they are produced. While most of the world's commercially available cheese is made from cows' milk, many parts of the world also produce cheese from goats and sheep, well-known examples being Roquefort, produced in France, and Pecorino Romano, produced in Italy, from ewes's milk. Roquefort ( AmE, BrE, French; from Occitan ròcafòrt) is a Sheep milk blue Cheese from the south One farm in Sweden also produces cheese from moose's milk. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Moose milk, also known as elk milk, refers to Milk produced by Alces alces. ^[12] Sometimes cheeses of a similar style may be available made from milk of different sources, Fetta style cheeses, for example, being made from goats' milk in Greece and of sheep and cows milk elsewhere. Feta ( φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined Curd Cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat's and

Double cream cheeses are soft cheeses of cows' milk which are enriched with cream so that their fat content is 60% or, in the case of triple creams, 75%.

Blue-vein

There are three main categories of cheese in which the presence of mold is a significant feature: soft ripened cheeses, washed rind cheeses and blue cheeses.

Soft-ripened cheeses are those which begin firm and rather chalky in texture but are aged from the exterior inwards by exposing them to mold. The mold may be a velvety bloom of Penicillium candida or P. camemberti that forms a flexible white crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged cheeses. Penicillium candida, a mold in the genus Penicillium, is used to make Brie and Camembert Cheeses Penicillium camemberti is a fungal species used in the production of Camembert and Brie Cheeses on which colonies of P Brie and Camembert, the most famous of these cheeses, are made by allowing white mold to grow on the outside of a soft cheese for a few days or weeks. Camembert is a soft creamy French Cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northwestern France. WikipediaManual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English --> Molds (or Goats' milk cheeses are often treated in a similar manner, sometimes with white molds (Chèvre-Boîte) and sometimes with blue.

Washed-rind cheeses are soft in character and ripen inwards like those with white molds; however, they are treated differently. Washed rind cheeses are periodically cured in a solution of saltwater brine and other mold-bearing agents which may include beer, wine, brandy and spices, making their surfaces amenable to a class of bacteria Brevibacterium linens (the reddish-orange "smear bacteria") which impart pungent odors and distinctive flavors. Brine (lat saltus) is Water saturated or nearly saturated with Salt (NaCl Brevibacterium is a genus of Bacteria of the order Actinomycetales. Washed-rind cheeses can be soft (Limburger), semi-hard (Munster), or hard (Appenzeller). Limburger cheese originated in Limburg, which is now divided between modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Munster Fermier is a Cheese that comes from the Alsace region in France dating back to approximately the seventh century Appenzeller cheese is a hard cow's - Milk Cheese produced in the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland. The same bacteria can also have some impact on cheeses that are simply ripened in humid conditions, like Camembert. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. Camembert is a soft creamy French Cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northwestern France.

So-called Blue cheese is created by inoculating a cheese with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. Blue cheese (or bleu cheese) is a general classification of cow's milk sheep's milk or goat's milk Cheeses that has had Penicillium cultures Penicillium roqueforti is a common Saprotrophic Fungus, that is widespread in nature and can be isolated from soil decaying organic substances Penicillium glaucum is a Mold which is used in the making of many types of cheese including the French Blue cheeses Fourme d'Ambert This is done while the cheese is still in the form of loosely pressed curds, and may be further enhanced by piercing a ripening block of cheese with skewers in an atmosphere in which the mold is prevalent. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins which gives them their name, and, often, assertive flavors. The molds may range from pale green to dark blue, and may be accompanied by white and crusty brown molds. Their texture can be soft or firm. Some of the most renowned cheeses are of this type, each with its own distinctive color, flavor, texture and smell. They include Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton. Roquefort ( AmE, BrE, French; from Occitan ròcafòrt) is a Sheep milk blue Cheese from the south Gorgonzola is a veined Italian Blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's Milk. Stilton is a Cheese of England. It is produced in two varieties the well-known blue and the lesser-known white.

Processed cheeses

Processed cheese is made from traditional cheese and emulsifying salts, often with the addition of milk, more salt, preservatives, and food coloring. Processed cheese, process cheese, prepared cheese, or cheese food is a food product made from regular Cheese and sometimes other unfermented A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc A food coloring is any substance that is added to Food or Drink to change its Color. It is inexpensive, consistent, and melts smoothly. It is sold packaged and either pre-sliced or unsliced, in a number of varieties. It is also available in spraycans.

Eating and cooking

At refrigerator temperatures, the fat in a piece of cheese is as hard as unsoftened butter, and its protein structure is stiff as well. A refrigerator (often called a " fridge " for short is a cooling appliance comprising a thermally insulated compartment and a Heat pump - Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Flavor and odor compounds are less easily liberated when cold. For improvements in flavor and texture, it is widely advised that cheeses be allowed to warm up to room temperature before eating. Room temperature (also referred to as ambient temperature) is a common term to denote a certain Temperature within enclosed space at which humans are accustomed If the cheese is further warmed, to 26–32 °C (80–90 °F), the fats will begin to "sweat out" as they go beyond soft to fully liquid. ^[13]

At higher temperatures, most cheeses melt. Rennet-curdled cheeses have a gel-like protein matrix that is broken down by heat. A gel (from the lat gelu &mdashfreezing cold ice or gelatus &mdashfrozen immobile is an apparently solid jelly-like material formed from a When enough protein bonds are broken, the cheese itself turns from a solid to a viscous liquid. Soft, high-moisture cheeses will melt at around 55 °C (131 °F), while hard, low-moisture cheeses such as Parmesan remain solid until they reach about 82 °C (180 °F). ^[14] Acid-set cheeses, including halloumi, paneer, some whey cheeses and many varieties of fresh goat cheese, have a protein structure that remains intact at high temperatures. Halloumi ( Greek: χαλλούμι, Turkish: Hellim, Arabic: حلوم (transl Paneer ( Hindi: पनीर panīr, from Persian پنير panir) is the most common Persian and South Asian Cheese Goat's milk cheese, goat cheese or chèvre ( French for goat) is Cheese made from Goat milk When cooked, these cheeses just get firmer as water evaporates.

Some cheeses, like raclette, melt smoothly; many tend to become stringy or suffer from a separation of their fats. Raclette (raˡklɛt is both a type of Cheese and informally a dish featuring the cheese Many of these can be coaxed into melting smoothly in the presence of acids or starch. Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide Fondue, with wine providing the acidity, is a good example of a smoothly-melted cheese dish. Fondue is a Swiss communal dish shared at the table in an Earthenware pot ( Caquelon) over a small burner ( rechaud) ^[15] Elastic stringiness is a quality that is sometimes enjoyed, in dishes including pizza and Welsh rabbit. Pizza (ˈpiːtsə, in Italian:) is a popular dish made with an Oven -baked flat generally round Bread that is covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based Welsh rarebit, Welsh rabbit, or more infrequently rarebit is traditionally a savory sauce made from a mixture of cheese and various other ingredients and served hot Even a melted cheese eventually turns solid again, after enough moisture is cooked off. The saying "you can't melt cheese twice" (meaning "some things can only be done once") refers to the fact that oils leach out during the first melting and are gone, leaving the non-meltable solids behind.

As its temperature continues to rise, cheese will brown and eventually burn. Browning is the process of becoming Brown, especially referring to Food. Browned, partially-burned cheese has a particular distinct flavor of its own and is frequently used in cooking (e. g. , sprinkling atop items before baking them).

Health and nutrition

In general, cheese supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, and phosphorus. Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Phosphorus, (ˈfɒsfərəs is the Chemical element that has the symbol P and Atomic number 15 A 30-gram (1. 1 oz) serving of cheddar cheese contains about 7 grams (0. 25 oz) of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk: it takes about 200 grams (7. 1 oz) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150 grams (5. 3 oz) to equal the calcium. ^[16]

Cheese potentially shares milk's nutritional disadvantages as well. The Center for Science in the Public Interest describes cheese as America's number one source of saturated fat, adding that the average American ate 30 lb (14 kg) of cheese in the year 2000, up from 11 lb (5 kg) in 1970. The Center for Science in the Public Interest ( CSPI) is a non-profit watchdog and Consumer advocacy group headquartered in Washington D Saturated fat is Fat that consists of Triglycerides containing only saturated Fatty acids Explanation Fat that occurs ^[17] Their recommendation is to limit full-fat cheese consumption to 2 oz (57 g) a week. Whether cheese's highly saturated fat actually leads to an increased risk of heart disease is called into question when considering France and Greece, which lead the world in cheese eating (more than 14 oz/400 g a week per person, or over 45 lb/20 kg a year) yet have relatively low rates of heart disease. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία ^[18] This seeming discrepancy is called the French Paradox; the higher rates of consumption of red wine in these countries is often invoked as at least a partial explanation. The French paradox refers to the observation that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of Coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice

Some studies claim to show that cheeses including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss and American can help to prevent tooth decay. Dental caries is a disease that damages Tooth structures resulting in what is commonly called tooth decay or cavities which are holes in the teeth ^[19][20] Several mechanisms for this protection have been proposed:

• The calcium, protein, and phosphorus in cheese may act to protect tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body and with Dentin, Cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major
• Cheese increases saliva flow, washing away acids and sugars.
• Cheese may have an antibacterial effect in the mouth.

Controversy

Effect on sleep

A study by the British Cheese Board in 2005 to determine the effect of cheese upon sleep and dreaming discovered that, contrary to the idea that cheese commonly causes nightmares, the effect of cheese upon sleep was positive. A nightmare is a Dream which causes a strong unpleasant emotional response from the sleeper typically fear or horror being in situations of extreme danger or the sensations The majority of the two hundred people tested over a fortnight claimed beneficial results from consuming cheeses before going to bed, the cheese promoting good sleep. Six cheeses were tested and the findings were that the dreams produced were specific to the type of cheese. None was found to induce nightmares. However, the six cheeses were all British. The results might be entirely different if a wider range of cheeses were tested. ^[21] Cheese contains tryptophan, an amino acid that has been found to relieve stress and induce sleep. Tryptophan (abbreviated as Trp or W) is one of the 20 standard amino acids, as well as an Essential amino acid in the Human diet ^[22]

Casein

Like other dairy products, cheese contains casein, a substance that when digested by humans breaks down into several chemicals, including casomorphine, an opioid peptide. See Casein paint for information about casein usage in artistic painting Casomorphins are Peptides, ie protein fragments derived from the digestion of milk protein Opioid Peptides are short sequences of Amino acids which mimic the effect of Opiates in the Brain. In the early 1990s it was hypothesized that autism can be caused or aggravated by opioid peptides. ^[23] Based on this hypothesis, diets that eliminate cheese and other dairy products are widely promoted. Studies supporting these claims have had significant flaws, so the data are inadequate to guide autism treatment recommendations. ^[24]

Lactose

Cheese is often avoided by those who are lactose intolerant, but ripened cheeses like Cheddar contain only about 5% of the lactose found in whole milk, and aged cheeses contain almost none. Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize Lactose, a sugar found in Milk and other Dairy products because the required enzyme Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset Lactose (also referred to as milk sugar) is a Sugar which is found most notably in Milk. Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. ^[25] Nevertheless, people with severe lactose intolerance should avoid eating dairy cheese. As a natural product, the same kind of cheese may contain different amounts of lactose on different occasions, causing unexpected painful reactions. As an alternative, also for vegans, there is already a wide range of different soy cheese kinds available. Soy Cheese is a dairy cheese analogue made from Soy, available in many of the same varieties as its dairy counterpart Some people suffer reactions to amines found in cheese, particularly histamine and tyramine. Amines are Organic compounds and Functional groups that contain a basic Nitrogen Atom with a Lone pair. Histamine is a Biogenic amine involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a Neurotransmitter In organic Chemistry tyramine (4-hydroxy- Phenethylamine, para-tyramine p-tyramine is a Monoamine compound derived from the Some aged cheeses contain significant concentrations of these amines, which can trigger symptoms mimicking an allergic reaction: headaches, rashes, and blood pressure elevations. Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy. A headache ( cephalalgia in medical terminology is a condition of pain in the Head; sometimes Neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted A rash is a change of the Skin which affects its color appearance or Texture. Blood pressure is also the title of a short story by Damon Runyan in Guys and Dolls and Other Stories

Pasteurization

A number of food safety agencies around the world have warned of the risks of raw-milk cheeses. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration states that soft raw-milk cheeses can cause "serious infectious diseases including listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis and tuberculosis". Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by a Gram-positive, motile bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Brucellosis, also called undulant fever, or Malta fever, is a highly contagious Zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized Milk Salmonellosis is an Infection with Salmonella Bacteria. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop Diarrhea, Fever Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common ^[26] It is U. S. law since 1944 that all raw-milk cheeses (including imports since 1951) must be aged at least 60 days. Australia has a wide ban on raw-milk cheeses as well, though in recent years exceptions have been made for Swiss Gruyère, Emmental and Sbrinz, and for French Roquefort. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Gruyère (Groo-Yair is a hard yellow Cheese made from cow's Milk, named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland, and made Emmental, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmenthaler is a cheese from Switzerland. Sbrinz is a very hard Cheese produced in central Switzerland. Roquefort ( AmE, BrE, French; from Occitan ròcafòrt) is a Sheep milk blue Cheese from the south ^[27]

Government-imposed pasteurization is, itself, controversial. Some say these worries are overblown, pointing out that pasteurization of the milk used to make cheese does not ensure its safety in any case. Pasteurization is the process of heating Liquids for the purpose of destroying bacteria, Protozoa, Molds and Yeasts The process was ^[28]

This is supported by statistics showing that in Europe (where young raw-milk cheeses are still legal in some countries), most cheese-related food poisoning incidents were traced to pasteurized cheeses. Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease) is any Illness resulting from the consumption of food

Pregnant women may face an additional risk from cheese; the U. S. Centers for Disease Control has warned pregnant women against eating soft-ripened cheeses and blue-veined cheeses, due to the listeria risk, which can cause miscarriage or harm to the fetus during birth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in unincorporated Listeria is a Bacterial Genus containing six species Named in honour of Joseph Lister, Listeria species are Gram-positive ^[29]

World production and consumption

Worldwide, cheese is a major agricultural product. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, over 18 million metric tons of cheese were produced worldwide in 2004. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. This is more than the yearly production of coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans and tobacco combined. CoFFEE is an Open source Software for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL in a digital classroom Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Cocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which Chocolate is made Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. The largest producer of cheese is the United States, accounting for 30 percent of world production, followed by Germany and France.

Top Cheese Producers - 2006 (1,000 Metric Tons)[30]
United States	4,275
Germany	1,994
France	1,858
Italy	1,154
Netherlands	714
Poland	579
Brazil	495
Egypt	462
Argentina	425
Australia	395

The biggest exporter of cheese, by monetary value, is France; the second, Germany (although it is first by quantity). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Among the top ten exporters, only Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia have a cheese production that is mainly export oriented: respectively 95 percent, 90 percent, 72 percent, and 65 percent of their cheese production is exported. ^[31] Only 30 percent of French production, the world's largest exporter, is exported. The United States, the biggest world producer of cheese, is a marginal exporter, as most of its production is for the domestic market.

Top Cheese Exporters (Whole Cow Milk only) - 2004 (value in '000 US $)[32]
France	2,658,441
Germany	2,416,973
Netherlands	2,099,353
Italy	1,253,580
Denmark	1,122,761
Australia	643,575
New Zealand	631,963
Belgium	567,590
Ireland	445,240
United Kingdom	374,156

Germany is the largest importer of cheese. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The UK and Italy are the second- and third-largest importers. ^[33]

Top Cheese Consumers - 2003 (kilograms per person per year)[34]
Greece	27. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία 3
France	24. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 0
Italy	22. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest 9
Switzerland	20. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation 6
Germany	20. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 2
Netherlands	19. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands 9
Austria	19. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich 5
Sweden	17. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. 9

Greece is the world's largest (per capita) consumer of cheese, with 27. Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' 3 kg eaten by the average Greek. (Feta accounts for three-quarters of this consumption. Feta ( φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined Curd Cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat's and ) France is the second biggest consumer of cheese, with 24 kg by inhabitant. Emmental (used mainly as a cooking ingredient) and Camembert are the most common cheeses in France^[35] Italy is the third biggest consumer by person with 22. Emmental, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, or Emmenthaler is a cheese from Switzerland. Camembert is a soft creamy French Cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northwestern France. 9 kg. In the U. S. , the consumption of cheese is quickly increasing and has nearly tripled between 1970 and 2003. The consumption per person has reached, in 2003, 14. 1 kg (31 pounds). Fior di latte (commonly known as mozzarella) is America's favorite cheese and accounts for nearly a third of its consumption, mainly because it is one of the main ingredients of pizza. Mozzarella is a generic term for several kinds of originally Italian Cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting (hence the name the Italian verb ^[36]

Cultural attitudes

Although cheese is a vital source of nutrition in many regions of the world, and is extensively consumed in others, its use as a nutritional product is not universal. Cheese is rarely found in East Asian dishes, as genetic traits impeding the digestion of dairy products are relatively common in that part of the world and hence such products are rare. Asian cuisine is a term used in the West as an umbrella term for the various cuisines of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia and for fusion Dairy products are generally defined as Foodstuffs produced from Milk. However, East Asian sentiment against cheese is not universal; cheese made from yaks' (chhurpi) or mares' milk is common on the Asian steppes; the national dish of Bhutan, ema datsi, is made from homemade cheese and hot peppers and Yunnan cheese is produced by several ethnic minority groups in the Yunnan province of China by mixing water buffalo milk and rice vinegar. The yak ( Bos grunniens) is a long-haired Bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai - In physical Geography, a steppe ( German, from степь - "a flat and arid land" степ - /stɛp/ тал - tal дала - /dɑlɑ/ pronounced The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Rubing ( 乳饼 pinyin rǔbǐng is a firm fresh Goat Milk Cheese made in the Yunnan Province of China by people of the Cheese consumption is increasing in China, with annual sales more than doubling from 1996 to 2003 (to a still small 30 million U.S. dollars a year). The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[37] Certain kinds of Chinese preserved bean curd are sometimes misleadingly referred to in English as "Chinese cheese", because of their texture and strong flavor. Tofu, also (the Japanese Romaji spelling doufu (the Chinese Pinyin spelling often used in Chinese recipes or bean curd (the literal

Strict followers of the dietary laws of Islam and Judaism must avoid cheeses made with rennet from animals not slaughtered in a manner adhering to halal or kosher laws. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Halal (حلال ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term meaning permissible. See also Kashrut Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of Jewish religion ^[38] Both faiths allow cheese made with vegetable-based rennet or with rennet made from animals that were processed in a halal or kosher manner. Many less-orthodox Jews also believe that rennet undergoes enough processing to change its nature entirely, and do not consider it to ever violate kosher law. (See Cheese and kashrut. See also Kashrut Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of Jewish religion ) As cheese is a dairy food under kosher rules it cannot be eaten in the same meal with any meat.

Many vegetarians avoid any cheese made from animal-based rennet. Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea Most widely available vegetarian cheeses are made using rennet produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei. A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Vegans and other dairy-avoiding vegetarians do not eat real cheese at all, but some vegetable-based cheese substitutes (usually soy-and almond-based) are available. The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L

Even in cultures with long cheese traditions, it is not unusual to find people who perceive cheese - especially pungent-smelling or mold-bearing varieties such as Limburger or Roquefort - as unappetizing, unpalatable, or disgusting. Limburger cheese originated in Limburg, which is now divided between modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Roquefort ( AmE, BrE, French; from Occitan ròcafòrt) is a Sheep milk blue Cheese from the south Food-science writer Harold McGee proposes that cheese is such an acquired taste because it is produced through a process of controlled spoilage and many of the odor and flavor molecules in an aged cheese are the same found in rotten foods. Harold McGee is an American author who writes about the Chemistry, technique and history of food and cooking and has written two books on kitchen science Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the break down of tissue of a formerly living Organism into simpler forms of matter He notes, "An aversion to the odor of decay has the obvious biological value of steering us away from possible food poisoning, so it is no wonder that an animal food that gives off whiffs of shoes and soil and the stable takes some getting used to. "^[39]

Collecting cheese labels is called "tyrosemiophilia". ^[40]

In language

In modern English slang, something "cheesy" is kitsch, cheap, inauthentic, or of poor quality. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Kitsch /kɪtʃ/ is a term of German or Yiddish origin that has been used to categorize art that is considered an inferior tasteless copy of an existing One can also be "cheesed off" – unhappy or annoyed. Such negative connotations might derive from a ripe cheese's sometimes unpleasant odor. The odor almost certainly explains the use of "cutting the cheese" as a euphemism for flatulence and the term "cheesy feet" to mean feet which smell. A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener or in the case of doublespeak Flatulence is the production of a mixture of gases in the digestive tract of Mammals that are byproducts of the digestion process The foot is an Anatomical structure found in many Animals It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows Locomotion. A more upbeat use of slang is seen in "the big cheese", an expression referring to the most important person in a group, the "big shot" or "head honcho". This use of the word probably derived not from the word cheese, but from the Persian or Hindi word chiz, meaning a thing. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is ^[41] "Cheese it" is a 1950s slang term that means "get away fast".

A more whimsical bit of American and Canadian slang refers to school buses as "cheese wagons", a reference to school bus yellow. School bus yellow is a Color which was especially formulated for use on United States School buses in 1939 Subjects of photographs are often encouraged to "say cheese!", as the word "cheese" contains the phoneme /i/, a long vowel which requires the lips to be stretched in the appearance of a smile. A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an Image created by Light falling on a light-sensitive surface usually Photographic film or an electronic Say "cheese" is an instruction used by Photographers who are having difficulty getting their subject to Smile. The phoneME project is Sun Microsystems reference implementation of Java virtual machine and associated libraries of Java ME with source licensed under the GNU The close front unrounded vowel is a type of Vowel sound used in many spoken Languages The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents In Linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a Vowel sound This article is about the facial expression For the typographical symbol see Smiley. ^[42] People from Wisconsin and the Netherlands, both centers of cheese production, have been called cheeseheads. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands "Cheesehead" can refer to A nickname (sometimes used derogatorily referring to a person from either Canada, Wisconsin or the This nickname has been embraced by Wisconsin sports fans – especially fans of the Green Bay Packers or Wisconsin Badgers – who are often seen in the stands sporting plastic or foam hats in the shape of giant cheese wedges. The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay Wisconsin. Bleachers redirects here For the novel see Bleachers (novel. Bleachers is a term used to describe the raised tiered stands found

See also

• List of cheeses
• Soy cheese

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

• University of Guelph Food Science Cheese Site
• Cheese Making Illustrated — The science behind homemade cheese.
• The Complete Book of Cheese, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Cheese.com — includes an extensive database of different types of cheese.
• Cheese at the Open Directory Project
• Cheese Guide & Terminology — Different classifications of cheese with notes on varieties. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory
• Fromagedumois — A U. S. -based Blog about different world cheeses, with an emphasis on region and preparation.

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