Behold the Power of Cheese

Jonathan Deutsch

CS322

Prof. Austin Lee

What makes cheese?

• Milk

• A “culture”

• A “coagulant”

• Salt

Cheese is Cultured

• Instead of going to the theatre to get its culture, cheese has bacteria added to it– Louis Pasteur isolated the Streptococcus

lactis bacterium which was used as the first cheese starter culture

– Buttermilk bacterium:

What’s a coagulant?

• A bacteria or enzyme that helps to change “liquid” cheese to a solid state– Originally found in plants

• Butterworts, artichokes, etc.

– Also found in the fourth stomach of “milk-fed” cows

• In 16th Century Scotland, farmers would clean the fourth stomach carefully and hang it to dry for a day, then soak it in a salt solution and add it directly to cheese

Salt in cheese? Mmm…mmm…

• Amount depends on type of cheese– Hard pressed:

• Added to stop acid production from bacteria

– Brine-salted cheese:• Cheese is added to a salt/water bath strong

enough to float the cheese, causing it to absorb the salt

– Soft cheese:• Helps add a rind to cheese

Popularity of Cheese

• Americans LOVE cheese– In 1906 the average cheese consumption was:

• Five pounds per person per year

– In 2000 the average cheese consumption was:• THIRTY pounds per person per year

Types of Cheeses

• English Cheeses– Cheddar – white to pale yellow– Double Gloucester – creamy yellow color

• French Cheeses– Brie – “The Queen of the Cheeses”– Camembert – soft, white-mold cheese– Munster – dark yellow, strong flavor– Roquefort – blue-mold

Types of Cheeses

• German Cheeses– Limburger – smelly, white cheese

• Dutch Cheeses– Edam – semisoft-hard cheese– Gouda – like Edam, but sweet and nutty

• Italian Cheese– Mozzarella – pure white, made from water buffalo &

cow’s milk• Swiss Cheese

– Gruyere – smaller holes than typical Swiss cheese, used in fondues

What did you learn?

What is the name of the bacteria used to culture cheese?

Streptococcus lactisWhat ingredients are used to make cheese?

Milk, culture, coagulant, saltHow many pounds of cheese does the average

America eat?Thirty pounds per year

What is the “Queen of the Cheeses”?French Brie

Cheese Racing

• A game invented in the United Kingdom in answer to this question:– What happens when you throw a piece of

individually wrapped cheese on a BBQ grill without removing the plastic?

– The Answer:• The plastic apparently does not melt although the

cheese does. The plastic wrapper inflates and finally pops, after the cheese inside has completely incinerated.

Resources

• iGourment.com - Types of Cheese

• USDA - American Cheese Consumption

• History of Cheese

• Cheese Racing

• How to Make Cheese

BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE!