Baby Bell Cheese: A Comprehensive Guide To Its Uniqueness

Babybel is a brand of small, snack-sized cheese products that are individually packaged and available in various flavours. The original Babybel cheese is an Edam-style, semi-soft cheese with a delicate, nutty flavour. It is made using traditional Edam-making processes, with the only difference being that Babybel uses rennet from vegetarian sources. Babybel cheese is made from pasteurised milk, rennet, lactic ferments, and salt, and is naturally lactose-free.

Babybel is an Edam-style cheese

Babybel Original is a semi-soft cheese with a delicate, nutty flavour. It is creamy and crunchy, making it perfect for cheese and crackers. It is also a good source of calcium and protein. The cheese is wrapped in the brand's signature red wax coating, which is actually a blend of coloured paraffin and microcrystalline wax. This wax coating is inside a cellophane wrapper made of wood pulp, cotton, or other vegetation.

The Babybel brand is owned by Le Groupe Bel (French for 'The Bel Group'), a company with roots in the Jura region of France, started by Jules Bel in 1865. Half of the global production of Mini Babybel takes place in Évron, a commune in the northwest of France. The product first hit the shelves in 1977, so Gen X through millennials have fond memories of breaking open a mini Babybel cheese wheel at snack time.

It is made using traditional Edam-making processes

Babybel Original is a semi-soft, mild, creamy, and delicious snack cheese. It is made using traditional Edam-making processes, with a few key differences. Firstly, Babybel is made with pasteurised milk, while traditional Edam cheese can be made with either pasteurised or unpasteurised milk. In addition, Babybel uses rennet from vegetarian sources, rather than animal sources, making it suitable for lacto-vegetarians. The other ingredients used in Babybel cheese are salt and lactic ferments.

The process of making Babybel cheese involves the following steps:

• Pasteurisation: The milk is heated to a high temperature to kill any harmful bacteria and prolong its shelf life.
• Addition of Rennet: The vegetarian rennet is added to the milk to curdle it and form solid curds.
• Cutting and Heating the Curds: The curds are then cut into smaller pieces and heated to release more moisture, which helps to create a firmer texture.
• Draining and Pressing: The curds are drained of excess whey and then pressed to form a solid cheese wheel.
• Salting: Salt is added to the cheese to enhance flavour and act as a preservative.
• Aging: The cheese is then aged for a short period, typically a few weeks to a few months. This step gives Babybel its mild flavour and semi-soft texture.
• Waxing: Finally, each small cheese wheel is coated in a blend of coloured paraffin and microcrystalline wax, which helps to preserve the cheese and gives Babybel its signature red coating.

The traditional Edam-making process involves similar steps, but with some variations. For example, traditional Edam cheese is often aged for longer periods, resulting in a harder texture and more pronounced flavour. Additionally, the waxing process may differ, as traditional Edam cheese is typically coated in a plain paraffin wax, while Babybel has its distinctive red coating.

Overall, Babybel cheese is a convenient and tasty snack that is made using time-honoured techniques with a few modern twists. The use of pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet makes it accessible to a wider range of consumers, while the waxing and packaging ensure that it is portable and easy to enjoy on the go.

Babybel is 100% real cheese

Babybel is a brand of small, snack-sized cheese products that are individually packaged and available in various flavours. The original flavour is mild, creamy, and nutty, and pairs well with crackers and pretzels. It is a semi-soft cheese with a smooth and creamy texture and small holes throughout, giving it a light and airy bite.

The Babybel brand is owned by Le Groupe Bel (French for 'The Bel Group'), a company with roots in the Jura region of France, started by Jules Bel in 1865. Half of the global production of Mini Babybel takes place in Évron, a commune in the northwest of France. In the United States, Le Groupe Bel produces Mini Babybel in Kentucky and South Dakota. The company has 12,700 employees in 30 subsidiaries worldwide and continues to expand its production facilities.

Babybel's unique packaging consists of a netted bag, with each piece of cheese encased in a blend of coloured paraffin and microcrystalline wax. This wax coating, along with the cheese's perfectly round shape, has become iconic and is loved by consumers of all ages.

It is made with pasteurised milk, rennet, lactic ferments, and salt

Babybel Original is a semi-soft, mild, creamy, and delicious snack cheese. It is made using just four ingredients: pasteurised milk, rennet, lactic ferments, and salt. The use of pasteurised milk means that Babybel is 100% real cheese, rather than a processed cheese product. Pasteurised milk is milk that has been heat-treated to kill off harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella. This heat treatment also extends the shelf life of the milk, making it ideal for use in cheese production.

The second ingredient, rennet, is a crucial component in the cheesemaking process. Rennet is a complex mixture of enzymes that are typically produced in the stomachs of ruminant animals, such as cows, sheep, and goats. These enzymes act on milk proteins to cause them to coagulate, separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey. In the case of Babybel, the rennet used is sourced from vegetarian origins, making the cheese suitable for lacto-vegetarians.

Lactic ferments are the third ingredient in Babybel cheese. These are bacteria that are added to the milk to initiate the fermentation process. These bacteria convert lactose, the natural sugar found in milk, into lactic acid. This process not only adds flavour to the cheese but also helps to preserve it.

The final ingredient, salt, is added to enhance the flavour of the cheese and to act as a preservative. Salt helps to draw moisture out of microorganisms, preventing their growth and spoilage of the cheese. It also contributes to the characteristic savoury taste of Babybel.

Babybel is a product of Le Groupe Bel

Babybel is known for its packaging, consisting of a netted bag in which each piece of cheese is encased in a blend of coloured paraffin and microcrystalline wax, inside a cellophane wrapper made of wood pulp, cotton, or other vegetation. The signature red wax coating is perhaps what makes Babybel so iconic. The cheese is also available in other wax and wrapper colours, including light green and white, light green and red, black, purple, yellow, brown/orange, turquoise, green, magenta, and black.

Babybel is a semi-soft cheese with a delicate, nutty flavour. It is creamy and crunchy, making it perfect for cheese and crackers or as a pairing with pretzels. It is a wonderful snack during a workday or as a surprise in a school lunch. The cheese is 100% real cheese, with no artificial growth hormones, colours, flavours, or preservatives. It contains 4g of protein and is a good source of calcium.

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