Bushra Griffith
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows or goats, but also from sheep, buffalo, camels, or other mammals. The milk is collected from dairy farms and taken to a cheese plant, where it is checked and tested for quality and purity. It is then standardised, with the addition of fat, cream, or protein, and pasteurised to kill bacteria. Cheesemakers also add a coagulant, such as rennet, to help the milk turn into curds, and salt to enhance flavour and regulate moisture content.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Milk | Cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, camel, horse, yak, moose |
| Coagulant | Acid, rennet |
| Salt | Added to most cheeses |
| Bacteria | Added to some cheeses |
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What You'll Learn
- Milk from cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, camels, and other mammals is used to make cheese
- Rennet, an enzyme complex, is added to help the milk turn into curds
- Salt is added to most cheeses to enhance flavour and regulate moisture content
- Some cheeses are made from more obscure types of milk, such as camel's milk, horse milk, or yak's milk
- Starter cultures are added to the milk to help with curdling, preservation, and flavour development
Milk from cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, camels, and other mammals is used to make cheese
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows, but also from goats, sheep, buffalo, camels, and other mammals. The milk is collected from dairy farms and taken to a cheese plant, where cheesemakers check the milk and take samples to ensure it passes quality and purity tests. The milk is then filtered and standardised, with more fat, cream, or protein added as needed to create a consistent base for the cheese.
Cow's milk is the most common type of milk used to make cheese because it is widely available and has optimal amounts of fat and protein. It is used to make Swiss, cheddar, gouda, and other cheeses. Sheep's milk is also used to make cheese, despite not being commonly drunk due to its high lactose content. Roquefort, feta, petit basque, and manchego are all made using sheep's milk. Goat's milk lends a distinctive tangy flavour to cheeses like Le Chevrot and French Bucheron.
Even more obscure types of milk can be used to make regional specialty cheeses. For example, camel's milk is the basis for caravane cheese, first produced in Mauritania. Other cheeses can be made from horse or even yak's milk.
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Rennet, an enzyme complex, is added to help the milk turn into curds
Cheese is made with milk from cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, camels, or other mammals. The type of milk used can differ from cheese to cheese. For example, Swiss, cheddar, and Gouda are made using cow's milk, while Roquefort, feta, petit basque, and manchego are made using sheep's milk. Goat's milk lends a distinctive tangy flavour to cheeses like Le Chevrot and French Bucheron. More obscure types of milk can be used to make regional specialty cheeses, such as camel's milk for caravane cheese in Mauritania, or horse or yak's milk.
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Salt is added to most cheeses to enhance flavour and regulate moisture content
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows or goats, but it can also be made from the milk of sheep, buffalo, camels, horses, yaks, and even moose. The milk is collected from dairy farms and taken to a cheese plant, where it is checked for quality and purity. It is then standardised by adding more fat, cream or protein, and pasteurised to kill any bacteria.
Cheese also requires a coagulant, which helps the milk turn into curds. The coagulant may be a type of acid or, more commonly, rennet. Rennet is an enzyme complex that is genetically engineered through microbial bioprocessing. Traditional rennet cheeses are made with rennin, an enzyme that is naturally produced in the stomachs of calves and other mammals to help them digest milk.
Salt is added to most cheeses to enhance their flavour and regulate moisture content, which affects their texture.
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Some cheeses are made from more obscure types of milk, such as camel's milk, horse milk, or yak's milk
Cheese is usually made with cow's milk, but it can also be made with milk from sheep, goats, buffalo, camels, and other mammals.
Some cheeses are made from more obscure types of milk, such as camels' milk, horse milk, or yaks' milk. Camel milk is similar to cow milk in terms of lactose, proteins, fats, and minerals, but it is more difficult to make cheese with it than with the milk of other dairy animals. Camel milk is the basis for caravane cheese, first produced in Mauritania, and for Camelicious, a company in Dubai that began selling camel's milk cheese in 2013. It produces three varieties, meant for salads, sandwiches, and cooking. There is also a British-produced camel milk cheese, and an Australian company that makes a camel milk marinated Persian Feta-style cheese.
Horse milk has been used to make cheese for over 2,000 years, with Caciocavallo being a common Italian cheese made from it. It is also used to make Kashkaval in the Balkan region. Mares' milk cheese is made by a master cheesemaker in the UK, and has a unique, slightly flowery taste.
Yak milk has a good fat content for cheese, at about 7%. Churtsi is a yak cheese made in Bhutan, and Rajya Metok is a mild-tasting Tibetan yak cheese. While the sale of yak cheese to the West has increased household incomes in the Himalayas, some in the FAO have expressed concern that yak calves are being deprived of milk and suffering a higher infant mortality rate.
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Starter cultures are added to the milk to help with curdling, preservation, and flavour development
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows, but also from sheep, goats, buffalo, camels, and other mammals. The milk is collected from dairy farms and taken to a cheese plant, where it is checked and tested to ensure it passes quality and purity tests. It is then standardised by adding more fat, cream or protein to ensure a consistent base for the cheese. The milk is then pasteurised to kill any dangerous bacteria.
To turn the milk into cheese, a coagulant is added to help it turn into curds. The coagulant is usually rennet, an enzyme complex that is genetically engineered through microbial bioprocessing. Rennet is meant to replicate rennin, an enzyme that is naturally produced in the stomachs of calves and other mammals to help them digest milk.
Finally, salt is added to most cheeses to enhance their flavour and regulate moisture content, which affects their texture.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows, but also from goats, sheep, buffalo, camels and other mammals.
Rennet, an enzyme complex, is added to milk to help it turn into curds. Salt is also added to most cheeses to enhance their flavour and regulate moisture content.
Rennet is genetically engineered through microbial bioprocessing. Traditional rennet cheeses are made with rennin, an enzyme that is naturally produced in the stomachs of calves and other mammals to help them digest milk.
