Maybe you had a glass of milk for breakfast. But where is it now? What happened?
The glass of milk triggered a fascinating reaction in the digestive system. Did you know that the stomach reacts to milk in a way that is almost similar to the stages of making cheese? In fact, cheese production is an artificial digestive process, a complete imitation of what happens in the stomachs of humans and animals that drink milk.
What does the stomach do with milk
Although her glass of milk was white in color, it actually looked more like a mixed salad, a variety of mixed ingredients. Whole milk consists of almost 90% water. The other tenth is fat or cream with proteins and minerals. When you ingest this mixture, your stomach will be designated to secrete two powerful enzymes called rennet and pepsin. This quickly leads to the breakdown of milk and its dissolution into its basic elements. They are then distributed throughout the body to build new tissue, convert it into energy or, unfortunately, be stored as fat! Your body can only benefit from milk after primary fractionation in the stomach with rennet and pepsin. This digestive tract is also common in animals that drink milk. Science classifies all creatures that drink and digest milk as mammals.
Knowing this will help you better understand how cheese was made and what developments have made the art updated. A common story of origin is reminiscent of using the stomachs of dry animals as a flask or container for liquids. An Asian traveler tried to store milk in that container. The enzymes rennet and pepsin, which are still present in the mammal's stomach, separated the milk into solids and water, quark and whey. When the thirsty traveler opened his skin to drink his milk, a simple cheese was presented to him. Closer to our time, American settlers placed a small piece of beef in a bowl of warm milk to suffocate.
Today's cheese producers use a mixture of rennet and pepsin that is extracted from the calf's stomach. It is produced in commercial laboratories. When a small amount of these enzymes is placed in a milk container, the container becomes what we call a giant stomach. Within half an hour, the milk solids were released from the water into the milk and coagulated to form a semi-solid like a large yogurt. This dough is cut into small, uniform pieces and then heated gently to separate the curd from the whey, ie H. It promotes milk solids from water to milk. Almost all known types of cheese are produced in this way.
Why the different flavors and textures?
The different bacterial cultures that are also added to the milk are responsible for different types of cheese taste, aroma and texture. These bacteria are microscopic plants that feed on solid milk and produce certain acids. Some bacteria produce certain acids and give rise to different types of cheese. For example, a crop is used to promote the slightly sweet taste of Swiss cheese. It also has the familiar holes or eyes in this cheese. Another bacterium is used in cheddar cheese. And some unique cultures give cheese a true individuality: Roquefort, Limburger, Camembert. As cheese hardens or ages, these bacteria and their corresponding acids affect the curd, now the body of the cheese, in predictable ways to develop the typical cheese taste and properties.
But why does a cheese sometimes taste different than a cheese of the same name bought at a different time? The art of cheese is subject to many variables and influences. Whether they are produced by large companies or small dairy products, cheeses vary from time to time. And if you make a lot of cheeses at home, you will too. Every small change in the milk, bacterial culture or process changes the finished product. Making cheese with a uniform taste, batch by batch, requires careful control.
Cheese aging
How long does it take to age or mature? The ripening of cheese is well illustrated by the ripening of a peach. The peach may be normal in size, but it is still hard, green, and very bitter when you first pick it. Gradually it turns yellow, softens and becomes juicy. If the peach is not eaten soon, it will not be edible. What day is the peach ready? It mainly depends on who you ask. A person likes his fishing on the firm side; another prefers mild and cloudy. And no one can understand how the other eats like that. The same goes for cheese; but the maturation period is obviously much longer.
The ripening temperature is the critical factor. Cheese ripens much faster at higher temperatures. If Monterey cheese is ripe in a warmer room, it can be delicious in just six weeks. At lower temperatures it may take three months for the green phase to come out. Swiss cheese can be eaten in just eight weeks and is very tasty. Or it can take four to five months before another Swiss cheese is tasted, depending on the temperature at which it has matured. Stronger cheddar cheese can have a shelf life of up to three years, and it is generally accepted that cheese does not improve significantly after three years of aging. Softer cheeses generally require less aging, so they generally cost less, while more distinctive cheeses age and you pay more for them.
Learn how to have fun
Good cheese can be expensive. However, your taste for cheese is not that you can buy gourmet varieties. Another thing can add even more.
Whenever you can, allow the cheese to come to room temperature before consuming it. For example, if you eat cold cheese straight out of the fridge, you can smell it in your mouth, but it's not that easy to taste it fully. Take out of the refrigerator for about an hour per pound, but keep the cheese tightly wrapped so that it does not dry out. Don't worry about destruction. At room temperature, it would take several days to destroy the cheese. Although it is a dairy farm, its natural makeup contains enough acids to inhibit the growth of organisms that can cause destruction.
Before trying your cheese, discover its aroma. Over time, your sensitivity to various scents increases, as do other sensitive foods. Your nose acts like a whip and sends delicious reports to your salivary glands. You see, the first inhalation is part of the meal and can increase your eating pleasure.
Now take a little. Chew slowly. Don't rush to swallow. Think about the taste when cheese evokes different emotions on the tongue. Is it salty? Creamy? Acute? Would you like? Because? Correlate aroma with taste. Let yourself be expressed in words; helps formulate impressions in your head. No one is likely to pay for your ability to judge cheese, but you are often rewarded for liking the foods you eat more.