The Book of Cheese

by Charles Thom; W. W. Fisk

8⅓ ounces sirloin steak.
11¼ ounces round steak.
11¼ ounces chuck rib beef.
10¾ ounces fowl.
5½ ounces fresh ham.
5 ounces smoked ham.
6 ounces loin pork chop.
7⅓ ounces hind leg of lamb.
12¾ ounces breast of veal."

335. Digestibility of cheese.—Although it has been a staple food with many races for uncounted years, there is a widespread belief that cheese is suitable for use chiefly in small quantities as an accessory to the diet, and that in large quantities it is likely to produce physiological disturbances. The question of digestibility was made the subject of a special investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture.[147] Calorimeter experiments[148] were made to test the digestibility of several varieties of cheese and some of these varieties at various stages of ripening. All forms of cheese were found to be digested as completely as most of the usual forms of food. Approximately 90 per cent of the nitrogenous portion (casein) was retained in the body. Unripe cheese in these experiments was apparently digested as completely as the ripened forms. These experiments make clear the possibility of making cheese a more prominent article in the regular dietary than is usual in America. They especially point to the desirability of the use of the skim and partially skim cheeses, which as cheap sources of protein when properly combined with other foods, may be made to replace meats as a less costly source of proteins. Cheese is then to be classed with meat and eggs, not with condiments. An ounce of Cheddar[149] cheese roughly is equivalent to one egg, to a glass of milk, or to two ounces of meat. It is properly to be combined with bread, potatoes and other starchy foods, lacking in the fat in which the cheese is rich. These experiments included Roquefort, fresh-made and ripe Cheddar, Swiss, Camembert and Cottage cheese.

336. Cheese flavor.—"Cheese owes its flavor to the fatty acids and their compounds which it contains and to ammonia-like bodies formed during ripening from the cleavage of the casein, to salt added to the curd, and in some varieties, like Roquefort, to bodies elaborated by molds which develop in the cheese. In the highly flavored sorts some of the fatty acids of a very marked odor are present in abundance, as are also the ammonia-like bodies. Indeed, in eating such cheese as Camembert a trace of ammonia flavor may often be plainly detected.

"The cleavage of the nitrogenous material of the cheese and other changes are brought about chiefly by the action of enzymes originally present in cheese or by micro-organisms and are to be regarded as fermentative and not as putrefactive changes.

"The liking for highly flavored cheeses of strong odor is a matter of individual preference, but from the chemist's standpoint there is no reason for the statement often made that such cheeses have undergone putrefactive decomposition."

337. Relation to health.—In connection with the use of cheese as a food, its relation to the health of the consumer must be considered. The presence of the bacillus of tuberculosis in milk has led to careful study of its possible presence in cheese. When American Cheddar cheese was specially inoculated for this purpose, the living organism was recovered from it after about five months by Schroeder of the United States Department of Agriculture. This danger is much greater from cheeses, such as Cream and Neufchâtel, which are eaten when comparatively freshly made. The disease has been produced in guinea pigs from such cheese often enough to emphasize the desirability of developing methods of making every variety possible from thoroughly pasteurized milk. This would remove the danger of tuberculosis and with it eliminate the possibility of transmitting other diseases.

338. Cheese poisoning[150] cases occasionally occur. These take two main forms: (1) an enteritis (caused by Bacillus enteritidis) or some other member of that series which while painful and accompanied by purging is rarely fatal; (2) acute toxæmias which, although rare, usually result in death. From the latter type a variety of Bacillus botulinus, an organism usually associated with meat poisoning, was isolated by the New York State Department of Health. The occurrence of such cases is frequent enough to emphasize the desirability of using every precaution to reduce the number of bacteria that are allowed to enter milk when drawn and to prevent the development of those which actually gain access to it. When possible, pasteurization should be introduced.

339. Proper place in the diet.—It has already been noted that cheese is used "in general in two ways—in small quantities chiefly for its flavor and in large quantities for its nutritive value as well as for its flavor. Some varieties of cheese are used chiefly for the first purpose, others chiefly for the second. Those which are used chiefly for their flavor, many of which are high priced, contribute little to the food value of the diet, because of the small quantity used at a time. They have an important part to play, however, in making the diet attractive and palatable. The intelligent housekeeper thinks of them not as necessities, but as lying within what has been called 'the region of choice.' Having first satisfied herself that her family is receiving sufficient nourishment, she then, according to her means and ideas of an attractive diet, chooses among these foods and others which are to be considered luxuries.

"Those cheeses, on the other hand, which are suitable to be eaten in large quantities and which are comparatively low priced are important not only from the point of view of flavor, but also from the point of view of their nutritive value." Among such cheeses are American Cheddar, Swiss, Brick, Limburger and the lower priced forms of Neufchâtel.

It is clear that in buying cheese, the housekeeper should know definitely the dietary purpose of the purchase, and then choose the variety of cheese best suited. To a very large degree the personal tastes of the family determine the kinds of cheese which will be tolerated when served uncooked. In some families, the strong flavors of Roquefort or Limburger are not acceptable. However, there is a range of choice in which much judgment can be used. Cheese to be served with mild-flavored foods should as a rule be also mild-flavored. For most sandwiches, for example, Cheddar or Swiss is usually very acceptable; Brick or partly ripe Limburger still hard enough to slice cuts into thin rectangular slices and is very attractive to many consumers because it has somewhat more flavor without being too strong. With proper handling it is good policy to buy the cheapest of these forms for this purpose. The selection of dessert cheeses offers the widest range. If served with mild-flavored crackers, very many persons prefer Cream, Neufchâtel or mild Cheddar; a little stronger taste calls for club cheese, or Camembert. If tobacco smoke is present, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Limburger and related types will satisfy many consumers better than mild cheeses. The intensity of flavor to be sought in the cheese should thus be adjusted to the food served with it. A person with an aversion to strong-smelling or strong-tasting cheese has been frequently known to approve over-ripe Camembert, or Limburger when served without label but spread upon a ginger cracker.