The Book of Cheese

by Charles Thom; W. W. Fisk

Analytical Tabulation of Groups
Section I. Cheeses with sour milk flavor only (Eaten fresh). (Soft cheeses 45 to 75% water)	Page
1. Curdled by souring, Cottage cheese and itsallies in America, many related varietiesin Europe	[90]
2. Curdled by souring and rennet—the Neufchâtel group	[95]
a. Skim—Skim-milk Neufchâtel	[105]
b. Part skim to whole milk—American orDomestic Neufchâtel	[106]
c. With fat added—the cream cheeses ofthe Neufchâtel group (both Americanand European)—such as Cream, Gervais,Malakoffs, etc.	[108]
Section II. Cheeses ripened. Subsection A. Soft cheeses (40 to 50% water).
1. Curdled by souring, heated, then ripened.
Hand cheese, Pennsylvania pot cheese, Harz, etc.	[112]
2. Curdled by souring, and rennet, ripened.
Ripened (French) Neufchâtel	[114]
3. Curdled primarily by rennet.
a. Ripened by mold—Camambert, Brie and their allies.	[117]
b. Ripened by bacteria.
* Made from soft or friable curd —d'Isigny, Liederkranz, etc.	[134]
** Made from firm or tough curd —Limburger and allies.	[139]
Subsection B. Semi-hard cheeses, firm, well-drained.
(38 to 45% water)
a. Curd not cooked, ripened by molds.
* Made from friable curd—Roquefort	[150]
** Made from firm or toughcurd—Gorgonzola, Stilton andsuch French forms as Gex, Septmoncel	[158]
b. Curd cooked and ripenedby bacteria,—brick, Munster, Port du Salut (Oka)	[164]
Subsection C. Hard cheeses, cooked and pressed (30 to 40% water)
a. Ripened without gas holes.	[164]
1. Dutch—Edam, Gouda.	[173]
2. Danish.	[173]
3. The Cheddar group.
* English—Cheddarand numerous related forms known principally in Great Britain	[184]
** American—the factory Cheddar ofrelated forms United States and Canada	[173]
b. Ripened with the development ofgas holes.	[164]
* Holes large—Swiss-Emmenthal Gruyère, American Swiss.	[173]
** Holes small—Parmesan and related varieties.	[173]

Such a classification brings together series of products in which there is essential similarity in the final output, however great the differences in manipulation. It does not consider all varieties and specialties. Some of these groups are important enough to demand special mention.

105. Processed cheeses.—Cheese of any group may be run through mixing and molding machines and repackaged in very different form from that characteristic of the variety. In such treatment, the texture and appearance may be so changed as to give the effect of a new product. Substances (such as pimiento) are added to change the flavor. Or the product may be canned and sterilized with equally great change of flavor and texture. One thus finds Club made from Cheddar; Pimiento from Cream, Neufchâtel or Cheddar; similarly olive, nut and other combinations are made. The possible variations are numerous.

106. Whey cheeses.—Several products bearing cheese names are made from whey. These take the forms of the recovery of the albumin and casein separately or in a single product, and the recovery of the milk-sugar either alone or with the albumin. Whey cheeses have been especially developed by the Scandinavian people, although some of them have their origin in the south of Europe. Certain of these varieties are produced on a limited scale in America.

There are a number of forms fairly widely known that are difficult to place in this scheme of groups. Among these are Caciocavallo, Sap Sago.

107. Soft and hard cheeses.—Another commonly used classification makes two groups: (1) soft cheeses; (2) hard cheeses. In such a classification the semi-hard group presented here is included with the soft cheeses. Some cheeses of this group are soft in texture. This is correlated with high water-content, high fat-content or both together.

108. Relation of moisture to classes.—In this classification the water-content reflected in the texture of the cheese assumes first place. To carry the analysis somewhat further by showing the correlation between water-content and certain factors, a tabulation of well-known varieties of typical groups is presented (Table III). In this table the series of typical dairy products are first arranged according to water-content of the final product. Approximate limits of percentages of milk-fat are also given, because milk-fat frequently affects texture to a degree almost equal to water. Column 4 gives the period within which the more quickly perishable cheeses are usable, and the length of the ripening for the more solid forms. The correlation between water-content, texture and the time of keeping is clearly shown for most varieties.

TABLE III

Correlation Water- and Fat-Content with Ripening
Variety of	Per Cent Water	Per Cent Fat	Period Required	Ripening Agent
Cheese: Soft,
Cottage	70	trace	a few days	Bacteria
Skim Neufchâtel	70	trace	a few days	Bacteria
Neufchâtel	50-60	12-28	a few days	Bacteria
Camembert	50	22-30	3-5 weeks	Molds
Cream cheese	40-50	35-45	a few days	Primarily bacteria
Semi-hard:
Limburger	40-45	24-30	3-6 months	Bacteria
Roquefort	38-40	31-34	3-6 months	Mold
Brick	37-42	31-35	3-6 months	Bacteria
Hard:
Cheddar	30-39	32-36	6-12 months	Bacteria
Swiss	31-34	28-31	9-18 months	Bacteria and yeasts
Parmesan	30-33		2-3 years	Bacteria

The soft cheeses are quickly perishable products. Bacteria and molds find favorable conditions for growth in products with 45 to 75 per cent of water. If such growth is permitted, enzymic activities follow quickly with resultant changes in appearance, texture, odor and taste. Refrigeration is necessary to transport such cheeses to the consumer, if properly ripened. Trade in these forms may continue throughout the year in cool climates and in places where adequate refrigeration is available. Practically, however, outside the large cities this trade in America is at present limited to the cold months; inside the large cities much reduced quantities of these cheeses continue to be handled through the year.