“Filled” Cheese is made by substituting lard in place of the cream of the milk. Ten pounds of such cheese contains about 1 pound of lard. This product is largely made in some sections, and is chiefly sold in the South or exported.
Classification of Cheese.
Cheese made in New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin has the first “Call” in the New York Mercantile Exchange. “Fancy” must be full cream, perfect in flavor, close made, well cured, of uniform color and perfect surface. “Fine” is the next grade below—must be also full cream, clean flavor, etc. “Known Marks” or Factory Cheese may not be full cream. “Western Cheese” “Shall include those of all States not mentioned above and shall be classified as fancy, fine, and known marks, but they may not be full cream.”
Imported Cheese.
Swiss Cheese comes from Switzerland, and more of this is imported than of all others combined. Next stands Edam from Holland. The delicious Roquefort Cheese, made in France, from ewes milk and kept in mountain caves to ripen, stands third in the list of imported cheeses, and Parmesan stands fourth; it is made from skimmed milk, the curd hardened by a gentle heat. This and SBRINZ cheese are used for soups—grated. Gorgonzola is a fine, rich, Italian cheese, each weighing about ten pounds. Other good Italian cheeses are made from the milk of the buffalo which feed on the Roman Campagna. Stilton is the finest of English cheeses. It is made from full milk with added cream. It improves with age, and is best when at least two years old. The Cheddar, Cheshire and Queen’s Arms are other varieties of good English cheese.
Eggs.
Eggs are cheap and substantial food. The white is mostly albumen, while the yolk is two-thirds oil. Turkeys eggs are pronounced the best in flavor. Guinea hens eggs are excellent, and keep well on account of their thick shells. Goose eggs are larger, whiter, and less esteemed. Duck eggs are bluish, and less desirable than hens eggs. Eight hens eggs weigh a pound.
A fresh egg feels heavy in the hand and is semi-transparent before the light. Its large end feels warm to the tongue. The older it is, the less pleasant and nutritious it becomes. If it stands upright in water it is bad; if obliquely it is not quite fresh. If it lies at the bottom it is quite fresh. An egg begins to lose flavor a few hours after it has been laid.
Lard.
Good, pure lard should be white, should melt without ebullition or sputtering, be almost as clear and white as water, and not deposit any sediment. It is composed of oleine 62 parts, stearine 65 parts. The fat of the hog taken from around the kidneys and the layers over the ribs is called “Leaf lard” and is better, firmer and will stand warm weather better, than lard made from the entire fat of the animal.