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| Cheese Tidbits: Categorizing Cheese and Tasting
Tips Type of Milk: Cow's milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk. Climate, country and differences in diet create nuance in flavors. Processing Method: Fresh - usually un ripened and packed into tubs or crocks (cottage, cream cheese, ricotta) Ripened but Un pressed - quick-ripened (1 month) by surface molds; allowed to drain naturally (Brie, Point L'Eveque) Uncooked but Pressed - pressed and ripened from 2 to 18 months (Gouda) Cooked & Pressed - cooked, then molded, heavily pressed and then ripened for up to 4 years (Cheddar, Parmesan, Pecorino) Texture: Very soft - fresh, spoonable Soft - neither cooked nor pressed, spreadable Semi soft - pressed, can or cannot be pressed, firm but moist, sometime crumbly Semi hard - cooked and pressed, sliceable Hard - cooked and pressed, very firm, can be both sliced and grated Shape: Wheel, sphere, rectangle square, roll, or drum Color: Cheese colors can range from white to yellow to chocolate brown in various shades. Color is created by the length of ripening along with how much butter fat is present. Typically, the longer the ripening, and the more butter fat content, the darker the cheese. Rinds: Dry Natural Rinds - are formed by the curds on the edge of the cheese as it dries out. Soft White Bloomy Rinds - have a thin or thick growth of white mold on surface. Washed Rinds - a smeary bacterial growth washed by water, wine, or brine. Cheese Tasting Tips: Tasting Cheese is a little like tasting wine. Pay attention to color and texture, swish it around in your mouth and see how your different taste receptors respond to the nuances in the cheese and experiment with pairing cheeses with wines, beer or other spirits. Have fun and enjoy! Limit selection to between three and five cheeses to avoid palate fatigue. Think about a regional or categorical themed tasting. Serve cheese from the mildest to the strongest, soft to firm. Serve a variety of texture, taste and appearance, contrasting creamy with firm. Please the eye with different colors and shapes and accompaniments. Keep accompaniments simple, such as bread, figs, grapes, olives, nuts or dried fruits and in some cases cured meats If you serve crackers, serve a low-salt choice but it is preferable to use a nice, fresh, sliced baguette. Taste cheeses at room temperature Sample cheese from its center to its rind. Cheeses taste different at their core, or its paste (or páte) |