3 things you don't know about cheese - but should

And lots more cheesy stuff

Italian cheese aficionado, Eleonora Baldwin, and I chatted all about cheese, mostly Italian. Here's the cheese information you need to know.

Italian cheese

Italy has more kinds of cheese than any other country in the world. There are over 600 DOP and IGP cheeses, which means there is a regulatory agency behind each cheese that governs its production process and locale. Additionally there are hundreds of other cheeses that aren't DOP or IGP.
There are four kinds of milk - cow, sheep, goat and water buffalo - and these milks can be combined together to produce still more kinds of cheese.

"You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese” Anthony Bourdain

The Cheese-making process

Warm the milk

All cheese is made basically the same way. First you warm fresh milk from the udder up to the body temperature of the animal – about 37°C.

Add a coagulent to the warmed milk

Next you add an enzyme or coagulant (usually an animal or vegetable rennet that favors coagulation). There are all kinds of non-animal product coagulants: the liquid made from soaking wild thistle fronds or the white, milky, bitter-tasting liquid from fresh fig leaves, and many others. After coagulation you have a curd, something that resembles a big pudding or Jell-O.

Cut the cheese curd

The next step is to cut this curd into large or small pieces depending on the cheese you are making. What you’re left with is solid and liquid. When you drain away the liquid what remains is cheese.

Transformation of the curd into cheese

Up to this point basically all cheese is the same and it's at this point that cheese makers begin to work their magic and transform cheese into something unique and delicious. This can be how long you age the cheese, or how (for example aging cheese in red wine or aging in ash). Or it can be something like adding wonderful molds to create delicious Gorgonzola and other blue cheeses.

“Cheese is milk’s leap towards immortality” Clifton Fadiman

Vegan cheese

A rapidly developing cheese-making field is cheese made from plant-based milks like cashews and almonds. These cheeses are a favorite among vegans but they are also becoming increasingly popular for sustainability reasons. Cheese made from cows and sheep that belch up methane gas have a negative effect on earth's greenhouse gases.

3 things you don't know about cheese..but should!

1. Cheese should never be refrigerated

Start by buying less cheese so your cheese has a short shelf life. If you keep cheese for a long time then it should be refrigerated. Get in the habit of buying less and buying frequently.

Best ways to store cheese

• In a wooden box, away from sunlight. If you have a wooden wine box you can use it.
• Use a cheese globe, or even your covered cake platter
• Wrap the cheese loosely in cheesecloth, paper or oven paper. The cheese won't dry out and it'll be able to breathe. If a little mold forms just scrape it off. BUT: if your cheese smells like ammonia then you should throw it out.
• Use an inverted wide open-mouthed glass jar.

2. Any cheese aged over 60 days is lactose free

This is good news for anyone who is lactose intollerant. It means now you can dig into all the delicious dishes you've been denying yourself like Cacio e Pepe.

3. Eat cheese at the end of the meal

To favor digestion cheese is best served at the end of the meal, instead of dessert. This is common practice in England and France, and in parts of Northern Italy.

More about Italian cheese

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Pecorino cheese: what is it anyway?
Molise artisanal organic cheese producer: Alba Farm
Buffalo Mozzarella and a Buffalo Mozzarella & Medieval hill-town day trip

Delicious Italian cheese recipes

Supplì al telefono, Roman-style stuffed rice balls
Cacio e Pepe with Pear Slivers
Parmesan Gelato (recipe in my Substack subscriber-only newsletter)
Gorgonzola, gorgonzola, gorgonzola!
* Gorgonzola and roast figs
* Spaghetti with Gorgonzola and Sage

Do you have a comment or something you'd like to share with me? Scroll down to the very, very end of this page to reach the Please Leave Your Comment section.
I'd love to have your feedback and questions!

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