Cheese is a food that is very popular and famous both for children to the elderly. Who doesn’t like cheese? This dairy product has a distinctive taste and can arouse appetite. How to make cheese is also quite easy, because only need to separate the solid milk through a thickening process. These cheeses of course also have their own varieties to be used according to your needs and desires. Because cheese itself has a variety of ingredients and mixtures of manufacturing techniques so that each cheese has unique characteristics from other cheeses. And on this occasion we will review some popular and easy-to-find cheeses for you to use as ingredients to make food more delicious.
1. Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese
The name of Cheddar cheese was apparently taken from its place of origin in England, namely the Cheddar village in Somerset. Is one cheese that is quite popular in Indonesia, this cheese is categorized into hard cheese. Usually, this cheese is used as the main ingredient for making snacks or food.
The age of Cheddar cheese can be indicated by its color. The young Cheddar cheese looks ivory white with a slightly soft texture, while the old ones have a yellow color and a tougher texture.
2. Parmesan Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
One cheese that is quite famous. This cheese comes from Parma, Italy and is made from cow’s milk. The manufacturing process varies from 3 months to 12 months. The texture of Parmesan cheese is quite dense, but this cheese is more often sold in a powder version and used as a sprinkling of cheese for a variety of foods.
The shape is round like a drum with pale yellow outer skin. The aroma of this cheese tastes sweet like fruit and the taste is not too sharp.
3. Edam Cheese
Edam Cheese
Not much different from Cheddar cheese, the naming of this cheese was also taken from its home region, Edam, which is located in the Netherlands. The appearance of the cheese is very distinctive because it has a round shape just like an apple and a bright red outer shell made of paraffin or wax. For those of you who want to go on a diet, Edam cheese can be the right choice because the fat content in this cheese is much lower when compared to other types of cheese.
Edam cheese tends to be odorless and has a soft taste so it is not too fierce on the tongue. The use of Edam cheese is often found in fruit mixes or a sprinkling of cookies.
4. Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Who doesn’t know mozarella cheese? This type of cheese is certainly very familiar to you because it is often found in various food outlets throughout Indonesia. Originally from Italy, this cheese is made from a mixture of cow or buffalo milk which is processed to produce a soft and soft texture.
Therefore, the best time to serve Mozarella cheese is when the dish is still warm. Generally, Mozarella cheese is used as a topping in the main menu such as pizza, lasagna or eaten together with sliced tomatoes and basil.
5. Stilton Cheese
Stilton Cheese
Some cheeses use bacteria or fungus to help the cheese making process go along. One of them is Stilton cheese from England, with a bluish pattern formed from the pasteurization process with the addition of mushrooms. In general, stilton cheese has thick, dense and wrinkled skin.
On its surface, there are small holes that result from needle sticking to expel air. The bluish complexion on the meat will be more prominent if the cheese is old enough. Young Stilton cheeses tend to be more brittle and pale in color.
6. Chevre Cheese
Chevre Cheese
Not only using cow or buffalo milk, the process of making cheese can also be done with goats. Produced from France, this type of cheese has a slightly sour taste due to the fermentation of goat milk in a fairly long time. The texture of the Chevre cheese is also slightly moist and soft.
Usually, this cheese is more often used to supplement foods such as sandwiches or crumbled salads.
7. Camembert Cheese
Camembert Cheese
Aside from Chevre cheese, France is also the place of origin of Camembert cheese. After being certified in 1983, the cheese production process can only be done in the Normandy area. This cheese has several similarities with other cheeses, starting from the manufacturing process and taste. Even so, the flavor of salted Camembert cheese with butter is slightly stronger than Brie cheese.
The outer skin of Camembert cheese is coated with white fungus and sometimes has red spots on its surface. This cheese has a soft texture and is quite soft because it can easily melt when in contact with heat. Therefore, this cheese is also often served as a spread.
8. Gouda Cheese
Gouda Cheese
The making of Gouda cheese begins with the heating of heated cow’s milk to produce a separate curd, this cheese has a sweet taste because the content of lactic acid has been lost. The process of storing cheese is done with salt water in order to produce a distinctive taste. The duration of storage will determine the level of sweetness and crispness of Gouda cheese. This type of cheese fermentation process lasts for 4 weeks to one year.
This type of cheese has a slightly hard but crispy texture when eaten while still hot. It tastes savory and creamy and its serving can be melted like mozarella cheese. Gouda cheese is widely served for salad or casserole toppings.
9. Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese is a kind of soft-textured cheese that is similar to butter. Slightly different from cheese in general, Cream Cheese does not undergo a process of ripening or fermentation first. Therefore, Cream Cheese is very melted and tastes a little sweet and sour.
Cream Cheese is often found in an up or tube-shaped container that is ready for use. However, you can also find this type of processed cheese in the form of rectangular pieces such as Cheddar cheese on the market.
10. Cheese Spreads
As the name suggests, this type of cheese is served as a food spread ingredient. You can find Cheese Spread in the form of a jar and aluminum box. Although it looks similar to Cream Cheese because they are both served by smearing, the two processed cheeses are not the same.
Cheese Spread is different from Cream Cheese because it can be consumed or spread for sandwiches and toast. Its fat content is also lower so it is healthier than Cream Cheese. Cheese Spread can also be used as ingredients for bakery, cake and pastry dough.
11. Emmental Cheese
Emmental Cheese
The first time you see this cheese, you will agree that Emmental cheese has a hollow shape which is the iconic shape of cheese in general. This cheese produced from Switzerland has a savory taste that can be adjusted because it’s not too salty. Making cheese is done with the addition of bacteria to help the fermentation process. Well, the holes in the body of the cheese turned out to be produced from carbon dioxide gas from the bacterial mixture.
The holes can also indicate the level of Emmental cheese maturity. The bigger the hole formed, it means that the cheese made will be more cooked. Generally, this cheese is used as a complement to a layer of cheese burger, sandwich, fondue or casserole.
12. Blue Cheese
Blue Cheese
At first glance, this cheese has an outer appearance similar to Stilton cheese with a bluish complexion. Danish Blue Cheese or also known as Danablu, is processed cheese originating from Denmark. This cheese is quite popular in the world, especially in the North American region, because of its strong and distinctive taste. Blue Cheese is made using cow’s milk.
The end result of this cheese has a texture that is quite soft, slightly moist, with ivory to yellow and dark bluish patterns that are well known. For those who want to try it for the first time, they should get ready with the quite sharp smell of Blue Cheese.
Well, those are 12 of the most popular and easy to find cheeses to make our food even more delicious. Thank you, hopefully this article can add insight and knowledge to us all.
