Understanding Cheese

There is no universal system for identifying cheeses. instead, every cheese-producing country has its own system using technical terms such as semi-hard, semi-cooked, pressed uncooked, smear-ripened, or washed-curd that are all but meaningless, and confusing, to cheese lovers.

The way it works is that the amount of moisture, or whey, that is left in the cheese determines not only the texture of the interior, or paste as it is often called, but also the type of rind and molds the cheese will grow. there is the odd exception that crosses two of these categories, but most are very obvious.

The editor-in-chief’s system identifies seven different types of cheese:

Fresh, Aged Fresh, Soft White, Semi-soft, Hard, Blue, and Flavor-added.

Using this system, with just a glance and a gentle squeeze you can categorize 99 percent of the cheeses you meet, whether from a French market, a new York cheese shop, or elsewhere. With a little practice, you can assess a cheese’s basic character, strength of flavor, how it will behave when cooked, and even its ripeness and quality.

Denomination and Designation of Origin

Some cheeses have legally protected names linked to their provenance. certifying the origin of a cheese recognizes its terroir (French) or tipicità (Italian), acknowledging that the unique character of each traditionally made food is a result of a complex interaction of soil, plant life, and climate combined with traditional production methods and raw materials—a combination that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

In 1666, Roquefort was the first cheese to be protected by law, the forerunner for the AOC system in France.
In 1666, Roquefort was the first cheese to be protected by law, the forerunner for the AOC system in France.

There are various national systems, such as the French AOC (appellation d’Origine contrôlée) and the italian DOC (denominazione d’Origine controllata), as well as the european community-created PDO (Protected designation of Origin) for traditional regional wines and food made throughout the ec.

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