1. Lesson Plan: Culinary Arts C15-2
Identify Cheeses
Lesson Plan: Culinary Arts C15-2

2. Anticipated Problems What are the different cheese varieties?
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?

3. Terms aging bleu mold ripened cheese Brie Camembert cheese cheese food
Edam
ferment
feta
firm ripened cheese

4. Terms fresh cheeses fromage Gorgonzola Gouda grating cheeses
hard ripened cheese
Havarti
Limburger
mascarpone
origin control designation

5. Terms Parmesan rind ripened Romano Roquefort semi-soft ripened cheese
Stilton
unripened

6. What are the different cheese varieties?
1. Cheese (fromage in French) is a product of milk or cream curds that are drained and often allowed to ferment (a chemical change due to the introduction of bacteria).
2. The USDA defines cheese food as
“…[Pasteurized and prepared in much the same manner as processed cheese except that it contains less cheese, with nonfat dry milk or whey solids and water added. This results in a lower milk fat content and more moisture than in processed cheese. Cheese food is milder in flavor, has a softer texture, spreads more easily and melts quicker than processed cheese due to the higher moisture. The most popular variety is pasteurized processed American cheese food that is packaged in slices, rolls, links, and loaves.”

7. What are the different cheese varieties?
B. Cheese characteristics
1. Cheese flavors, body, and texture characteristics are due to the:
a. Kind of milk used
b. Method used for curdling the milk and for cutting, cooking, and forming the curd
c. Type of bacteria or molds used in ripening
d. Amount of salt or other seasonings added
e. Conditions of ripening (e.g., temperature, humidity, and length of time)

8. What are the different cheese varieties?
2. Aging is the process of literally keeping cheese in a proper environment for periods of time, from months to years.
It is an important element in cheese production and is essential for developing flavor and texture.
The more the cheese ages, the more moisture is evaporated, which makes the cheese harder.
Aged cheese is ripened— properly held, developed, and ready for eating.

9. What are the different cheese varieties?
3. Cheeses are often categorized by type of milk.
a. Cow’s milk—cottage, ricotta, mozzarella, Brie, Camembert, Limburger, brick, Muenster, cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Swiss, Parmesan, Romano, bleu, Gorgonzola, and Stilton
b. Sheep’s milk—Roquefort
c. Buffalo’s milk—mozzarella
d. Goat’s or sheep’s milk—feta

10. What are the different cheese varieties?
C. Origin control designation
1. Some natural cheeses have an origin control designation (the cheese must meet specific standards to be labeled in a certain way) that is often based on the country and region where the cheese is produced.
2. Many origin control designations are easy to identify as the cheese name is capitalized.
For example, to use the following cheese names, the cheese must be produced in the region:
a. Brie, Camembert, Muenster, and Roquefort—France
b. Edam and Gouda—Netherlands
c. Gorgonzola, Parmesan (Parma), Provolone, and Romano (Rome)—Italy
d. Stilton and Cheddar—England
e. Havarti—Denmark
f. Gruyère, Swiss, Emmenthal—Switzerland
g. Limburger—Belgium
h. Munster—Germany (Alsace)
i. Colby—Wisconsin

11. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
A. Primary cheese varieties
1. Unripened cheese
a. As a group, unripened or fresh cheeses (not aged, young) have the mildest flavors, the softest textures, and the lightest colors; they are typically the least expensive cheese to purchase.
b. Young cheeses are prized for mild flavor, and they include:
(1) Cottage
(2) Cream
(3) Feta—a crumbly, white salty cheese that is cured in brine and valued in Greek cuisine
(4) Mascarpone—an Italian version of cream cheese that is soft, creamy, a bit sweet, and creamy in color; the basis for the classic dessert Tiramisu
(5) Mozzarella (fresh mozzarella is soft and white)
(6) Ricotta

12. 2. Soft and semi-soft ripened cheese
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
2. Soft and semi-soft ripened cheese
a. Like young cheese, soft ripened cheese is soft in texture, but as it has aged, it has a more developed taste and texture.
While virtually all cheese is ripened from the inside–out, some soft cheeses are ripened from the outside–in.
They are dipped in brine, and the cheese develops inward, giving the cheese an outer chewy, firm, edible whitish texture called a rind.
Cheeses with rinds are usually soft.
Soft cheeses tend to be off-white to pale yellow.

13. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
b. The two most famous soft cheeses come from France and represent classic cheeses ripened from the outside–in: Camembert and Brie.
Camembert (Kãm-m-bâr) and Brie (Br) cheeses are extremely similar in appearance and taste.
Both have an outer chewy rind, covering a tender gooey creamy colored cheese inside.
Another well-known soft cheese made in a traditional way is Limburger (named for Limburger, Belgium; a fine product is also available from Wisconsin) that is notable for its pungent odor and strong taste; it is soft and smooth when ripened and usually contains small, irregular openings.
Limburger is made from whole milk curds kneaded with chives, parsley, and tarragon.
Then it is molded and dried in the sun.

14. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
c. Semi-soft ripened cheese is aged a bit longer than soft cheese but is still generally mild in flavor.
Notably firmer than soft cheese, semi-soft cheese is still comparatively soft and cuts easily into slices.
Semi-soft cheeses range in color from creamy whites to very pale oranges.
Semi-soft cheese is firm and includes:
(1) American
(2) Brick
(3) Havarti—semi-soft cheese from Denmark that exemplifies the mild flavor and tender texture of this type of cheese; often flavored with herbs or smoked
(4) Munster
(5) Port du Salut (Por-dü-Sã-lü)

15. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
3. Firm ripened cheese
a. Firm ripened cheese is cheese that is compact and smooth in texture with some mechanical openings; mild to very sharp in flavor; and white to medium-yellow-orange in color.
b. Firm ripened cheeses
(1) Cheddar
(2) Colby
(3) Edam is a mellow, mild, nutty flavored, yellow Dutch cheese usually formed in flattened balls with a red wax coating.
(4) Gouda is a Dutch cheese similar in taste to Edam, but it contains more fat.
(5) Provolone
(6) Swiss
(7) Gruyère

16. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
4. Hard ripened cheese
a. Hard ripened cheese is cheese that is aged (many months to two years), dried, and sometimes pressed to make it hard and brittle.
Hard cheese has a more intense flavor and a firmer texture than firm cheese.
It keeps for a long time.
A longer aging process results in a harder cheese with a more intense flavor.
Grating cheese is the hardest and most brittle in texture, so hard and intense in flavor that it is generally served grated rather than sliced or cubed.
Hard cheese ranges in color from pale yellow to rich bright orange.

17. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
b. Hard cheeses
(1) Parmesan cheese is aged for 14 months to 2 years and has a very sharp, piquant (spicy and provocative) flavor; it is lower in moisture and milk fat than Romano and is used sparingly.
(2) Romano cheese is aged for 5 to 12 months and has a very sharp, piquant flavor; a hard, granular texture; and is typically used sparingly in food dishes.

18. 5. Bleu mold ripened cheese
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
5. Bleu mold ripened cheese
a. Bleu (or blue) mold ripened cheese is some of the most intensely flavored cheese.
b. Bleu cheese is commonly creamy whitish in color with notable bluish-green “veins” running throughout it.
Some varieties are more pronounced in their blue-green color and generally have stronger flavors—tangy, peppery, sharp, and piquant.

19. What are the primary cheese varieties
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?
Bleu mold ripened cheeses include:
(1) Gorgonzola is a mild bleu cheese from near Milan, Italy.
(2) Roquefort is the world famous medium to strong flavored bleu cheese from Roquefort, France.
(3) Stilton is an English bleu cheese with a particularly strong smell and flavor.

20. Review What are the different cheese varieties?
What are the primary cheese varieties? What specific cheeses are included in each variety?