CLASSIFICATION OF CHEESE.

                               CHEESE

We all know that cheese is a dairy product which is derived from coagulation of milk from cow, buffalo, goat, etc. Every cheese has different texture, appearance, and flavor. Cheese contains proteins and fats and is considered as a healthy food. There is something about cheese that makes it so popular. No doubt that it is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. ranging from dips, sauces, to sandwiches, pizzas, and quesadillas. 

 CLASSIFICATION OF CHEESE:

Cheese can be classified on the basis of their texture, colour, and source from where they are obtained:

ON THE BASIS OF THE TEXTURE THEY ARE CLASSIFIED AS:

1.FRESH CHEESE:-

Fresh cheese are coagulated by the action of lactic acid fermentation in the milk instead of adding rennet.

Some examples of fresh cheese are- Mascarpone , ricotta, quark, cottage cheese(paneer) and cream cheese.

2.SOFT CHEESE:- 

These are ripened for a very short period of time before being drained and put into molds. These type of cheese have a good content of water and they loose a lot of flavor when cooked or heated.

The examples of soft cheese are -camembert, brie, munster, coulommiers, Epoisses.

3.FIRM AND SEMI FIRM CHEESE:-

These are uncooked pressed cheeses that are dense and semi hard in texture and pale yellow in color. there texture is usually firm.

The examples of such cheese are-gouda, montery jack, edam, cheddar, cantal, etc.

4.HARD CHEESE:-

Hard cheese are savory, dense, firm. They can be divided into two categories: hard and semi hard. It is made by separating and draining most of the whey before pressing the curd and the cheese is aged for between 2 and 36 months .the more it is aged the more flavor it has.

The examples of hard cheese are-manchego, pecorino romano, parmesan, grana-padano, etc.