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The A-Z of Cheese
A – Annato, the natural yellow colourant obtained from the seeds of the Bixa orellana tree and used to colour some cheeses
B- Breybibacterium Linens, the mould sprayed on the surface of washed rind cheeses such as Munster and Livarot to develop the reddish orange colour and characteristic flavour
C – Cendré, vine leaf ash used to cover some goats’ milk cheeses such as Valencay to give it a bluish hue
D – Dolcelatte, (sweet milk) the milder version of Gorgonzola, containing 50% more milk fat, and made from the milk of one milking
E – Epoisses, the smelliest of French cheese, also known as "The Colonel" because of the raffia strings around – originates from Burgundy
F – Fermier, French term for cheese produced on farms according to traditional methods
G – Grana, generic term for Italian hard grating cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Pedano
H – Hokkaido, the first indigenous cheese made in Japan and still the most popular
I – Italico, a decree made by Mussolini in 1941 which designates a range of Italian soft cheeses such as Rabiola and Robbiolini
J – Jack, the nickname for Monterey Jack cheese of which Americans eat 106 million kilograms per year
K – Karpaïtski, the most popular cheese in Ukraine
L – Lunebeg, made in the Voralberg province of Austria and the only cheese in the world flavoured and coloured with saffron
M – Manchego, Spain’s oldest cheese made from sheep’s milk and Don Quixote’s favourite
N – Nielsen, the surname of Hanne who invented the most famous Danish cheese, Havarti
O – Ost, the Scandinavian word for cheese
P – Parmesan, the term used for grating type cheeses which do not have the quality of the original Pamegiano Reggiano made around Parma
Q – Queso, the Spanish word for cheese
R – Rennin, the milk-curdling enzyme in rennet, found in the stomach lining of ruminants and used in cheese making to coagulate the milk
S – Starter, the everyday word for the cultures added to milk to "start" the process of fermentation in cheese making
T – Turophile, a person who loves cheese
U – Ulloa, a traditional Galician cheese and the only cheese in the world which name starts with a "U"
V – Vat, the most important piece of equipment in cheese making, usually made of stainless steel and surrounded by a hollow jacket filled with water or steam
W – Washed curd cheese, developed in New York whereby the curd of hard cheese is washed before salting, resulting in a moister, open and softer cheese
X – Xaintray, the original goat's milk cheese in France, made in the town with the same name
Y – Yunnan, China’s oldest cheese made in the high plateaus of the Yunnan province
Z – Ziegenkäse, ziege being the German word for goat helped to create the generic name for all goats’ milk cheeses in Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany