How to Identify Cheese Families

Distinguish the different characteristics exhibited by the hundreds of varieties of cheese by classifying them into various families and types. Cheese spans the world and is historically prized for its storage life, ease in transporting, and nutritional qualities. Different regions developed unique qualities and characteristics for their special cheeses depending on the milk source, technique of aging or curdling and spices or flavors used. Identify the various cheese families by the following steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Notice the texture of the cheese. Types of textures include soft, firm, hard, crumbly, paste and fresh soft. Soft cheeses with a rind divide further by the type of rind including natural, washed or flowery rind. Moisture content reflects in the texture of the cheese with the soft cheeses having a high content.
2. Locate the milk source used in the cheese. Study the label to read the animal that produced the milk. Mammals used in cheese products include goats, cows, sheep, yaks and others. Different milk sources influence the smell and taste of the cheese.
3. Look at the flavors added. Spices, smoking and flavor additives change the final flavor of the cheeses. Flavor for many cheeses derives only from the aging or curing process, not from adding flavors.
4. Observe the color of the cheese. The blue cheese family has blue veins integrated throughout the cheese. This veining results from the use of penicillin in the ripening process. Types of blue cheese include Stilton and Roquefort.
5. Smell the odor of the cheese. Strong smelling cheese types exude an extreme odor. This odor runs the gamut from earthy to rotting. Examples of this cheese type include Limburger and Livarot.
6. Read the fat content. Double and triple cream cheese families have extremely high fat content. Categorizing as a double cream requires a fat content of 60 percent and triple cream requires 75 percent. Due to the high cream content, the texture is velvety and smooth.
7. Note the process or method of creating the cheese. The process affects the resulting look, texture and taste. The processing includes ripening, cooking, pressing, mold injection and growth, curdling and smoking.