cheese | Musings

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast!

Even to those of us who aren’t fans of Italian food, the names of Italian Cheeses (at least a few of them!) are probably familiar. Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan are famous Italian cheeses, known by many people throughout the world. However, these three are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Italian cheeses. Italy is the fourth largest cheese producing country in the world and there are estimates that Italy actually has over 450 varieties of cheese.

In this article, we will see very briefly the origins of cheese production in Italy followed by some examples of Italian cheeses belonging to different categories of cheese.

Where it all began

Nobody actually knows where or when cheese production began. Milk was almost certainly consumed many thousands of years ago, ever since humans started domesticating animals. In the Biblical book of Genesis, for example, Abel, one of the first humans to have ever lived, is reported to have offered some of his flock as sacrifices to God.

Basic cheese is made by curdling milk using enzymes from animals’ stomachs. Animals’ stomachs themselves were used as storage and transportation containers for animal products. So more than likely, at some point in history people realized that milk being contained in animals’ stomachs was starting to turn into cheese.

Over time cheese production developed. People began to devise methods to extract rennet (the enzyme-containing substance in animal stomachs that curdles milk) and use it to make cheese. Gradually, different types of cheese were produced using variations on the basic method. As time went by people also discovered that by allowing the cheese to mature in different ways, also resulted in different types of cheese.

In any case, there are different ideas and claims about the origin and early development of cheese, but one thing is for sure, that by the time of the Roman Empire, cheese making was a well-spread art!

Roman Cheese Spread

Obviously, due to its size and high level of civilization the Roman Empire had many lasting effects on human society. Cheese was a popular food during Roman times and as a result, its consumption spread to many places, which had been conquered by the Romans and where previously cheese making was not so well-developed.

More so than this, cheese being a popular Roman food led to the discovery throughout Italy of many techniques that could be used to produce all sorts of different cheeses. Over the centuries these cheese making processes have been refined and added to, resulting in the modern-day diversity of types of cheeses available in Italy.

It’s all in a name

Classification of cheeses is a difficult business. One method used is based on the firmness of the cheese. In this case, soft cheeses refers to those that haven’t undergone a maturing process. The most famous example of this in terms of Italian cheese is mozzarella. This cheese is literally the product of the basic cheese making process and this is reflected in its name, which means ‘little cut’, as in a little cut off the curdled milk.

A variation on mozzarella is burrata. This is another Italian soft cheese, made in exactly the same way as mozzarella, except that it is filled with butter or cream. This then explains the name as in Italian burrata means ‘buttered’.

A final cheese worth mentioning in this category is Bocconcini. This cheese is in essence simply small balls of mozzarella. In Italian, its name simply means ‘small mouthfuls’.

Moving on up the scale

The problem with the firmness scale as a measure for categorizing cheese is that firmness is a very subjective quality. There’s an obvious difference between something that is soft and hard. But in between, it’s hard to say if something is harder or softer. This in preciseness means that it is debatable where different cheeses go in the classification and different terms such as semi-soft, medium-hard, semi-hard are employed.

In any case, a cheese which is most certainly harder than mozzarella, but not hard compared to some other cheeses, is Gorgonzola. It is an Italian blue cheese, which means that it is matured in such a way as to allow mold to develop, thus giving the cheese a blue element to its color and a very distinctive flavor. The name Gorgonzola comes from a town near Milan, which claims to be the origin of this cheese.

Finally, we reach the hard cheese category, the king of which is Parmigiano-Reggiano. Quite possible you have never heard of this cheese, but actually, you probably have, just under a different name. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the true name for Parmesan cheese. In fact, according to European Law, the name Parmesan can only be used to describe Parmigiano-Reggiano, whereas in other parts of the world Parmesan is often the name for various different cheese that are approximations of Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is a very hard cheese, so much so that although it can be eaten on its own, it is usually added to pasta, soups or salads by grating. It has a strong flavor, so is a seasoning for these other foods. The name refers to Parma and Reggio Emilia, which are the two main areas of Italy in which it is produced.

Only the beginning

In this article, we have seen a little about the origins of cheese in Italy and we have very briefly become acquainted with a few of the most famous names in Italian cheese. There really are many more Italian cheeses, which we can discuss on another occasion. Just to mention a few in passing to whet your appetite before we close though:

Asiago, a semi-hard cheese, which is good for grating in its aged form and in sandwiches when fresh.

Caciocavallo is a medium-soft cheese produced in a manner similar to mozzarella except that the cheese is formed into balls and tied in twos after production. These pairs are then hung to dry and mature. This is possibly the origin of the name which translates as “horse cheese”, as the cheeses are saddled up and left to age. The cheese itself has a sharp taste.

Provolone is another cheese produced using the same method as mozzarella, except that the final product is semi-hard due to the cheese being left to age. For provolone dolce (sweet provolone) the aging process is two to three months and for provolone piccante (sharp or spicy provolone) the process is at least four months. This cheese has a claim to fame as it is the cheese used in the USA in Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches.

Tofu: A cheese like no other!

To be or not to be is a famous question once posed by Hamlet in the annuals of English literature (I can definitely recommened being!).

A cheeselover could somewhat rephrase the question and ask themselves to cheese or not to cheese. A slightly odd sounding sentence in English, but we could put it another way and ask, when is a cheese not actually cheese.

The answer to these condundrums is in any case, Tofu.

Tofu is a product very like cheese, but it is actually made from soya milk, which in turn is obtained from soya beans. Tofu is thus bean cheese if you will!

A Vegetable Beginning

Soya beans (or soybeans if you prefer!) are a crop that originated in East Asia. Interestingly, the beans themselves are not edible in their natural form, but can be processed in a number of ways to produce a plethora of different food products.

One such product is Soymilk. This is made by soaking and then grinding soybeans in water. The mixture is then heated and the pulp residue from the beans is filtered out leaving a milk like liquid hence Soymilk!

This Soymilk can then be treated and used just like animals’ milk thus ‚cheese’ can be produced.

Bean Cheese

Cheese is formed when milk is treated in such a way as to extract the solid protein from the liquid part of the milk. In much the same way, Soymilk can also be processed in order to extract the solid protein from the liquid part thus producing something analogous to cheese.

There are three ways to get the solid protein to come out of the Soymilk solution. One is by adding certain enzymes. Secondly, some edible acids will do the trick and thirdly, salts can be used (we’re talking magnseium or calcium chloride or calcium sulphate here, not your standard table salt, sodium chloride!).

Traditionally at least, salt is used (in particularly calcium sulphate) and it’s not hard to imagine that an accidental or experimental mix of Soymilk and one such salt was what gave rise to the discovery of bean cheese in the first place!

Acids are less popular as they tend to leave an aftertaste and the discovery of different enzymes that can coagulate Soymilk is a much more recent thing.

Once one of the above mentioned coagulates has been added to the Soymilk a gel is formed which consists of solidified protein from the Soymilk suspended in the liquid part of the Soymilk.

This gel is then drain and pressed in order to extract moisture and leave the remaining solid. In cheesemaking, this solid that results from extracting protein from milk is called ‚curd’ so that’s why the product here is often known as Bean Curd.

Otherwise Known as Tofu

This Bean Curd is better known as Tofu.

The English name Tofu comes from the equivalent Japanese name for this Bean delight, which in turn comes from the original Chinese name ‚Doufu’, literally meaning curdled bean (a spot on name then!).

Soybeans are a very popular crop, especially in Asia as they are highly nutritious. In particularly, they are full of protein which makes them an ideal food for a vegetarian diet, which comes in handy as many of the Eastern religions promote such a thing!

Much of this nutrititive value is passed on to Tofu. This makes Tofu a good cheese substitute as it contains plenty of protein. It is also low in calories (fat) and in salt (compared to many cheeses which are full of salt as this is an important preservative which stops them going off) not to mention containing other nutrients such as calcium or magnesium depending on how it has been made.

A Cheese of Many Uses

So the most basic questions is what can Tofu be used for? Well, you’d be surprised!

Obviously, the most simple answer is that it can just be enjoyed as it is! There are many different types of Tofu. Ranging from super fresh, which can be simply the curded Soy milk without even having the whey seperated out, to soft, firm and very firm versions. It can be flavoured by adding different ingredients (I can recommened Avocado powder!) There even exist dried, frozen, dried- frozen versions, not to mention the fact that the skin formed when heating Soy milk (Tofu skin or Yuba) can also be extracted, and in and of itself has many uses!

In the west, Tofu is often seen as a meat substitute because of its high protein content. It is indeed true that firmer Tofu’s can be used as an alternative to meat in, for example, Kebabs. However, this is a classic example of Westerner’s giving their own spin to something foreign. In Asia, Tofu is rarely seen as a meat substitute.

That being said, Tofu can be fried, boiled, stewed, added to soup or different sauces or even served stuffed. In this respect, it certainly is a great meat substitute and should be the delight of most vegetarians. Indeed, it is understandable why it was so popular amonst Buddhist monks!

In Asia, where Tofu is a big deal, there are endless ways that it is used, often depending on the country.

It can be flavoured in many different ways. Boiled peanuts or almond syrup are two that I would like to give ago!

It can also be combined with Tuna in Tahu Tuna, an Indonesian dish that also features fried Tofu. Again, one that I would like to give a try.

As you might realise with the Almond syrup, it can also be used both in savoury and sweet dishes.

Tofu Total

We could in conclusion say that Tofu is a total food. It is realtively easy to produce; It is healthy as foods go, with a high protein content, but low salt and fat; and has very many different uses.

It’s no wonder that it has been popular for so long in Asia, and is well worth being given ago by those of us in other parts of the world!

Cheese Substitute

Ben surmised the fare before him. The table was well spread with what you might expect for a continental breakfast; bread, butter, sour cream, a sort of runny, fruity, homemade looking jam, a kettle containing boiled water, surrounded by the necessities for making a cup of tea (except of course for the milk!), and the centre piece of a large plate, piled high with pancakes. Not the thick, stodgy kind, but rather what some might call crêpes, neatly rolled up, suggesting a delicious filling.

This was not the first time in Moldova that Ben had encountered pancakes for breakfast and so without hesitation, due to a keen appetite that had been worked up during the previous day’s exertions, he heartily filled his plate with a good selection of them. Without further ado, he smothered them in jam, adding a little sour cream, although with measure, partly because at times he suspected that it was responsible for stomach discomfort, but also in an attempt to cut down on the calorie count of what appeared to otherwise be not the lightest of meals. These type of pancakes were invariably filled with fresh white cheese, not dissimilar to ricotta, and although Ben loved dairy, he was conscientious that you could have too much of a good thing!

After his host from the church that he had been helping at gave thanks, Ben tucked heartily into the tasty looking breakfast before him. However, he quickly drew his ingestion to a halt. What he had taken for granted to be cheese pancakes, where actually potato pancakes! Ben had nothing against potato pancakes, although he wasn’t used to them, especially not covered in a homemade black current jam, with a little sour cream for good measure. The sweetness of the jam complemented the cheese in cheese pancakes well, but somehow didn’t seem right when combined with potato.

Ben took a moment to contemplate what to do. He slightly regretted his bull in a china shop approach and realised that he would have been much better off sampling the pancakes before adding the jam. Potato pancakes wouldn’t have been all that bad on their own, however Ben’s presumptuousness now meant that he was confronted with the unfortunate situation of having to eat potato mixed with jam! Not a usual combination, but it was too late and so Ben, not being one to waste food, or indeed wanting to upset his hosts, decided that he would just have to plough on.

He scraped off as much of the jam as he could, casually so as to not attract too much attention from those around him, and then he tucked in. At first, he suffered some unusual sensations in his mouth, but as he pressed on, he found to his surprise that the potato jam mixture wasn’t so bad after all. Well, this just gives a new meaning to the term ‘sweet potato’ he though to himself. By the end, the sweet potato had started to grow on him, although he felt like in the future, he would stick to eating ordinary potatoes in the more traditional savoury way, rather than creating his own play on a theme.

Cheese is a product that is not often substituted by potato, although as Ben learnt to his cost it can be! When we talk about cheese substitutes, we usually could have one of three things in mind.

The first would be substituting one particular cheese for another. A simple example is using Grana Padano instead of Parmigiano Reggiano. Why would we want to do that? Well, Grana Padano and Parmigiano are two very similar cheeses, but the former is usually a little cheaper as it is produced in larger quantities and in a more industrialised way than Parmigiano, and hence also more readily available.

The second way of looking at substitute cheese would be in terms of so-called processed cheeses. As the name suggests, this is cheese that has had other products added to it and then via various industrial processes been converted into a new, man made product that resembles cheese. A classic example would be single cheese slices or spreadable cheese. Processing cheese in this way has a number of advantages. The properties of the final product can be controlled, for example many cheeses don’t melt well, but by processing them a final product can be achieved that melts uniformly as can be seen by cheese slices, which make possible the world-renowned cheeseburger. Not only this, but the quality of the final product can also be assured, something important with regard to a food like cheese, which in its natural state is widely susceptible to environmental influences and thus the final cheese produced can potential vary greatly in terms of taste, self-life and so on.

A third reason why cheese is often processed is that cheesemaking is a very involved endeavour, needing a big investment in order to produce the milk that is then treated and matured to result in the final cheese. In many cases, this means that cheese is an expensive product. Processed cheese on the other hand, means a way of producing a good amount of product with less investment and so makes more economic sense.

Overall, one might think that processing cheese lessens its nutritional value, but actually, as has already been mentioned, processed cheese can have some advantages over natural cheeses, especially uniform quality, low fat versions and long self-life. Most cheese have a large amount of salt added in order to make them keep, so in some respects it boils down to whether we trust more the salt or the alternative preservatives.

The third approach to cheese substitutes are cheese analogues. This is where the word substitute really comes into its own. Here, we are talking about non-dairy products that completely replace cheese. An archetypal example would be vegan cheeses. These are plant-based products that have some similarities to cheeses in the way they are made, and the appearance, taste and possible uses of the final product.

Vegan cheeses can be made from a variety of sources, but soybeans, nutritional yeast and various nuts, such as almonds or cashews are common ones. It could be argued that these are not cheeses in the classic sense, but their similarities to real cheese, is what confers to them the title of cheese. In any case, there are a number of benefits of substituting real cheese for these plant-based versions, in particularly health benefits as these products can contain much of the nutrition of actual cheese, but with less fat or salt. Also, they are good for those who have problems digesting the lactose from dairy products and there are of course many who for moral or religious reasons prefer non-animal based products.

Evidently then, there exist sufficient alternatives to cheese inasmuch that only those who want a particularly different experience need substitute cheese with potato!