CHEESE CLASSIFICATION

CHEESE CLASSIFICATION

Cheese can be divided according to several classifications, all referring to both the different aspects of the product and the differences existing in the phases of the production.

A first division that can be done is related to the origin of the milk. In the majority of cases the milk used comes from cows, but in Italy there are also several kinds of cheese made on sheep’s, buffalo’s and goat’s milk. Moreover, in many cases the final product is derived by a mix of milks with different origins, like a combination of two out of the three possibilities.

Secondly, the milk can be used raw, thermised or pasteurized. In the first case, all the processes carried on during the production of the cheese are made using raw milk, whereas in the second case the milk is heated up to 63°C, and then brought back to the coagulation temperature, which is around 37°C, which is also the maximum temperature that the cheese made with raw milk reaches throughout the process. Finally, pasteurized milk is led to 73°C and left there for a short time, about 15 seconds, and then it is left cooling back to the coagulation temperature. In the last two cases the high temperature reached has a hygienic function.

Clearly, a fundamental distinction between kinds of cheese is the seasoning point. The process of seasoning requires the “rest” of the cheese for a precise amount of time in an environment with a percentage of humidity close to 90%. A very common place for this process is a cellar. Fresh cheese should not have any crust, and its content of water is closed to 80%. To be considered fresh, cheese cannot exceed 30 days of rest. In this cluster are Squacquerone, Crescenza, Mozzarella and Stracchino. Periods between 15 and 60 days are typical of cheese with low seasoning time, and if the days are up to 180 it becomes medium-aged. Examples are Asiago, Fontina and Toma. Finally, highly seasoned cheese requires at least 180 days and can go up to extremely long time (even several years).

The more aged the cheese is, the hardest its consistency. The flavour becomes more intense and sometimes sharp. A typical example is Parmigiano Reggiano.

The content of water is a parameter that discriminate soft and hard cheese.

Soft cheese must include at least 45% of water, such as in Burrata. Hard cheese requires less than 35% of water in it, as in Parmigiano Reggiano. There are some kinds of cheese that can be considered in between (35-45%): it is the case of the softer version of Pecorino Toscano, a cheese made of sheep’s milk typical of many regions in Central Italy, among which Tuscany.

Furthermore, we can distinguish between stretch-curd cheese and pressed cheese.

In the first category the curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, and this treatment gives to the cheese its characteristic fibrous shape. The classic example of this process is mozzarella. Vice versa, in pressed cheese the curd is pressed into forms with a mechanical press, in order to eliminate the serum from the final product and give to the cheese a homogenous, compact shape. Canestrato pugliese is the perfect example of this second category.

Finally, we can consider the crust.

This can be cleaned during the process of transformation from milk to cheese: it is the case of “a crosta lavata”, washed crust cheese. Beer, brandy or water are used. This process guarantees the perfect environment for selected bacteria to grow, which donates an aromatic flavour. Cheese “a crosta fiorita”, flowered crust has instead a white, soft crust made of mold that usually can be eaten. The flavour here is strong and sometimes sweet, although always sapid nearby the crust. Examples of crosta fiorita are mainly French, but they are produced in Italy too: for example, in Tuscany, where a “a crosta fiorita” cheese from sheep’s milk is traditionally made: Pecorino a crosta fiorita. A typical example of crosta lavata is Taleggio.