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THERE IS NO CHEESE
:''For other uses of the term "Cheese", see ].''
{{featured article}}
{{cuisine}}
'''Cheese''' is a solid ] made from the ]led ] of ]s, ]s, ], ] or other ]s. The milk is curdled using some combination of ] (or rennet substitutes) and ]. ] acidify the milk and play a role in defining the texture and flavor of most cheeses. Some cheeses also feature ]s, either on the outer rind or throughout.

There are ] produced all over the world. Different styles and flavors of cheese are the result of using different species of bacteria and molds, different levels of ], variations in length of aging, differing processing treatments (cheddaring, pulling, brining, mold wash) and different breeds of cows, sheep, or other mammals. Other factors include animal diet and the addition of flavoring agents such as ]s, ]s, or ]. Whether the milk is ] may also affect the flavor. Cheeses are eaten both on their own and cooked into various dishes; most cheeses melt when cooked.

For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding ]s such as ] or ] juice. Most cheeses, however, are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn ]s into ], followed by the addition of rennet to complete the curdling. Rennet is an ] mixture traditionally obtained from the stomach lining of young ], but now also laboratory produced. Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are also available; most are produced by fermentation of the fungus ''Mucor miehei'', but substitute "vegetable rennets" have also been extracted from various species of the '']'' thistle family.

The word ''cheese'' is derived, through ] ''chese'' and ] ''cīese'' or ''cēse'', from the ] ''caseus''.

==History==
Cheese is an ancient food whose origins may predate recorded history. Probably discovered in ] or the ], cheesemaking spread to ] and had become a sophisticated enterprise by ] times. As ]'s influence receded, distinct local cheesemaking techniques emerged. This diversity reached its peak in the early ] and has declined somewhat since then due to mechanization and economic factors.

Cheese has served as a hedge against famine and a good travel food. It is valuable for its portability, long life, and high content of ], ], ], and ]. Cheese is lighter-weight, more compact, and has a longer shelf life than the milk from which it is made. ]s can place themselves near the center of a dairy region and benefit from fresher milk, lower milk prices, and lower shipping costs. Cheese's substantial storage life lets a cheesemaker sell when prices are high or when money is needed.

===Origins===
The exact origins of cheesemaking are debated or unknown, and estimates range from around 8000 ] (when ] were ]) to around 3000 BCE. Credit for the discovery most likely goes to nomadic Turkic tribes in ], around the same time that they developed ], or to people in the ]. A common tale about the discovery of cheese tells of an ] nomad carrying milk across the desert in a container made from an animal's stomach, only to discover the milk had been separated into ] and ] by the rennet from the stomach.

Folktales aside, cheese likely began as a way of preserving soured and curdled milk through pressing and salting, with rennet introduced later— perhaps when someone noticed that cheese made in an animal stomach produced more solid and better-textured curds. The earliest ] evidence of cheesemaking has been found in ] tomb murals, dating to about 2300 BCE. The earliest cheeses would likely have been quite sour and salty, similar in texture to rustic ] or ].

From the Middle East, basic cheesemaking found its way into ], where cooler climates meant less aggressive salting was needed for preservation. With moderate salt and acidity, the cheese became a suitable environment for a variety of beneficial ]s and molds, which are what give aged cheeses their pronounced and interesting flavors.

===Classical times===
Ancient ] mythology credited ] with the discovery of cheese. ]'s '']'' (]) describes the ] making and storing sheep's and goats' milk cheese. From ] translation:
:We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold...
:When he had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it aside in ] strainers...

By ] times, cheese was an everyday food and cheesemaking a mature art, not very different from what it is today. ]'s ''De Re Rustica'' (circa 65 CE) details a cheesemaking process involving rennet coagulation, pressing of the curd, salting, and aging. ] ] (77 CE) devotes a chapter (XI, 97) to describing the diversity of cheeses enjoyed by Romans of the early ]. He stated that the best cheeses came from the villages near ], but did not keep long and had to be eaten fresh. Cheeses of the ] and ] were as remarkable for their variety then as now. A ] cheese was noted for being made mostly from sheep's milk, and some cheeses produced nearby were stated to weigh as much as a thousand pounds each. Goats' milk cheese was a recent taste in Rome, improved over the "medicinal taste" of ]'s similar cheeses by ]. Of cheeses from overseas, Pliny preferred those of ] in Asia Minor.

===Post-classical Europe===
Rome spread a uniform set of cheesemaking techniques throughout much of Europe, and introduced cheesemaking to areas without a previous history of it. As Rome declined and long-distance trade collapsed, cheese in Europe diversified further, with various locales developing their own distinctive cheesemaking traditions and products. ] and ] are the nations with the most diversity in locally made cheeses&mdash; today with approximately 400 each. (A French proverb holds there is a different French cheese for every day of the year, and ] once asked "how can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?"<ref>Quoted in ], October 1, 1962 according to ''The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations'' (Columbia University Press, 1993 ISBN 0-2310719-4-9 p 345). Numbers besides 246 are often cited in very similar quotes; whether these are misquotes or whether de Gaulle repeated the same quote with different numbers is unclear.</ref>) Still, the advancement of the cheese art in Europe was slow during the centuries after Rome's fall. Many of the cheeses we know best today were first recorded in the late ] or after&mdash; cheeses like ] around 1500 CE, ] in 1597, ] in 1697, and ] in 1791.<ref>{{cite book | author=Smith, John H. | title=Cheesemaking in Scotland - A History | publisher=The Scottish Dairy Association | year=1995 | id=ISBN 0-9525323-0-1}}. , .</ref>

In 1546, ] wrote in ''Proverbes'' that "the moon is made of a greene cheese." (''Greene'' refers here not to the color, as many now think, but to being new or unaged.)<ref>Cecil Adams (1999). . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> Variations on this sentiment were long repeated. Although some people assumed that this was a serious belief in the era before ], it is more likely that Heywood was indulging in ].

===Modern era===
]
The first factory for the industrial production of cheese opened in Switzerland in 1815, but it was in the United States where large-scale production first found real success. Credit usually goes to Jesse Williams, a dairy farmer from ], ], who in 1851 started making cheese in an ] fashion using the milk from neighboring farms. Within decades hundreds of such dairy associations existed.

The 1860s saw the beginnings of mass-produced rennet, and by the turn of the century scientists were producing pure microbial cultures. Before then, bacteria in cheesemaking had come from the environment or from recycling an earlier batch's whey; the pure cultures meant a more standardized cheese could be produced.

Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking in the ] era, and factories have been the source of most cheese in America and Europe ever since. Today, Americans buy more ] than "real", factory-made or not.<ref>{{cite book | author=McGee, Harold | title=On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition) | publisher=Scribner | year=2004 | id=ISBN 0-684-80001-2}} p 54. "In the United States, the market for process cheese is now larger than the market for 'natural' cheese, which itself is almost exclusively factory-made."</ref>

==World production and consumption==

Worldwide, cheese is a major ] product. According to the ] of the ], over 18 million ]s of cheese were produced worldwide in 2004. This is more than the yearly production of ] beans, ] leaves, ] beans and ] combined. The largest producer of cheese is the United States, accounting for 30% of world production, followed by Germany and France.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:30em;"
! colspan=2|Top Cheese Producers - 2004<br>(1,000 Metric Tons)<ref>] for the US and non European countries'' ''and ] for European countries '' </ref>
|-
| {{USA}} || align="right" | 4,327
|-
| {{GER}} || align="right" | 1,929
|-
| {{FRA}} || align="right" |1,827
|-
| {{ITA}} || align="right" | 1,102
|-
| {{NED}} || align="right" | 672
|-
| {{POL}} || align="right" | 535
|-
| {{BRA}}|| align="right" | 470
|-
| {{EGY}} || align="right" | 450
|-
| {{AUS}} || align="right" | 373
|-
| {{ARG}} || align="right" | 370
|}
The biggest exporter of cheese, by monetary value, is France; the second, Germany (although it is first by quantity). Among the top ten exporters, only Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia have a cheese production that is mainly export oriented: respectively 95%, 90%, 72% and 65% of their cheese production is exported.<ref>Sources: FAO and Eurostat.</ref> Only 30% of France production, the world largest exporter, is exported. The United States, the biggest world producer of cheese, is a marginal exporter, as most of its production is for the domestic market.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:30em;"
! colspan=2|Top Cheese Exporters (Whole Cow Milk only) - 2004<br>(value in US $)<ref>] (FAO)''</ref>
|-
| {{FRA}} || align="right" | 2658441
|-
| {{GER}} || align="right" | 2416973
|-
| {{NED}} || align="right" | 2099353
|-
| {{ITA}} || align="right" | 1253580
|-
| {{DEN}} || align="right" | 1122761
|-
| {{AUS}} || align="right" | 643575
|-
| {{NZL}}|| align="right" | 631963
|-
| {{BEL}} || align="right" | 567590
|-
| {{IRL}} || align="right" | 445240
|-
| {{UK}} || align="right" | 374156
|}

Germany is the largest importer of cheese. UK and Italy are the second and third world importers.<ref>Source FAO</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:30em;"
! colspan=2|Top Cheese Consumers - 2003<br>(kilograms per person)<ref>CNIEL''</ref>
|-
| {{GRE}} || align="right" | 27.3
|-
| {{FRA}} || align="right" | 24
|-
| {{ITA}} || align="right" | 22.9
|-
| {{SUI}} || align="right" | 20.6
|-
| {{GER}} || align="right" | 20.2
|-
| {{NED}} || align="right" | 19.9
|-
| {{AUT}}|| align="right" | 19.5
|-
| {{SWE}} || align="right" | 17.9
|}

Greece is the world largest consumer of cheese by inhabitant, with 27.3 kg eaten by every Greek. ] accounts for three-quarters of this consumption. France is the second biggest consumer of cheese, with 24 kg by inhabitant. ] (used mainly as a cooking ingredient) and ] are French favorite cheeses. <ref>Cidilait, ''Le fromage'' </ref> Italy is the third biggest consumer by person with 22.9 kg. In the US, the consumption of cheese is quickly increasing and has nearly tripled between 1970 and 2003. The consumption per person has reached, in 2003, 14.1 kg (31 pounds). ] is America's favorite cheese and accounts for nearly a third of its consumption. <ref>Source USDA </ref>

==Cultural attitudes==
]
Cheese is rarely found in ] dishes, as ]s in general are rare. However, East Asian sentiment against cheese is not universal. Cheese made from ]s' (''chhurpi'') or ]s' milk is common on the Asian ]s; the national dish of ], ''ema datsi'', is made from homemade cheese and hot peppers; and cheese is used in ], where ] ] are popular. Even in ], cheese consumption is increasing, with annual sales more than doubling from 1996 to 2003 (to a still small 30 million ] a year).<ref>{{cite journal | author=Rebecca Buckman | title=Let Then Eat Cheese | journal=Far Eastern Economic Review | year=2003 | volume=166 n. 49 | pages=41}} </ref> Certain kinds of Chinese preserved ] are sometimes misleadingly referred to in English as "Chinese cheese", due to their texture and strong flavor.

Strict followers of the dietary laws of ] and ] must avoid cheeses made with rennet from animals not slaughtered in a manner adhering to ] or ]<ref>Toronto Public Health. . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> laws. Both faiths allow cheese made with vegetable-based rennet or with rennet made from animals that were processed in a kosher or halal manner. Many less-orthodox Jews also believe that rennet undergoes enough processing to change its nature entirely, and do not consider it to ever violate kosher law. (See '']''.) As cheese is a dairy food under kosher rules it cannot be eaten in the same meal with any meat.

Many ]s avoid any cheese made from animal-based rennet. Most widely available vegetarian cheeses are made using rennet produced by fermentation of the ] ''Mucor miehei''. ]s and other dairy-avoiding vegetarians do not eat real cheese at all, but some vegetable-based substitute cheeses (usually ]-based) are available.

Even in cultures with long cheese traditions, it is not unusual to find people who perceive cheese &mdash; especially pungent-smelling or mold-bearing varieties such as ] or ] &mdash; as unappetizing, unpalatable, or disgusting. Food-science writer ] proposes that cheese is such an acquired taste because it is produced through a process of controlled ] and many of the odor and flavor molecules in an aged cheese are the same found in rotten foods. McGee notes "An aversion to the odor of decay has the obvious biological value of steering us away from possible food poisoning, so it's no wonder that an animal food that gives off whiffs of shoes and soil and the stable takes some getting used to."<ref>McGee p 58, "Why Some People Can't Stand Cheese."</ref>

==Types of cheese==
{{main|List of cheeses}}
No one categorization scheme can capture all the diversity of the world's cheeses. Some common systems used are:
* Length of aging.
* Texture (hard or soft); this is correlated to the moisture content: the more moist a cheese, the softer. This classification is common in the US, but is inaccurate: many types of cheese are made in softer or firmer variations.
* Methods of making: pressed or unpressed curd, heated or unheated curd, mold growth, etc.
* Fat content.
* Kind of milk (cow's milk, goat's milk cheese, etc.)
]

===Aging period===
=====Fresh=====
For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and drained, with little other processing. Examples include ], Romanian ], ] (the model for American-style ]), and fresh goat's milk ]. Such cheeses are soft and spreadable, with a mild taste. Fresh cheeses without additional ]s can spoil in a matter of days.

Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from the ] discarded while producing other cheeses. Provencal ], Corsican ], Italian ], ] ] and ] ] are examples. ] is mostly eaten fresh, and is as such a major ingredient in Corsican cuisine, but it can be aged too.

Traditional ] also falls into the fresh cheese category. Fresh curds are stretched and kneaded in hot water to form a ball of Mozzarella, which in southern ] is usually eaten within a few hours of being made. Other firm fresh cheeses include ] and ].


===Texture===
] cheese market]]
Categorizing cheeses by firmness is a common but inexact practice. The lines between "soft", "semi-soft", "semi-hard", and "hard" are arbitrary, and many types of cheese are made in softer or firmer variations. Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content than softer cheeses. They are generally packed into molds under more pressure and aged for a longer time.

The familiar ] is one of a family of semi-hard or hard cheeses (including ] and ]) whose curd is cut, gently heated, piled, and stirred before being pressed into forms. ] and ] are similar but milder cheeses; their curd is rinsed before it is pressed, washing away some acidity and ]. A similar curd-washing takes place when making the ] cheeses ] and ].

Swiss-style cheeses like ] and ] are generally quite firm. The same bacteria that give Emmental its holes contribute to their aromatic and sharp flavors. The hardest cheeses &mdash; "grating cheeses" such as ], ], and ] &mdash; are quite firmly packed into large forms and aged for months or years.

===Methods===
=====Use of mold=====
Soft-ripened cheeses such as ] and ] are made by allowing white '']'' or '']'' mold to grow on the outside of a soft cheese for a few days or weeks. The mold forms a white crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged cheeses. Goats' milk cheeses are often treated in a similar manner, sometimes with white molds (Chèvre-Boîte) and sometimes with blue.

Blue-mold cheeses like ], ], and ] are produced by inoculating loosely pressed curds with '']'' or '']'' molds. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins and, often, assertive flavors. Their texture can be soft or firm.

=====Washing=====
Washed-rind cheeses are periodically bathed in a saltwater ] as they age, making their surfaces amenable to a class of bacteria (the reddish-orange "smear bacteria") which impart pungent odors and distinctive flavors. Washed-rind cheeses can be soft (]), semi-hard (]), or hard (]).


] is made from traditional cheese and emulsifying salts, often with the addition of milk, more salt, ]s, and ]. It is inexpensive, consistent, and melts smoothly. This is the most-consumed category of cheese in the ]. The most familiar processed cheese may be pre-sliced mild yellow American Cheese or ]. Many other varieties exist, including ], a ] brand sold in a spray can.

==Health and nutrition==
], ].]]
In general, cheese supplies a great deal of ], ], and ]. A 30&nbsp;gram (one&nbsp;ounce) serving of cheddar cheese contains about seven&nbsp;grams of protein and 200&nbsp;milligrams of calcium. Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk: it takes about 200&nbsp;grams (seven&nbsp;ounces) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150&nbsp;grams to equal the calcium.<ref>Nutritional data from . Retrieved October 20, 2004.</ref>

Cheese shares milk's nutritional disadvantages as well. The ] condemns cheese as America's number one source of ], adding that the average American ate 30&nbsp;pounds (13.6&nbsp;kg) of cheese in the year 2000, up from 11&nbsp;pounds (5&nbsp;kg) in 1970.<ref>Center for Science in the Public Interest (2001). . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> Their recommendation is to limit full-fat cheese consumption to two&nbsp;ounces (60&nbsp;grams) a week. Whether cheese's highly saturated fat actually leads to an increased risk of heart disease is called into question when considering ] and ], which lead the world in cheese eating (more than 14&nbsp;ounces (400&nbsp;grams) a week per person, or over 45&nbsp;pounds (20&nbsp;kg) a year) yet have relatively low rates of heart disease.<ref>McGee, p 67. McGee supports both this contention and that more food poisonings in Europe are caused by pasteurized cheeses than raw-milk.</ref> This seeming discrepancy is called the ]; the higher rates of consumption of ] in these countries is often invoked as at least a partial explanation.

A number of food safety agencies around the world have warned of the risks of raw-milk cheeses. The U.S. ] states that soft raw-milk cheeses can cause "serious infectious diseases including ], ], ] and ]".<ref>. Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> It is U.S. law since 1944 that all raw-milk cheeses (including imports since 1951) must be aged at least 60 days. ] has a wide ban on raw-milk cheeses as well, though in recent years exceptions have been made for Swiss ], ] and ], and for French ].<ref>Chris Mercer (2005). . Retrieved October 22, 2005.</ref> Some say these worries are overblown, pointing out that ] of the milk used to make cheese does not ensure its safety in any case.<ref>Janet Fletcher. . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> This is supported by statistics showing that in Europe (where young raw-milk cheeses are still legal in some countries), most cheese-related ] incidents were traced to pasteurized cheeses. Pregnant women may face an additional risk from cheese; the U.S. ] has warned pregnant women against eating soft-ripened cheeses and blue-veined cheeses, due to the ] risk to the unborn baby.<ref>, from the American Pregnancy Association. Retrieved 28 February 2006.</ref>

Some studies claim to show that cheeses including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss and American can help to prevent ].<ref>National Dairy Council. . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> Several mechanisms for this protection have been proposed:
* The calcium, protein, and phosphorus in cheese may act to protect ].
* Cheese increases saliva flow, washing away acids and sugars.
* Cheese may have an antibacterial effect in the mouth.

Cheese is often avoided by those who are ], but ripened cheeses like ] contain only about 5% of the ] found in whole ], and aged cheeses contain almost none.<ref> from the American Dairy Association. Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> Some people suffer reactions to ] found in cheese, particularly ] and ]. Some aged cheeses contain significant concentrations of these amines, which can trigger symptoms mimicking an ]: ]s, ]es, and ] elevations.

==Making cheese==

===Curdling===
The only strictly required step in making any sort of cheese is separating the milk into solid ]s and liquid ]. Usually this is done by acidifying the milk and adding ]. The acidification is accomplished directly by the addition of an acid like ] in a few cases (], ]), but usually starter ] are employed instead. These starter bacteria convert ]s into ]. The same bacteria (and the enzymes they produce) also play a large role in the eventual flavor of aged cheeses. Most cheeses are made with starter bacteria from the '']'', '']'', or '']'' families. ] starter cultures also include '']'', which produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles during aging, giving ] or ] its holes.

Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses also use ]. Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and rubbery ] compared to the fragile curds produced by acidic coagulation alone. It also allows curdling at a lower acidity&mdash;important because flavor-making bacteria are inhibited in high-acidity environments. In general, softer, smaller, fresher cheeses are curdled with a greater proportion of acid to rennet than harder, larger, longer-aged varieties.

===Curd processing===
] cheese, the as-yet-undrained curd is broken up by rotating mixers.]]
At this point, the cheese has set into a very moist gel. Some soft cheeses are now essentially complete: they are drained, salted, and packaged. For most of the rest, the curd is cut into small cubes. This allows water to drain from the individual pieces of curd.

Some hard cheeses are then heated to temperatures in the range of 35°C&ndash;55°C (100°F&ndash;130°F). This forces more whey from the cut curd. It also changes the taste of the finished cheese, affecting both the bacterial culture and the milk chemistry. Cheeses that are heated to the higher temperatures are usually made with ] starter bacteria which survive this step&mdash;either ] or ].

] has a number of roles in cheese besides adding a salty flavor. It preserves cheese from spoiling, draws moisture from the curd, and firms up a cheese’s texture in an interaction with its ]s. Some cheeses are salted from the outside with dry salt or brine washes. Most cheeses have the salt mixed directly into the curds.

A number of other techniques can be employed to influence the cheese's final texture and flavor. Some examples:
*Stretching: (], ]) The curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, developing a stringy, fibrous body.
*Cheddaring: (], other English cheeses) The cut curd is repeatedly piled up, pushing more moisture away. The curd is also mixed (or ''milled'') for a long period of time, taking the sharp edges off the cut curd pieces and influencing the final product's texture.
*Washing: (], ], ]) The curd is washed in warm water, lowering its acidity and making for a milder-tasting cheese.

Most cheeses achieve their final shape when the curds are pressed into a mold or form. The harder the cheese, the more pressure is applied. The pressure drives out moisture &mdash; the molds are designed to allow water to escape &mdash; and unifies the curds into a single solid body.

===Aging===
A newborn cheese is usually salty yet bland in flavor and, for harder varieties, rubbery in texture. These qualities are sometimes enjoyed&mdash;] are eaten on their own&mdash;but usually cheeses are left to rest under carefully controlled conditions. This aging period (also called ripening, or, from the ], ''affinage'') can last from a few days to several years. As a cheese ages, microbes and enzymes transform its texture and intensify its flavor. This transformation is largely a result of the breakdown of ] ] and ] into a complex mix of ]s, ]s, and ]s.

]Some cheeses have additional bacteria or ]s intentionally introduced to them before or during aging. In traditional cheesemaking, these microbes might be already present in the air of the aging room; they are simply allowed to settle and grow on the stored cheeses. More often today, prepared cultures are used, giving more consistent results and putting fewer constraints on the environment where the cheese ages.

For the ]s (], ], ]), '']'' mold is introduced to the curd before molding. During aging, the blue molds ('']'' or '']'' ) grow in the small fissures in the cheese, imparting a sharp flavor and aroma. The same molds are also grown on the surface of some aged ]s. The soft cheeses ] and ], among others, get a surface growth of other ''Penicillium'' species, white-colored '']'' or '']''. The surface mold contributes to the interior texture and flavor of these small cheeses.

Some cheeses are periodically washed in a saltwater ] during their ripening. Not only does the brine carry flavors into the cheese (it might be seasoned with ]s or ]), but the salty environment may nurture the growth of the '']'' bacteria, which can impart a very pronounced odor (]) and interesting flavor. The same bacteria can also have some impact on cheeses that are simply ripened in ] conditions, like ]. Large populations of these "smear bacteria" show up as a sticky orange-red layer on some brine-washed cheeses.

== Eating and cooking ==

At ] temperatures, the fat in a piece of cheese is as hard as unsoftened ], and its protein structure is stiff as well. Flavor and odor compounds are less easily liberated when cold. For improvements in flavor and texture, it is widely advised that cheeses be allowed to warm up to ] before eating. Warm up a piece of cheese up a little more, to 26&ndash;32°C (80&ndash;90°F), and the fats start to "sweat out" as they go beyond soft to fully liquid.<ref>McGee, p. 63.</ref>

At higher temperatures, most cheeses melt. Rennet-curdled cheeses have a ]-like protein matrix that is broken down by heat. When enough protein bonds are broken, the cheese itself turns from a solid to a viscous liquid. Soft, high-moisture cheeses will melt at around 55°C (130°F), while hard, low-moisture cheeses such as Parmesan remain solid until they reach about 82°C (180°F).<ref>McGee, p. 64.</ref> Acid-set cheeses, including ], ], some whey cheeses and many varieties of fresh ], have a protein structure that remains intact at high temperatures. When cooked, these cheeses just get firmer as water evaporates.

Some cheeses, like ], melt smoothly; many tend to become stringy or suffer from a separation of their fats. Many of these can be coaxed into melting smoothly in the presence of acids or ]. ], with wine providing the acidity, is a good example of a smoothly-melted cheese dish.<ref>McGee, p. 66.</ref> Elastic stringiness is a quality that is sometimes enjoyed, in dishes including ] and ]. Even a melted cheese eventually turns solid again, after enough moisture is cooked off. As its temperature continues to rise, cheese will ] and eventually burn.

==Cheese in language==
Throughout the history of the ], the word ''cheese'' has been ''chese'' (in ]) and ''cīese'' or ''cēse'' (in ]). Similar words are shared by other ] &mdash; ] ''tsiis'', ] ''kaas'', ] ''Käse'', ] ''chāsi'' &mdash; all of which probably come from the reconstructed West-Germanic root ''*kasjus'', which in turn is an early borrowing from Latin. The ] word ''caseus'' &mdash; from which are derived the ] ''queso'', ] ''queijo'', ] ''caş'' and ] ''cacio'' &mdash; and the ] which gives the ] ''cáis'' and the ] ''caws'' are also related. This whole group of words is probably derived from the ] root ''*kwat-'', which means "to ferment, become sour".

When the Romans began to make hard cheeses for their legionaries' supplies, a new word started to be used: ''formaticum'', from ''caseus formatus'', or "molded cheese". It is from this word that we get the ] ''fromage'', ] ''formaggio'', ] ''formatge'', ] ''fourmaj'' and ] ''furmo''. ''Cheese'' itself is occasionally employed in a sense that means "molded" or "formed". '']'' uses the word in this sense.

In modern English ], something "cheesy" is ], cheap, inauthentic, or of poor quality. One can also be "cheesed off"&mdash; unhappy or annoyed. Such negative connotations might derive from a ripe cheese's sometimes-unpleasant odor. Almost certainly the odor explains the use of "cutting the cheese" as a ] for ], and the term "cheesy feet" to mean ] which smell. A more upbeat slang use is seen in "the big cheese", an expression referring to the most important person in a group, the "big shot" or "head honcho". This use of the word probably derived not from the word ''cheese'', but from the ] or ] word ''chiz'', meaning ''a thing''.<ref>Michael Quinion (2000). . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref>

A more whimsical bit of American and Canadian slang refers to school buses as "cheese wagons", a reference to ]. People getting their photo taken are often encouraged to "say cheese!", as the word "cheese" contains the ] ], a ] which requires the lips to be stretched in the appearance of a ].<ref>Straight Dope Staff Report (2005). . Retrieved October 15, 2005.</ref> People from ] and the ], both centers of cheese production, have been called ]s. This nickname has been embraced by Wisconsin sports fans &mdash; especially fans of the ] or ] &mdash; who are now seen in the stands sporting plastic or foam hats in the shape of giant cheese wedges.

==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==References==
<div class="references-small">
*{{cite book | author=Jenkins, Steven | title=Cheese Primer | publisher=Workman Publishing Company | year=1996 | id=ISBN 0-894-80762-5}}
*{{cite book | author=McGee, Harold | title=On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition) | publisher=Scribner | year=2004 | id=ISBN 0-684-80001-2}} pp 51-63, "Cheese"
*James Mellgren (2003). . Retrieved October 12, 2005.
</div>

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Cheese}}
* &mdash; From Food-info.net.
*
*
*
* &mdash; The science behind homemade cheese.
*{{gutenberg|no=14293|name=The Complete Book of Cheese}}
* &mdash; includes an extensive database of different types of cheese.
*
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|Cheese.ogg|2006-08-05}}

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Revision as of 00:39, 3 September 2006

THERE IS NO CHEESE