Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
NEXT THING TO MEAT.
Golden Cheese Produced From the
Milk Of Domestic Animals
WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST FOODS.
Biblical Celebrities Thrived on it and the
Cyclops Loved 1t.
ELLICE SERENES USEFUL RECIPES
WRITTEN FOR THE DrsPATcH.i


herds, which from the first were the objects
of its solicitude and care. In the record of
the Scriptures is preserved something of the
primitive condition of the patriarchs. The
old poetry of Greece and the legendary
tales of Rome bear testimony to the close as
sociation between these; while the many al
lusions pointing one way to be found in the
traditions among all people are circumstan-
tial proof of the common origin of them all.
From this fact it is not surprising that
cheese, as product of milk, was early
known; for the word cheese must be taken
to apply to all those products OF milk rang
ing IRON the soft pressed curd, made into
cream cheese-which will not keep-to the
most mature Parmesan, which is at its best
when three or four years old. We must.
however, assume that the cheese of the early
pastoral and nomadic people, such as IS re-
jerred to in the Bible and other venerable
authorities, was not of the kind which we
are accustomed to- DIR. William Smith, the
eminent Biblical scholar. says of the terms
used in the Bible for cheese, that they
simply express various degrees of coagula-
ton, but that there is substance used by
the Bedouin Arabs closely corresponding to
ssting of coagulated buttermilk, which is
dried until it becomes quite hard and is then
ground.
TESTIMONY OF HOMER.
An idea of the kind common to the Oldest
Greeks may in like manner be inferred from
the narration of Ulysses as it is given in the
Odessey OF Homer. He tells how the giant
Cyclops, on his returning into the cave, 'sat
down and milked the ewes and bleating goats
orderly. And anon he curdled one-half of
the white milk and massed it together, and
stored it In wicker baskets, and the other
half he let stand in pals. that he might
have it to take and drink against supper
time"
The cheese of the old Romans. celebrated
by the early pastoral writers, and by Virgil
and the poets of the Augustan ago, was the
s'fresh pressed curd." 1t was with them
common article of food. Many instances Of
like import scattered through the body of
the English classic literature will, without
doubt, occur on the mere suggestion of this
topic. We recall one, which seems appro-
pirate, from a writer of the last century who
in his day had many admirers. Robert
Bloomfield in his pastoral poem, "The
Farmers Boy" sings of cheese in the fol-
lowing strains:
Ye Cheshire meads,
Was your rich milk to suffer wrongs like these?
Farewell your pride! Farewell renowned
cheesel
These sentiments, it will be observed, took
form in the antique age, before they made
cheese by machinery. Neither do the
muses. take kindly to oleomargarine.
HOW CHEESE IS MADE.
The process of cheese-making is an elab.
crate one, especially so in the manufacture
of the foreign article, which requires great
care and attention in coloring, favoring and
maturing. The principal substance. as we
| all know, used to coagulate the milk, or
| form the curd, is rennet, procured from the
stomach of sucking calf. The animals
which furnish the milk for producing this
article of food are the COW, goat, sheep, ass,
mare, buffalo, camel and reindeer. While
| it Is supposed that cheese is made exclu-
sively from milk, it is recorded that the
| Chinese have, by their ingenuity, succeeded
| in turning out a good cheese ESQ called)
made from beans and peas, which is a
timely substitute for the genuine milk
| cheese.
The cheese, however, in which we are in
terested, and which is one of our common
foods, is produced from milk either of cows
or goats. Chemically considered, cheese is
| said to be rich in nutritive elements. The
| measure upon the food of the animals. The
fatter and older the cheese the more easily it
| is assimilated in the stomach, and in this
state il is also said to aid In the assimilation
| of other foods. The peculiar color and
| flavor of some cheese are due to prepara-
ton Of annotto seeds, melilot "a kind Of
clover), saffron, leaves of marlgold, sage
and lovage.
THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES.
The varieties of cheese are numerous and
they are to be had at all times in the market.
| Of American cheeses we have the pineapple,
| which with some is fayorite; the English
| dairy, an imitation; the fac tory and the cot
| tage cheese, or schmeer kase, an article much
| relished, and easily made in our own homes.
| The cheese OF England is famous. The su-
| periority is probably owing to the fine cat
| tie and the excellence OF the pasturage. The
| Stilton is one of the most celebrated of En-
| glish cheeses. 1t fame is far-reaching and
| the price-wel1 it is commensurate to its
| reputation. Then there are the Suffolk, the
Cheddar and the English dairy, all of them
excellent and in high favor.
| Italy in making her excellent macaroni has
! not forgotten the necessary adjunct to it
cheese, and the best kind at that in her
| Parmesan, one of the favorite brands for
| cooking purposes. OF French cheeses there
are many varieties, both mild and strong.
| The Roquefort is one OF the best, and while
not very strong it has sufficient "tang" or
sharpness to make it agreeable. There is
| good demand also for the Brie and the Mont
dor. OF Dutch cheeses the Edam is the
variety most sought after. 1t is hard
cheese and is also known as the Dutchman's
| head-not at all uncomplimentary to the
| Dutchman.
THE FAR-FAMED LIMBURGER,
Germany furnishes two celebrated cheeses,
| the Limburger-always able to hold its own
and the Sap Sage, a green cheese SO rem
dered by the use Of melilot. Scotland offers
but little variety in the cheese market The
Dunlop-rich in the flavor of lovage-is
the choicest and best known. OF the many
Swiss cheeses the Gruyere-so favorably
known-is the finest, and to the rich pas
turage of the mountain slopes of Fribourg
may its superior flavor be attributed.
The Neufchatel cheeses-also Swiss-are
made from goats milk, and it is natural to
suppose that these are the kind most used
| bv the natives in the mountainous countries,
| The Swiss also make a common cheese
g, which is said to be a good substitute for
bread. 1t is the cheese of the peasantry,
who eat it with great relish when spread
| thickly with butter. There are many fami-
| lies who may not be able to use on their
| tables very often such brands of cheese as
the Stlton, Gruyere and Roquefort, but
there is some satisfaction in being able to
| discuss the relative merits of these and to
know at least how and where they are made.
INQUIRY and research cannot fail to awaken
| interest.
Your choice Of "cheese dishes" will be
given in the next issue, meanwhile here are