Cottage cheese

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Cottage cheese
Cottagecheese200px.jpg
Cottage cheese
Country of origin
  • Canada
Source of milk Skimmed milk
TextureSoft, creamy, and soupy
Fat content0~5%
Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, heterogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining curds but retaining some of the whey and keeping the curds loose. An essential step in the manufacturing process distinguishing cottage cheese from other fresh cheeses is the addition of a "dressing" to the curd grains, usually cream, which is mainly responsible for the taste of the product. Cottage cheese is not aged.

Contents

Cottage cheese can be low in calories compared to other types of cheese — similar to yogurt; this makes it popular among dieters and some health devotees. It can be used with various foods such as yogurt, fruit, toast, and granola, in salads, as a dip, and as a replacement for mayonnaise.

History

Origin

A popular story on the origin of cheese was taken from Homer's Odyssey , in which the poet describes how the Cyclops, Polyphemus, made cheese by storing milk in animal stomachs. [1] The enzyme rennin from the stomachs of nursing animals induces a coagulation process separating the curds from the milk. [2]

Cheese is thought to have occurred in the Middle East around 5,000 BC. [1] Evidence of cheese can be found in a band of carvings on the walls of an ancient Mesopotamian temple that dates back to 3,000 BC. The ancient carvings show how the civilization created a cheese-like substance, using salt and milk to create a salty, sour curd mixture believed to be somewhat similar to today's cottage cheese. [3] As Rome expanded its empire, it spread the knowledge of cheese, discovering many new forms. [4]

Popularization

Home-made cheese in cheesecloth traditional method Cheeseincheesecloth-sink.jpg
Home-made cheese in cheesecloth traditional method

In the early 20th century, farmers in northeastern British Columbia made something they called "homesteader's cheese", which is said to have been similar to modern industrial cottage cheese (a "Dutch cheese" also existed there at the time, but this was something else). [5] The term cottage cheese first began to be used for such simple homemade cheese in America in the mid-19th century. [6]

The first American cheese factory opened in 1868, beginning the wholesale cheese industry in the United States. The popularity in the United States of industrial cheese, in general, increased greatly at the end of the 19th century; by the turn of the century, farm cheese production had become significant. [2]

World War I poster encouraging U.S. citizens to consume cottage cheese as an alternative to meat products WWI Cottage Cheese.jpg
World War I poster encouraging U.S. citizens to consume cottage cheese as an alternative to meat products

Cottage cheese was widely promoted in America during the First World War, along with other dairy products, to save meat for infantry rations. This promotion was shown in many war posters, including one which claimed that one pound of cottage cheese contains more protein than a pound of lamb, pork, beef, or chicken. After the war, cottage cheese quickly became more popular. Thirty million pounds (14,000 t) of cottage cheese were produced in 1919 [6] (out of 418,000,000 pounds (190,000 t) of cheese in general in 1920), [2] and by 1928, 87,000,000 pounds (39,000 t) were manufactured. [6] Consumption peaked in the United States in the 1970s when dieting became popular, and some $1.3 billion of it was sold per year, but in the 1980s, yogurt became more popular, and sales dropped considerably further in the 2000s. [7]

In 2016, a Wall Street Journal article speculated that cottage cheese might be ready for a resurgence following the popularity of Greek yogurt due to its high levels of protein and low levels of sugar. [8]

Manufacture

A container of cottage cheese Cottage Cheese.jpg
A container of cottage cheese

Since the 1930s, industrial cottage cheese has been manufactured using pasteurized skim milk, [9] [10] or in more modern processes using concentrated nonfat milk or reconstituted nonfat dry milk. [9] A bacterial culture that produces lactic acid ( Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis or L. lactis ssp. cremoris strains such as are usually used) and rennet, which allows the milk to curdle and parts to solidify, are added to skim milk and heated until it reaches 90 °F (32 °C), and maintained at that temperature for 8 hours or more. The solids, known as curd, form a gelatinous skin over the liquid (known as whey) in the vat, which is cut into cubes with wires, allowing more whey to drain from the curds. The curds are then reheated to 120 °F (49 °C) for one or two hours. In Iowa in the early 1930s, hot water was poured into the vat, further forming the curds. Once the curds have been drained and are primarily[ clarification needed ] dry, the mass is pressed to dry the curds further. The curds are then rinsed in water. [1] [6] [9] [10] Finally, salt and a "dressing" of cream are added, and the final product is packaged and shipped for consumption. [1] [7] [10] Some smaller modern luxury creameries omit the first heating step but allow the milk to curdle much longer with bacteria to produce the curds or use crème fraîche as dressing. [7]

Cottage cheese made with a food-grade acid must be labelled as "Direct Acid set". [9]

Usually, a small amount of low CO2-producing citrate-fermenting lactococci or leuconostoc bacterial strains are added to the starter mix for the production of diacetyl for added buttery or creamy flavors. Producers must be careful that the final product contains approximately 2 ppm diacetyl and that the ratio of diacetyl to acetaldehyde is 3–5 to 1 to achieve the typical cottage cheese flavor. Too small a ratio and the product tastes grassy; too much and the taste becomes harsh. [1]

Cottage cheese is naturally yellow due to the cream dressing, but to increase consumer acceptance and appeal of the final product, titanium dioxide is usually added to the dressing to make it a brilliant white colour and enhance the marketability of the finished product. In the United States, the FDA allows the additive in many dairy products (not whole milk) up to 1% of total volume by weight, but it must be labelled in the ingredient list. It may also be used in Canada and the European Union. Recently, producers have added this ingredient in nanoparticle form. In the US, the FDA does not restrict nanoparticle technology used in food, but in Europe, it must be first submitted for approval as a food ingredient. According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, it is found in hundreds of products, not always labelled as such, including many organic products; [11] [12] [13] however, several large US producers have denied using it. [14]

Cottage cheese may be marketed as a small-curd (<4 mm diameter) or large-curd (>8 mm diameter). [9]

Nutrition

Cottage cheese
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 412 kJ (98 kcal)
3.38 g
Sugars 2.67 g
Fat
4.30 g
11.12 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
5%
37 μg
0%
12 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
8%
83 mg
Iron
1%
0.07 mg
Magnesium
2%
8 mg
Phosphorus
23%
159 mg
Potassium
3%
104 mg
Sodium
24%
364 mg
Zinc
4%
0.40 mg
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

Cottage cheese is popular among dieters [9] and some health food devotees. It is also relatively popular among bodybuilders and athletes for its high content of casein protein while being relatively low in fat. Cottage cheese is also safe to eat during pregnancy, unlike some cheese products that are not recommended. [15] [16]

The sour taste of the product is due to lactic acid, which is present at 124–452 mg/kg. Formic, acetic, propionic and butyric acids contribute to the aroma. [9]

Due to its incorporation of whey, cottage cheese is high in lactose relative to most other cheeses. However, lactose is partially decomposed by lactic acid fermentation.

Consumption

Cottage cheese and kabanos breakfast Cottage cheese and kabanos breakfast.jpg
Cottage cheese and kabanos breakfast

In the United States and Canada, cottage cheese is popular in many culinary dishes. [17] It can be combined with fruit and sugar, salt and pepper, fruit purée, tomatoes, or granola and cinnamon. It can be eaten on toast, in salads, as a chip dip, as a replacement for mayonnaise in tuna salad, and as an ingredient in recipes such as jello salad and various desserts. Cottage cheese is also popular with fruit, such as pineapple, pears, peaches, or mandarin oranges.

See also

Coagulate skimmed milk with lactic bacteria and rennet

Coagulate with citric acid or acetic acids

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy product</span> Food product made from milk

Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, or other health reasons or beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whey</span> Liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained

Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard cheese, like cheddar or Swiss cheese. Acid whey is a byproduct brought out during the making of acid types of dairy products, such as strained yogurt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curd</span> Result of curdling milk

Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet, a culture, or any edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then allowing it to coagulate. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins (casein) to tangle into solid masses, or curds. Milk that has been left to sour will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk cheeses are produced this way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttermilk</span> Fermented dairy drink

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most modern buttermilk in western countries is cultured separately. It is common in warm climates where unrefrigerated milk sours quickly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goat cheese</span> Cheese made from the milk of goats

Goat cheese, goat's cheese or chèvre is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety of recipes, giving many different styles of cheeses, from fresh and soft to aged and hard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paneer</span> Type of fresh cheese commonly used in Indian cuisine

Paneer, also known as panir, is a fresh acid-set cheese common in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent made from full-fat buffalo milk or cow milk. It is a non-aged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curdling</span> Breaking of an emulsion or colloid into large parts of different composition

Curdling is the breaking of an emulsion or colloid into large parts of different composition through the physio-chemical processes of flocculation, creaming, and coalescence. Curdling is purposeful in the production of cheese curd and tofu; undesirable in the production of a sauce, cheese fondue or a custard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acid-set cheese</span> Cheese set by souring

Acid-set or sour milk cheese is cheese that has been curdled (coagulated) by natural souring, often from lactic acid bacteria, or by the addition of acid. This type of cheese is technologically simple to produce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyr</span> Icelandic cultured dairy product

Skyr is a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product. It has the consistency of strained yogurt, but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as a fresh sour milk cheese, similar to curd cheese consumed like a yogurt in the Baltic states, the Low Countries, Germany and Russia. It has been a part of Icelandic cuisine for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashk</span> Range of dairy products

Kashk, qurut, chortan, or aaruul and khuruud is a range of dairy products popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, Caucasian cuisine, and Central Asian cuisine. Kashk is made from strained yogurt, drained buttermilk or drained sour milk by shaping it and letting it dry. It can be made in a variety of forms, like rolled into balls, sliced into strips, and formed into chunks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requeijão</span> Whey cheese popular in Portugal and Brazil

Requeijão is a milk-derived product, produced in Portugal and Brazil. It is a loose, ricotta-like cheese used to make cheese spreads. It can be a good substitute to mild, unsalty ricotta. This variety is sometimes sold in the markets wrapped in fresh corn husks. In El Salvador, cheeses such as requesón can sometimes be transported wrapped in banana leaves instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clabber (food)</span> Type of fermented milk

Clabber is a type of soured milk. It is produced by allowing unpasteurized milk to turn sour (ferment) at a specific humidity and temperature. Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt-like consistency with a strong, sour flavor. In Joy of Cooking, "Clabber... is milk that has soured to the stage of a firm curd but not to a separation of the whey."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tvorog</span> White European cheese

Tvorog is a European, non-liquid white fermented milk product, traditional for Eastern, Northern and Central Europe, obtained by fermenting milk with subsequent whey removal. It is officially customary to classify Tvorog produced in the traditional way, according to its fat content. According to GOST RF, according to physical and chemical indicators, Tvorog is divided into the following categories: fat-free, low-fat, classic and fatty. Also, according to the method of manufacture, such types of Tvorog are distinguished as simple, soft, and grained Tvorog, which is a type of low-fat Tvorog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strained yogurt</span> Yogurt thickened by draining whey

Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt. Like many types, strained yogurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. In Europe and North America, it is often made from low-fat or fat-free cow's milk. In Iceland, a similar product named skyr is made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amasi</span> Traditional South African fermented milk

Amasi, maas, or mafi, is a fermented milk product that is similar to cottage cheese or plain yogurt. It is a popular snack in South Africa and Lesotho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese</span> Curdled milk food product

Cheese is a dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk. During production, milk is usually acidified and either the enzymes of rennet or bacterial enzymes with similar activity are added to cause the casein to coagulate. The solid curds are then separated from the liquid whey and pressed into finished cheese. Some cheeses have aromatic molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ymer (dairy product)</span> Soured milk product

Ymer is a Danish soured milk product with 6 percent protein. Compared to standard yogurt, it has a thicker, creamier consistency and a higher protein content. It has a slightly buttery taste and may be very subtly fizzy due to slight carbonation from the lactic fermentation. It was launched commercially in the 1930s. It is made by fermenting whole milk with the bacterial culture Lactococcus lactis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quark (dairy product)</span> Acid-set cheese

Quark or quarg is a type of fresh dairy product made from milk. The milk is soured, usually by adding lactic acid bacteria cultures, and strained once the desired curdling is achieved. It can be classified as fresh acid-set cheese. Traditional quark can be made without rennet, but in modern dairies small quantities of rennet are typically added. It is soft, white and unaged, and usually has no salt added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Çökelek</span> Turkish cheese

Çökelek is a fermented and acid/heat coagulated fresh cheese from Turkey and Azerbaijan. It can be produced from heating fermented buttermaking by-products such as buttermilk (yayıkaltı), though skimmed milk yogurt can also be used as a starting material. It can also be obtained from yayık ayranı through heat exposure. Despite its similar appearance, it is distinct from Lor, a form of curdled whey product similar to cottage cheese. Keş, şor, ekşimik and minci are different local names associated with çökelek.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Litopoulou-Tzanetaki, E. (2007). "Soft-ripened and fresh cheeses: Feta, Quark, Halloumi and related varieties". Improving the Flavour of Cheese. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. pp. 474–493. doi:10.1533/9781845693053.4.474. ISBN   9781845690076.
  2. 1 2 3 "History of Cheese - National Historic Cheesemaking Center". Nationalhistoriccheesemakingcenter.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. "Let's Explore the History of Cheese". gourmetcheesedetective.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-04-14. These very early cheeses would have tasted slightly sour, salty, somewhat similar in texture to feta or cottage cheese.
  4. "History of Cheese - International Dairy Foods Association". Idfa.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. "08-069: Pioneer Cheese Making". South Peace Historical Society. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Cottage Cheese | The California Dairy Press Room & Resources". Californiadairypressroom.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  7. 1 2 3 "Can America learn to love cottage cheese again?". The Independent . 2019-02-20. Archived from the original on 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  8. Byron, Ellen (2016-11-08). "Could Cottage Cheese Ever Be Cool?". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chandan, R.C. (2003). "CHEESES - Soft and Special Varieties". Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (2 ed.). Academic Press. pp. 1093–1098. doi:10.1016/B0-12-227055-X/00201-7. ISBN   9780122270550.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Manufacture of Cottage Cheese in Iowa Creameries and Milk Plane". Circular (Iowa State College, Agricultural Experiment Station). 126: 16. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  11. "Titanium Dioxide - Eating the White Stuff". Knoji. 15 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  12. Lieberman, Layne (2015). "Is Big Dairy Really Putting Microscopic Pieces of Metal in Our Food?". WorldRD. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  13. Edelkind, Shula (28 October 2016). "Neurotoxicity and gene-expressed profile in brain-injured mice caused by exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles". TalkingAboutTheScience. Shula Edelkind. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  14. Astley, Mark (6 June 2014). "Dannon, Daisy, LAG deny reported titanium dioxide nanoparticle use". Dairyreporter. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  15. "Foods to avoid in pregnancy". National Health Service. 2020-02-12. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-14. Other than mould-ripened soft cheeses, all other soft types of cheese are OK to eat, provided they're made from pasteurised milk. These include: cottage cheese
  16. "Pregnancy nutrition: Foods to avoid during pregnancy". Mayo Clinic. 2019-12-31. Archived from the original on 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2020-04-14. Many low-fat dairy products — such as skim milk, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese — can be a healthy part of your diet. Anything containing unpasteurized milk, however, is a no-no.
  17. Dragunov, Gengio (2019-10-04). "12 Best Cottage Cheeses You Will Love". Cheese Buzz. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2019-10-10.