Smoked cheese

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Smoked ricotta cheese from La Sila, Calabria, Italy Ricotta affumicata della sila.jpg
Smoked ricotta cheese from La Sila, Calabria, Italy

Smoked cheese is any cheese that has been specially treated by smoke-curing. [1] It typically has a yellowish-brown outer pellicle which is a result of this curing process. [2]

Contents

Process

Smoke-curing is typically done in one of two ways: cold-smoking and hot-smoking. [1] The cold-smoking method (which can take up to a month, depending on the food) smokes the food at between 20° and 30° C (68° and 86° F). Hot-smoking partially or completely cooks the food by treating it at temperatures ranging from 40° to 90 °C (104° to 194° F).

Another method, typically used in less expensive cheeses, is to use artificial smoke flavoring to give the cheese a smoky flavoring and food coloring to give the outside the appearance of having been smoked in the more traditional manner.

Common smoked cheeses

Some smoked cheeses commonly produced and sold include smoked Gruyère, smoked Gouda (rookkaas), Provolone, Rauchkäse, Scamorza, Sulguni, Oscypek, Fynsk rygeost, and smoked Cheddar. [1] [3] [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Cured fish is fish which has been cured by subjecting it to fermentation, pickling, smoking, or some combination of these before it is eaten. These food preservation processes can include adding salt, nitrates, nitrite or sugar, can involve smoking and flavoring the fish, and may include cooking it. The earliest form of curing fish was dehydration. Other methods, such as smoking fish or salt-curing also go back for thousands of years. The term "cure" is derived from the Latin curare, meaning to take care of. It was first recorded in reference to fish in 1743.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cured pork tenderloin</span> Meat delicacy

Cured pork tenderloin is found in various cuisines in Mediterranean Europe and South America. It is typically salted or brined then dry-cured or smoked.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Strawbridge, D.; Strawbridge, J. (2012). Made At Home: Curing & Smoking: From Dry Curing to Air Curing and Hot Smoking, to Cold Smoking. Octopus Books. p. pt317. ISBN   978-1-84533-726-1 . Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  2. Riha, W.E. (1992). Control of Color Formation in Smoked Cheese. University of Wisconsin--Madison. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  3. Magazine, C.; Miller, L.; Skinner, T.; Tsai, M. (2012). Cheese For Dummies. Wiley. p. 84. ISBN   978-1-118-14552-4 . Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  4. Fleischman, W. (2016). Smoking Meat: Tools - Techniques - Cuts - Recipes; Perfect the Art of Cooking with Smoke. DK Publishing. p. pt22. ISBN   978-1-4654-5050-0 . Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. Hastings, C.; De Leo, J.; Wright, C.A. (2014). The Cheesemonger's Seasons: Recipes for Enjoying Cheeses with Ripe Fruits and Vegetables. Chronicle Books LLC. p. 37. ISBN   978-1-4521-3554-0 . Retrieved November 6, 2018.

Further reading