A.O.C – Appellation d’origine controlee.
‘The controlled destination of origin’, is a French governing body whose
primary role is to regulate the quality and origin of French cheeses.
Affinage – the craft of maturing and
aging cheeses.
Affineur – a specialist in the art
of maturing cheeses.
Artisanal – handmade cheeses using
traditional methods and made in small batches.
Acidic – a description for cheeses
with sour or citric flavours.
Aroma – the smell of the cheese,
pungent (strong) or sweet.
Annatto – a natural food colouring
agent derived from the Annatto berry, found in South America.
Bacteria – single cell organisms
found everywhere. Bacteria is very important in the production of all types of
cheese and are generally non-pathogenic.
Bloomy mould – the light
‘cauliflower’ mould we see on brie and camembert style cheeses.
Barnyardy/Farmy – a term for cheeses
displaying strong farm-related aromas.
B-linens – a ‘good’ type of bacteria
encouraged by washing cheeses. Found in washed rind cheeses hence the orange
colour and gritty rind featured on washed rind cheese.
Brine – a salt water solution often
used to wash cheeses.
Cheesemonger – a knowledgeable cheese salesperson, also known as a Fromager.
Cheddaring – the process of making
cheddar. Curds are cut and pressed 2-3 times before being layered in slabs and
pressed on a cheddar machine.
Curd – coagulation of milk after
using rennet or lactic fermentation.
Culture - Starter cultures speed and control the process of curdling milk
during cheese making in part by converting lactose to lactic acid.
Coagulate – A step in cheese
manufacture when milk's protein, casein, is clotted by the action of rennet or
acids. The joining of enzymes.
Earthy – a word for describing
cheeses with rustic and hearty flavours. Normally cheeses exhibiting hints of
mushrooms and grass.
Fermier – handmade cheeses using
traditional methods and made in small batches. Cheeses must be made using raw
milk raised either on the farm or from the region. Cheeses are made in Mountain
huts or small farmhouses.
Herbaceous – a term for describing cheeses
with exhibit flavours of grass, flowers and herbs.
Lactic – (1) A general description applied
to cheese exhibiting a clean, wholesome, milky and slightly acidic flavour or
aroma. (2) The type of organisms included in starter cultures for cheesemaking.
Moulds – The baskets/hoops in which the
cheeses are shaped.
Meillieur Ouvrier – French title earned for excellence in
any field. Awarded to those who work hard to promote and encourage French
products.
Nutty – a word for describing cheeses.
Generally relates to hard mountain cheeses such as Comte or Appenzeller.
Non-animal rennet – Rennet created chemically using
products such as fungi or thistle rather than livestock.
Pate - the interior of the cheese.
Pasteurised – The process of heating milk to a
specific temperature for a specific period of time in order to eliminate any
disease-producing bacteria. Milk is heated at 72 degrees C for at least 15
seconds.
Rennet - An extract from the membranes of
calves' stomachs that contains rennin, an enzyme that aids in coagulating milk
or separating curds from whey. Rennet-like enzymes, also used commercially, are
produced by selected fungi and bacteria.
Rind – The outer surface of the cheese,
formed to protect the pate.
Ripe – When a cheese is ready to be
eaten.
Terroir – refers to the region/land the
cheese is from.
Thermised – the process of heating milk to
less than 160 degrees F for less than 15 seconds prior to using it for cheese
making.
Washed rind – A cheese rind that has been
washed periodically with brine, whey, beer, cider, wine, brandy or oil during
ripening.
Whey – the watery part of milk which
separated from the coagulated curds during cheese making. Whey is generally
mixed with molasses and fed back to the animals to help promote strength
amongst the animals in smaller farms.
Un-Pasteurised/Raw – Milk that has not undergone the
pasteurisation treatment.
