A detailed review of Tête de Moine cheese: chemical composition, nutritional value, benefits and harms to humans. How is cheese eaten, what recipes with its participation can be implemented in the home kitchen?
Tête de Moine is a rather rare and expensive matured semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk with an unusual taste, in which notes of sweetness, salty and spiciness are intertwined. The geographical area of production of the product is Jura, north-west of Switzerland. The cheese belongs to boiled-pressed varieties, has a brown crust and a pleasant aroma. Its fat content is at an average level and is 45-51%. The product is recommended for consumption due not only to its excellent taste, but also to the high level of substances that are beneficial to human health.
Features of the preparation of Tête de Moine cheese
The recipe for Tête de Moine cheese was invented by the ministers of the Abbey of Bellay. The monks ate cheese and also used it as a bargaining chip. A little later, in the 19th century, a local peasant learned the technology of making the product and started mass production of cheese. A wide consumer audience appreciated the original taste of the product, and almost immediately after the start of mass production, Tête de Moine received a prize at a worldwide agricultural competition held in Paris. The product was exported to different countries around the world.
Cheesemakers from generation to generation pass on knowledge to each other on how to make Tête de Moine cheese, thanks to which its recipe has not changed for 8 centuries. Currently, the product is produced by only a few mountain farms exclusively from the milk yield of the summer period. The authentic recipe uses exclusively fresh and necessarily unpasteurized milk from local cows. The cheese is sold at a high price and is held in high esteem among gourmets.
Homemade Tête de Moine cheese recipe
- The first day - fermentation of milk, obtaining curd mass and pressing it for one night.
- The second day - thoroughly salting the cheese for 16 hours using a special solution.
- The next 2, 5 or 6 months - maturation of the formed pressed cheese head in cellars with a special temperature regime and shelves made of spruce boards. Typically, Tête de Moines cheese ripens for 75 days. During this period, it is regularly rubbed with a concentrate of beneficial bacteria.
As a result, cheese makers get a cheese cylinder with a diameter of 10 to 15 cm. The weight of one head is 700-900 g.
Interesting! The name of the cheese means "monk's head". It is no coincidence that the manufacturers of Tête de Moines named their product with this very phrase. The cheese is too hard and cannot be cut into regular slices. The monks literally scraped slices of cheese off the head, as if they were shaving a monk. It was this association with the cutting of Tête de Moine cheese that led to the appearance of the original name.
Composition and calorie content of Tet de Moine cheese
The standard composition of Tête de Moines cheese includes a limited number of components: selected premium quality cow's milk, special rennet, table salt and certain beneficial bacteria.
The calorie content of Tet de Moine cheese per 100 g is 429 kcal, of which
- Protein - 25 g;
- Fat - 35 g;
- Carbohydrates - 3, 2 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0 g;
- Water - 29, 16 g.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates: 1: 1, 4: 0, 1, respectively.
Vitamins per 100 g of product
- Vitamin A - 207 mcg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.039 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.332 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 15.4 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.453 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.091 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 7 mcg;
- Vitamin B12, cobalamin - 1.2 mcg;
- Vitamin D, calciferol - 0.5 mcg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.22 mg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 1.7 mcg.
Macronutrients in 100 g of Tête de Moine cheese
- Potassium, K - 92 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 1184 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 44 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 1602 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 694 mg.
Trace elements in 100 g of Tête de Moine cheese
- Iron, Fe - 0.82 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 32 μg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.02 mg;
- Selenium, Se - 22.5 mcg;
- Zinc, Zn - 2.75 mg.
Read more about the composition and calorie content of Rigott de Condrieu cheese.
Useful properties of Tet de Moine cheese
The product is made from whole cow's milk, therefore it contains a lot of nutrients useful for humans, primarily calcium (Ca). This macronutrient is indispensable for a person during all periods of his life, especially in adolescence, when the skeleton is actively growing. Calcium prevents brittle bones and is responsible for the health of teeth and nails.
The Swiss cheese Tête de Moine contains a large amount of saturated acids - 20-21 g per 100 g of product. These substances help a person maintain a charge of vigor while performing heavy physical activity. They also give the body energy at night, when the synthesis of hormones, metabolism and other vital processes take place in our body.
Other health benefits of Tête de Moine cheese
- Keeping teeth and bones in excellent condition in middle-aged and older people - due to the content of a large amount of phosphorus.
- A beneficial effect on the skin and visual acuity - vitamins A and E take part in these processes. Also, these substances enhance the protective functions of all human mucous membranes.
- Normalization of the central nervous system - thanks to B vitamins, potassium and magnesium, cheese helps fight insomnia and stress, as well as optimize metabolic processes in the body.
- Prevention of joint diseases - thanks to vitamin D, the product is an excellent prophylactic agent against many diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including osteoporosis.
On a note! Cheese Tête de Moines at home cannot be stored in a plastic container, even if it is sold in such a package. The seller must offer the buyer to unpack the cheese and wrap it in special paper. Otherwise, the crust of the product will acquire a disgusting odor.
