Swiss cheese Friborg: varieties, composition and calorie content. What are the useful properties of the product? Potential harm and contraindications. What is the best way to serve it and what dishes can you add?
Friborg is a Swiss type of cheese also known as Vashrain Friborgois. The product is made from pasteurized cow's milk. The head is cylindrical, large, diameter - 35 cm, weight - 7 kg. The crust is loose, golden brown. The pulp is creamy, with sparse, but rather large holes. Texture - from semi-soft to very firm, taste - from sweetish-delicate to spicy with sourness. Such differences in characteristics are determined by the variety and the aging time - the longer it is, the denser the texture and the more intense the taste. Gourmets all over the world adore Friborg, it can be eaten both separately and as part of complex dishes, but most often this cheese is used to make delicious fondue.
Features of making Friborg cheese
Officially, there are 6 varieties of Friborg cheese - Classic, Extra, Country, Mountain, Bio and Alpage. The latter is unique in that it is produced exclusively from the milk of alpine cows and often in the field in the truest sense of the word - milk is heated for curdling in a kettle over a fire, bred in alpine meadows. This variety is very rare, it is sometimes difficult to find it even in Switzerland itself, and its price is much higher than other Friborg varieties.
A remarkable type of crust is formed on the cheese as a result of regular washing with a special saline solution during ripening.
Friborg cheese ripening time:
| Variety | Classical | Extra | Country | Mountain | Bio | Alpage |
| Aging time, weeks | 6-12 | from 12 | 12-35 | 9-25 | from 9 | 12-25 |
The Friborg recipe is complex and requires adherence to many technological subtleties. The main difficulty is several temperature regimes for different phases of maturation. In addition, raw materials are the most important factor. You can, of course, repeat the recipe at cheese making courses, but if you don't have Swiss cows' milk at hand, you still won't get the same taste.
Composition and calorie content of Friborg cheese
The calorie content of Friborg cheese is 327 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 22 g;
- Fat - 27 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0 g.
The composition and energy value of the product is a classic "cheese" one, a lot of protein, a complete absence of carbohydrates and a high fat content. The vitamin and mineral balance is also traditional. Cheese is especially rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A and B.
Useful properties of Friborg cheese
The value of cheese lies primarily in the high content of complete protein, in large quantities it contains amino acids that are limited in many other products (methionine, lysine and tryptophan), but without which the construction of your own protein is impossible. For this reason, the product is very important for athletes.
The benefits of Friborg cheese are also due to the high content of nutrients such as:
- Calcium … The main task of this mineral is to ensure the health of the bone skeleton and teeth. However, it has a lot of additional options. Calcium plays the role of a catalyst for many biochemical processes, the main of which are participation in the activation of a number of hormones and enzymes, generation and transmission of nerve impulses. That is why the symptomatology of its deficiency is not only fragility of nails and tooth decay, but also nervousness, depression, convulsions.
- Phosphorus … It works together with calcium for the benefit of the strength of the skeletal system, however, again, like its partner, it also has other important functions. Without phosphorus, normal energy production, the metabolism of basic nutrients, especially proteins, is impossible.
- Potassium … The main cellular element, controls the work of nerve impulses and the contraction of all muscles, including the heart. For this reason, this mineral is essential for normalizing blood pressure. By the way, caffeine causes a large loss of potassium, which is why it is not recommended to use it for heart disease.
- Vitamin A … A nutrient required for normal vision, especially night vision. It also maintains healthy skin and mucous membranes of the mouth, intestines and genitals. Without the normal production of vitamin A, the process of egg maturation and sperm formation is disrupted.
- B vitamins … They play an important role in the healthy functioning of the nervous system, prevent hypoxic processes. With a normal intake of vitamins of this group, the risk of developing depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders is significantly reduced.
It is important to note that other vitamins and minerals are also present in small amounts in Friborg cheese, which also have a great effect on maintaining the overall homeostasis of the body.
Contraindications and harm of Friborg cheese
Friborg cheese is one of those foods that is important to consume in moderation. A healthy person should not eat more than 50-70 g of the product per day. There are two reasons for this limitation: a high percentage of fat and a high content of sodium salts - cheese is soaked in brine for a long time.
Before use, it is also important to carefully cut the crust off the pulp, since mold cultures are used for its formation, the ingestion of which in large quantities is unacceptable. For this reason, people with weakened immunity should be especially careful to carry out this procedure.
As a rule, a complete ban on the use of the product applies to people with:
- Overweight - foods with a high percentage of fat are unacceptable in the diet of people at risk of obesity;
- Lactase deficiency - if the body does not digest or poorly digests milk sugar, the use of cheese, like all other dairy products, is undesirable.
- Allergy to dairy products - in this case, of course, cheese should also be absent from the diet.
Friborg cheese can harm people following a particular therapeutic diet, without first consulting a doctor it should not be added to the diet.
Read more about contraindications for Gorgonzola cheese
Friborg cheese recipes
Friborg cheese is a pronounced milky taste with hints of spicy herbs. Depending on the variety, shades of nuts, fruits, light bitterness and resinousness are also guessed. Ideal as a stand-alone snack and as a fondue ingredient. The most popular fondue in Switzerland is half Friborg and half Gruyere. Vashren Friborgois is very appropriate for cooking hot dishes, especially baked ones.
Let's look at some interesting uses in Friborg cheese recipes:
- Chicken baked with vegetables … Cut bell pepper (3 pieces) and onion (2 pieces) into rings, rub the garlic (3 cloves) on a fine grater. Add salt and pepper fillet of chicken breast (4 pieces), lightly beat. Heat olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a frying pan, fry the breast over high heat - you do not need to cook until cooked, the main thing is to achieve an appetizing golden crust. Transfer the fillets to a greased baking dish (1 tablespoon). In the pan in which the meat was fried, pass the onions and bell peppers separately. Place the vegetables on top of the chicken. Put the garlic in the same pan, after half a minute pour water (100 ml), put chopped tomatoes (4 pieces), add Italian herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste, mix well. Pour in cream (100 ml), stir again and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken with vegetables, cover the form with foil, send to the oven, preheated to 200OFrom for half an hour. Open the oven, remove the foil, add the grated Friborg (100 g) and turn off the heat. After 10 minutes, the dish can be served.
- Baked potato … Wash the potatoes well (4 large ones), rub them in the skins with olive oil and salt. Transfer to a baking dish and place in oven preheated to 200OC. Half an hour before the potatoes are ready, put the unpeeled garlic (4 cloves) in foil separately in the oven; it must also be pre-treated with olive oil and salt. Chop the bacon (4 strips), fry in a pan. Remove the potatoes from the oven, cool, cut in half and remove the pulp. Combine the pulp with baked and minced garlic, sour cream (2 tablespoons), bacon, grated cheese (200 g) and spread the filling over the potatoes. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
- French omelet … Beat eggs (3 pieces) with milk (1 tablespoon). Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet. Pour the egg and milk mixture into a well-heated skillet. Grate Friborg (50 g), when the omelet is almost done, sprinkle cheese on one half of it and cover with the other with a spatula. Cook for another half minute.
- Baked zucchini … Cut young zucchini (2 pieces) in half, remove the pulp. Mix it with finely chopped onions (1 piece) and grated carrots (1 piece). Fry vegetables in a frying pan, adding diced tomatoes (1 piece) and garlic crushed in a press (1 clove). Put the filling in the zucchini, sprinkle with cheese (100 g), bake at 180OC for 20 minutes.
- Cheese fondue … Cut along a clove of garlic, rub the sides and bottom of the fondue with a cut. Turn on the fire, pour in dry white wine (300 ml) and lemon juice (1 tbsp. L.). As soon as the wine comes to a boil, reduce the heat, add gradually sliced Friborg cheese (250 g) and Gruyere (250 g). Mix the cherry liqueur (1 tablespoon) and cornstarch (1 tablespoon) separately, pour this mixture into the fondue bowl when all the cheese is melted. Simmer, stirring constantly, for several minutes. Serve with bread and vegetables.
By the way, when serving dishes with Friborg cheese, the wine accompaniment is determined according to the classical rule. For young varieties - light wines, for mature ones - rich and strong.
Interesting facts about Friborg cheese
The history of cheese goes back many centuries, it is known for certain that in the 15th century the product not only existed, but was also appreciated by King Sigismund himself. Friborg has always been produced in the city of the same name: its history began in it and to this day it is believed that the true Vashren Friborgois is born only in this geographical area.
The product received the Swiss AOC certificate in 2005, if there is such a mark on the head of the cheese, this means that this is a true Friborg, made according to a classic recipe in a certain geographical area and meeting the highest quality standards.
2000 tons of Friborg cheese are produced annually. The price per kilogram is approximately 20 francs.
