Composition of Pikodon cheese, its useful properties, preparation features and contraindications for use. How is cheese eaten, what recipes for dishes with Picodon can be implemented in the home kitchen?
Picodon cheese is a soft, moldy cheese native to France that is made from goat's milk. It is known for its spicy extraordinary aftertaste: a salty, sweetish and pungent taste is combined in one piece. The product has a natural crust and a low fat content. Traditionally produced at the foot of the Alps. It can make a person healthy and at the same time harm his body. Therefore, before consuming cheese, be sure to read the information below.
Features of the preparation of Pikodon cheese
The French learned how to cook Picodon cheese back in the 14th century. Since then, the manufacturing technology has changed insignificantly. The cheese, as before, is not aged for long in the cellars for maturation (up to 5 weeks), therefore it is considered to be semi-matured.
There are many varieties of Picodon, which differ in the degree of maturity of the product. The most matured cheese has a special hard, dry pulp, as well as a crust covered with a small amount of mold. The sweet-tasting Picodon varieties and cheeses marinated in olive oil are very popular among the French.
The most widespread and accessible variety of Picodon for ordinary citizens is de Lardesche. We will talk about it further.
In industrial plants, the standard Picodon variety is produced throughout the year. Farm cheese is most often made from spring to mid-autumn. This is due to the peculiarities of the diet of goats. During the warmer months, farmers graze their animals on green pastures, thanks to which they receive large volumes of milk with a rich chemical composition. Cheese made during this period always contains a lot of protein and is considered especially useful for humans. On industrial farms, the situation with animal feeding is different: here goats receive special fortified feed all year round, therefore they give stable milk yield regardless of the weather.
Features of the preparation of Pikodon cheese:
- Preparation of milk from 2 breeds of goats at the same time.
- Adding rennet to it to fold the protein.
- Placing the obtained cottage cheese in special forms designed to separate the whey from the cottage cheese (for a day).
- Salting and ripening of cheese, which lasts at least 8 days. It is worth noting that according to the norms determined by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Picodon must ripen for at least 2 weeks.
- During maturation, the cheese heads are periodically washed.
Interesting! During cooking, the cheese is formed into rather small heads, which is why the French called the Picodon a washer. The cheese head does not exceed 1-3 cm in height, and weighs up to 100 g.
