Description of Mahon cheese, secrets of making. Fat content and composition of the fermented milk product, the effect on the body when consumed. Cooking Uses and Variety History.
Mahón is a hard Spanish cheese made from cow's milk, both raw and pasteurized. Local names - Mahon or Mahon-Menorca in honor of the area where it was made. Texture - firm, elastic, oily, with small eyes; taste - creamy salty with spicy sourness; aroma - medium saturation; the color depends on the degree of exposure - from light to rich yellow. The crust is natural, thin, orange in color, its intensity depends on the amount of vegetable (olive) oil and paprika. The weight of the head is 1-2 kg, the shape is a parallelepiped with rounded edges and a clear imprint of a rope, which it is tied with during manufacture.
How is Mahon cheese made?
If the feedstock is pasteurized, then it is heated to a temperature of 60 ° C. Some cheese makers add sheep's milk to cow's milk, but more often they do without it. Mesophilic cultures are used for starter culture, rennet is used for curdling, salt and calcium chloride are used as a preservative, if pasteurization has been carried out.
At the initial stages, Mahon cheese is made like most fermented milk products of this type: milk is heated to 28-30 ° C, dried sourdough is poured onto the surface, allowed to be absorbed, maintaining a constant temperature, rennet is added and waiting for the formation of kale. Cutting is carried out with a "harp". Sizes of cheese grains - with chickpeas. Leave for 5-10 minutes, maintaining a constant temperature, until all the pieces settle to the bottom.
Further, the production of Mahon cheese is carried out using a special technology. Part of the serum is drained and replaced with warm clean water, pumping it from a hose. The cheese grains are mixed with a special spatula, the temperature is gradually increased and brought to the initial one. Again, the curd mass is allowed to rest, and then transferred to the cheese cloth (fogasser). They wrap the future head, squeeze the liquid with their hands, pull it with a rope, like a bale, on each side and set it on a stand under oppression.
After 8-12 hours, the load is removed, the cheese is placed in a cool 20% brine. Salting lasts 4-6 hours. The cheese is dried at room temperature - during this process, drafts must be avoided. For maturation, the heads are placed in a chamber with a temperature of 8-10 ° C and a humidity of 80-85%.
To prepare Mahon cheese with a characteristic pungent taste, rub it with olive oil and paprika 1-2 times a day during the ripening period, turning it regularly.
Depending on the degree of aging, there are variants of Mahon cheese:
| Type of cheese | Aging | Peculiarities |
| Mahon Tierno, soft | 5 weeks | The color is white, it tastes like salty and peppery cottage cheese, slightly sour. |
| Half curado, half ripe | 3 months | Color - ivory, texture - elastic, small eyes, smack - roasted hazelnuts. |
| Curado | 6 months | Taste - pronounced, salty-sour; color - yellow, eyes - formed; crumbling cheese when cutting. |
| Anejo | 1.5 years | The taste is similar to Parmesan, nutty, buttery, salty, the aroma is intense. |
The original taste is obtained not only by using milk from local (Minor) cows, but also by adding dried seaweed to the brine. In the production of heads in dairy factories, flavor enhancers are not added to the composition.
Composition and calorie content of Mahon cheese
The energy value of the product slightly differs when the composition of the feedstock changes. Fat content on dry matter varies from 35 to 45%.
The calorie content of Mahon cheese made from raw cow's milk, even without the addition of sheep's milk, is high - 406 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 25 g;
- Fat - 34 g;
- Carbohydrates - up to 1, 2 g.
Ash substances can be ignored.
Of the vitamins, it is important to note retinol, tocopherol, a complex of B vitamins, including cobalamin, for which this type of fermented milk products is valued.
The mineral composition of Mahon cheese is dominated by calcium (714 mg per 100 g) and phosphorus (503 mg per 100 g). Also present: magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, selenium.
The pungent smell of the cheese is given by phytosterols, which are absorbed from the paprika used to process the crust.
In the process of ripening, the surface of the head is rubbed not only with paprika, but also with olive oil. This not only gives a characteristic flavor and increases the nutritional value of the cheese, but also increases the content of tocopherol, supplements the composition with ascorbic acid.
Useful properties of Mahon cheese
The permissible daily dose of this fermented milk product is 50-60 g for women and 70-80 g for men. This amount is enough to fill the daily requirement of 30% for calcium, 23% for magnesium, 56% for phosphorus. That is, it is enough to eat a piece, and there will be enough energy for half a day, not only for work, but also for active training.
Benefits of Mahon cheese:
- Quickly saturates, replenishes the vitamin and mineral reserve, increases the tone of the body. It has an antibacterial effect and strengthens the defenses. These properties are enhanced by paprika.
- It accelerates metabolic processes, “works” as an antioxidant, isolating free radicals in the lumen of the intestinal loops, accelerates the passage of food through the digestive tract, prevents the appearance of putrefactive processes and improves bad breath.
- Stimulates the production of saliva, stops caries, prevents the appearance of periodontal disease.
- Improves impulse conductivity.
- Strengthens the strength of bone tissue, stimulates the growth of children, prevents osteoporosis and degenerative-dystrophic changes, improves the quality of synovial fluid.
- Increases blood pressure, stops fluid loss.
- Normalizes water-electrolyte and acid-base balance.
- Accelerates organic reactions, increases the strength of cell membranes and reduces capillary permeability.
- Stimulates the production of red blood cells and prolongs the existence of whites.
Mahon cheese is best for breakfast. It will help the body wake up and tune in to intense work activity.
Contraindications and harm of Mahon cheese
When introducing this variety into the diet of preschool children and pregnant women, attention should be paid to the quality of the raw materials. If the milk is raw, it is better to postpone the introduction of the new taste. Since no heat treatment is carried out, there remains a high risk of microbiological danger - the introduction of pathogenic bacteria Listeria or Salmonella. At the slightest violation of the storage and transportation conditions or against the background of dysbiosis, the activity of the pathogenic flora increases - there is a risk of infection.
It is harmful to eat Mahon cheese with frequent attacks of bronchial asthma, with allergies to milk protein or red pepper, with increased sensitivity of the oral mucosa, with exacerbation of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. If paprika particles get into even small cracks on the tongue or on the inside of the cheeks, it will cause burning and painful sensations. It is worth excluding the product from the diet for gastritis with high acidity and impaired liver function.
You should not get carried away with a high-calorie product if you need to control weight and severe obesity. You should reduce portions or temporarily refuse to enter the diet with exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system or kidneys, increased bile secretion and a tendency to diarrhea.
Mahon cheese recipes
This variety is combined with dry and fortified wines. It is used as a filler in the Spanish sausage sobrasada and tortilla cakes, omelets, calzones, empanadas are made with it. The taste is ideally set off by vegetables - peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.
Mahon Cheese Recipes:
- Seafood appetizer … Finely chopped vegetables are fried in a hot frying pan in olive oil - carrots, onions, 2 tomatoes without peels and seeds, 2 crushed garlic teeth. When everything becomes soft, grind with a wooden crush directly in the pan, lay out the shrimp heads, fry, remove, pour in 2 tbsp. l. brandy. Bring the contents of the pan to the consistency of a sauce, add 2 tbsp. l. butter. The vegetable paste should be smooth, shiny, with a slight fishy smell. Separately prepare a cheese-milk sauce for shrimp: heat 200 g of milk to a boiling state and add 200 g of ground Mahon cheese, wait for melting, add loose gelatin - 15 g, leave to cool. Headless shrimps, 4 pcs., Peeled, boiled in water with a little olive oil, dipped in cheese and milk sauce. The process is repeated until a dense coating is obtained on the seafood. Dissolve rose jam in hot water to make a syrup. A little seafood sauce and shrimp in cheese glaze are laid out on each plate. Decorated with mint leaves and pink syrup.
- Cheese rolls with foie gras … Onions are fried in goose fat, then small pieces of goose liver are added, covered with a lid and fried for 2 minutes. Interrupt with a blender with a little pepper, salt and Provencal herbs. Cut off a piece of Mahon and heat it slightly in a warm frying pan or steam to make it elastic. Lubricate the surface with foie gras pate, roll up the roll and put it in the refrigerator. When it hardens, cut into circles and serve.
- Calzone with cheese and sweet potato … Puff pastry is kneaded in advance. Combine margarine, 100 g, cut into pieces, with 250 g of flour, grind into crumbs with your fingers. Drive in an egg, add some salt, add kefir, "by eye", and knead the dough. Roll out into a thin layer, grease with oil, roll up, roll out again, lubricate and bend again. The process is repeated 6-7 times. Wrap in plastic wrap and put everything in the refrigerator. Preheat a frying pan and fry 6 strips of bacon until the bacon is melted. Pour in the chopped head of red onion, fry until it becomes transparent. Pour in grated large sweet potatoes, season with dried cranberries, 4 tbsp. l., stir for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Add paprika, Mahon, half a glass or 60 g of salt and pepper (it is advisable to mix all the flavors). Preheat the oven to 180-200 ° C. Cover the baking sheet with parchment, beat 1 egg. The dough is rolled into a layer, the filling is placed on it, leaving free edges, the cake is covered. Brush with a beaten egg and prick with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, leave in the oven for another 2-3 minutes. Cut until the baked goods are cold.
- Empanadas … The dough should be very tender. Mix 125 g of butter and sour cream, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, pour in 5 g of freshly squeezed lemon juice and add 200 g of sifted flour. Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film, put in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. To make the filling, combine 100 g of Mahon and Mozzarella cheeses, 2 tbsp. l. canned corn, pre-draining the liquid. They take the batch out of the refrigerator, roll it up with a "sausage", cut off small pieces and roll out the cakes. Put the filling in the middle of each, pinch the edges, grease the pies with yolks so that nothing flows out. However, baked goods are more like big dumplings in shape. Bake on parchment in an oven preheated to 190 ° C for 15 minutes.
See also Osso Irati cheese recipes.
Interesting facts about Mahon cheese
In the cultural layer, which was formed, judging by the characteristic features, about 3000 BC. e., found fragments of pottery used to make this variety. In the handwritten documents of Arab travelers dating from the 1st century AD, mentions of Mahon were also found.
In the 18th century AD, the Spanish exported cheese all over the world. For delivery to the ports of Genoa, where the heads were loaded onto ships, special boats were built with sealed "chambers" that did not allow the ingress of sea spray.
Protected name - PDO certificate - the variety received in 1985. Now it is made only on the island of Menorca. The production process has been preserved for a long time: pressing is carried out by hand, and the heads are wrapped in fabric. In addition, Mahon cheese is made only from the milk yields of cattle grazing in the local meadows. Surprisingly, milk has a slightly salty taste, uncharacteristic for this product.
Watch the video about Mahon cheese:
