The king of cheeses is the Swiss Emmental. Manufacturing, nutritional value and chemical composition. Benefits and Potential Harm Cheese recipes and interesting facts about it.
Emmental is a hard Swiss cheese, which can be given the first place in the ranking of fermented milk products of this type. The name and production technology are not patented, the variety and subspecies are produced all over the world, but the real product can only be tasted in Switzerland. Emmental's taste is spicy, sweetish, but with mild sourness, aftertaste is nutty or fruity. The pulp is beige or light yellow, the consistency is firm and elastic. The eyes are large, evenly distributed over the entire head in the form of a flattened cylinder. The wheels of the original product made in Switzerland can reach 75-130 kg in weight. The crust is yellowish-gray or brownish, dryish.
How is Emmental cheese made?
For the production of the variety in industrial conditions, starter cultures of the PCS 10 U / 1500 l brand and the microbial coagulant RENIPLUS are used. Cooking, according to the Emmental cheese technology, begins with pasteurization of the milk by heating it to 73 ° C. Then the feedstock is enriched.
Coagulation takes place at 33 ° C, then the starter culture and culture are introduced into the bath for curdling. The flocculation time is standard - 15 minutes, after which the curd is finely chopped. The size of the cheese grains is the same as rice. Part of the whey - 10%, is drained from the boiler, hot water is poured in, first heated to 40 ° C, then to 52 ° C with steam. To obtain a steam jacket, it is injected under pressure. The grains are mixed.
Then the serum is removed, formed and pressed, placed in chambers with a special microclimate for 6-7 hours, at a temperature of 12 ° C, dried and left to ripen, which can last up to 18 months.
In Switzerland, Emmental matures in natural caves for at least 14 months. It acquires a tart taste and a thick smell of plowed soil in spring.
It will not work to make the original Emmental cheese at home without special conditions. Analogs made at well-known cheese factories, matured in special chambers, even with an exact repetition of all technological processes, are significantly inferior in quality to the Swiss product.
In home cheese dairies, they use for starter: Uglich TP (thermophilic substance), propionic acid bacteria, liquid rennet and calcium chloride. From 32 liters of raw materials, 4, 2-4, 5 kg of fermented milk product is obtained.
How to make Emmental cheese at home:
- The initial processes are carried out in the same way as when cooking other varieties. The temperature range is the same as for industrial cooking. Already pasteurized raw materials are heated, thermophilic cultures are poured onto the surface, and they are allowed to self-distribute throughout the entire volume. After 5 minutes, everything is mixed, calcium chloride and rennet enzyme are added, preliminarily diluted in boiled water, left for curdling.
- The density of the curd layer is checked as follows - a knife is brought under the surfaced mass and slowly raised. If a split occurs, you can start slicing. Turn the layer over, let it stand for another 10 minutes. The edges of the cheese cubes are 0, 3-0, 5 cm. Stir the cheese grains for 30 minutes.
- Place the container with the intermediate raw material in a water bath, heat to 49 ° C, stirring constantly, after 40 minutes remove the pan from the heat. The curd mass is constantly checked for readiness - the curd should easily fall apart. Once the intermediate product is ready for pressing, it is allowed to settle.
- Pressing is carried out according to a standard algorithm. Throw the cheese mass into a colander, remove the whey, transfer it into molds lined with gauze. The ends are tied. The load is increased gradually, by 2 kg per hour, starting from 2-3 kg. Salting begins after 8 hours.
- Dissolve 1 part of salt in 5 parts of boiling water, cool to 12 ° C, leave the head for 2 days, turning it over twice at regular intervals.
- Dry at room temperature on a drainage mat, shifting from edge to edge until dry. For ripening, the head is lowered into the cellar, placed in a plastic container. The required temperature is not higher than 12 ° С, humidity is 85%. The surface is wiped with brine for 14 days.
In order for the Emmental cheese made at home to resemble the taste of the original product as much as possible, it is kept for another month at 18 ° C and 85% humidity, and then returned to the cold cellar for another 3 months. The heads are turned over 2 times a week. If it is not possible to provide the necessary conditions for ripening, it will not be possible to repeat the recipe.
Composition and calorie content of Emmental cheese
Nutritional value depends on the maturity of the head. The longer she spends in the cellar, the drier the pulp and the higher the carbohydrate content.
The calorie content of Emmental cheese is 335 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 28 g;
- Fat - 27 g;
- Carbohydrates - 1 g;
- Water - 37.8 g;
- Ash - 3.8 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 400 mcg;
- Retinol - 0.24 mg;
- Beta Carotene - 0.17 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.44 mg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 1.1 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 4.86 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 130 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 1100 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 45 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 700 mg;
- Sulfur, S - 287 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 600 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 0.9 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.1 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 60 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 3.7 mg.
As part of Emmental cheese per 100 g:
- Essential amino acids - 11.48 g;
- Essential amino acids - 16.78 g;
- Omega-6 fatty acids - 0.73 g;
- Saturated fatty acids - 18.14 g;
- Monounsaturated fatty acids - 8.22 g;
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic - 0.73 g.
Nutrients are dominated by:
- Calcium - with a deficiency of this substance, osteoporosis, osteochondrosis develop, and exacerbations of arthritis and arthrosis often appear. 100 g of the product replenish the daily calcium requirement for an adult.
- Sodium (its amount is variable and depends on the time of ripening) - is responsible for the water-electrolyte balance of the body.
- Zinc - has an antioxidant effect and controls the functioning of the endocrine system.
The fat content of Emmental cheese varies from 40 to 70%
In some cases, instead of specifying a specific subspecies on the trademark, they write "Gruyere" or "Conte". For example, Emmental Gruyere has a denser pulp and small holes.
Useful properties of Emmental cheese
This product, while not a medicine, has a healing effect. With seasonal ARVI due to intoxication caused by high temperature, the appetite decreases. The body, exhausted by the disease, is depleted, there is not enough strength to fight complications. The spicy sweetish taste excites the taste buds, appetite appears, and in addition, easily digestible proteins and nutrients necessary for normal life enter the digestive system.
Benefits of Emmental cheese:
- Creates favorable conditions for the existence of intestinal flora and enhances immunity.
- Normalizes cholesterol levels, dissolves deposits that begin to form in the lumen of blood vessels.
- Stimulates the synthesis of erythrocytes, protein, the work of the endocrine and reproductive systems.
- Replenishes energy losses.
- Prevents the development of osteoporosis, improves the condition of the musculoskeletal system, teeth and the quality of the skin.
- Delays the onset of atherosclerosis, normalizes blood pressure, increases the tone of the vascular walls.
- Normalizes water-electrolyte, carbohydrate-lipid and acid-base balance. Prevents fluid loss, increases the regenerative properties of epithelial tissue.
- It has an antioxidant effect.
- It improves the functioning of the central nervous system, soothes, helps to cope with insomnia and recover from stress.
The use of Emmental has no age limit. The only recommendation: when treating small children, you need to make sure that the slice does not crumble and the child does not choke. Large eyes cause the flesh to break and the crumb can enter the windpipe.
Despite its high fat content, cheese can be included in a weight loss diet as a snack. The permissible norm (35 g) will not provoke weight gain and will help to cope with weakness and a constant desire to eat something. The same amount of fermented milk can be used as a snack for type 2 diabetes.
Regular introduction of Emmental cheese into the diet helps to quickly recover from serious illnesses and contributes to the formation of muscle mass.
Interesting facts about Emmental cheese
For the first time in 1293, this variety was made in the canton of Bern, the valley of the Emmi River, and therefore it was appropriately named. By the 15th century, the product gained immense popularity within the country, it was manufactured for export, and it was paid for minerals. Even then, he received the name "King of Cheese".
The exceptional aroma of the variety is associated with the peculiarities of the region: pure grass, a special microclimate of alpine caves and even a special breed of cows.
Alpine shepherds made the first heads right on high-mountain pastures. They collected morning milk from all over the herd and cooked until morning in yesterday's cauldrons over low heat until dense clots were formed, and then strained through a row, wrapped in thick cloth and laid out for pressing under flat stones. And in the evening, returning to the villages, they lowered the huge heads into the caves.
The larger and larger the eyes, the richer the flavor of Emmental cheese when cut. Cheese "tears" accumulate in natural holes, which are formed by carbon dioxide during the second stage of ripening. "The cheesemaker laughs when the cheese cries."
By the way, creating cheap analogs, unscrupulous cheese makers achieve large holes in a not entirely "honest" way: they wrap the heads in cling film and pump warm air. This accelerates the release of carbon dioxide, stimulates the formation of large eyes. But after cutting, such cheese becomes slimy for 2-3 days.
The brand name Emmentaler AOC is applied directly to the crust and sometimes hammered into the pulp. If cheese is packaged in slices, then this mark can be seen on the label.
"World's Best Cheese" Emmentaler AOC, aged 14 months in caves, defended his 2006 World Cheese Championship title in Wisconsin, America.
All subspecies of the Swiss Emmental differ in terms of ripening and composition. Private cheese dairies in Switzerland offer consumers only high-quality products.
The Emmental variety is produced in France, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Estonia, Belarus and more recently in Russia and Ukraine. French subspecies have protected statuses. In this country, raw milk is used as a raw material, therefore the fat content is increased. The German subspecies have the mildest taste - only pasteurized milk is used for production, and the ripening time is limited to 3-4 months. Austrian cheese has an earthy flavor - the crust is pollinated with crushed basalt powder. Turkish Emmental is the cheapest, resembles German in appearance and taste and is most often used for making fast food - sandwiches and hamburgers.
But the original product is rarely used as an ingredient in other dishes. It is served with white wines - Pinot Blanc and Pinot Green, to red wines - Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir.
The price for 1 kg of Emmental reaches 800-1200 rubles. And this is not considered a high price to pay for cheese, which can be stored for up to 150 years, while retaining its original qualities and useful properties.
Watch a video about Emmental cheese:
