A Squire's path to Knighthood : Cheese 12th Century

Most authorities consider that cheese was first made in the Middle East. The earliest type was a form of sour milk which came into being when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked.

A legendary story has it that cheese was 'discovered' by an unknown Arab nomad. He is said to have filled a saddlebag with milk to sustain him on a journey across the desert by horse. After several hours riding he stopped to quench his thirst, only to find that the milk had separated into a pale watery liquid and solid white lumps. Because the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal, contained a coagulating enzyme known as rennin, the milk had been effectively separated into curds and whey by the combination of the rennin, the hot sun and the galloping motions of the horse. The nomad, unconcerned with technical details, found the whey drinkable and the curds edible.

Cheese was known to the ancient Sumerians four thousand years before the birth of Christ. The ancient Greeks credited Aristaeus, a son of Apollo and Cyrene, with its discovery; and it is mentioned in the Old Testament.

In the Roman era cheese really came into its own. Cheesemaking was done with skill and knowledge and reached a high standard. By this time the ripening process had been developed and it was known that various treatments and conditions under storage resulted in different flavours and characteristics.

The larger Roman houses had a separate cheese kitchen, the caseale, and also special areas where cheese could be matured. In large towns home-made cheese could be taken to a special centre to be smoked. Cheese was served on the tables of the nobility and traveled to the far corners of the Roman Empire as a regular part of the rations of the legions.

During the Middle Ages, monks became innovators and developers and it is to them we owe many of the classic varieties of cheese marketed today. During the Renaissance period cheese suffered a drop in popularity, being considered unhealthy, but it regained favour by the nineteenth century, the period that saw the start of the move from farm to factory production.

The following recipe is a modernised (using our terms and language with modern supplies)recipe based on an old english recipe dated around the 12th C

You will need 4 gallons or about 14 litres of whole cow’s or goat’s milk. To start the process of making cheddar cheese, bring the temperature of the milk to 86 degrees F or 30 degrees C. Now stir in ½ tsp. of mesophilic powder, (slightly round the ½ tsp of powder if the milk has been pasteurized).

Let the milk rest for 45 minutes, keep the temperature the same.

Add 1/8 tsp of annatto coloring, (optional. I prefer uncoloured cheese it has a very slight yellow colour when made, this gets darker as the cheese ages) First mix coloring with ¼ cup of cool water before adding it to the milk.

At this time, add 1 tsp of rennet. Again, mix the rennet with 1/4 cup of cool water before stirring it into the milk. If you are using homogenized milk, you will need to add 1 tsp of calcium chloride as well. Be sure to thoroughly mix in each ingredient as you go along.

Now let the milk rest for 45 minutes to set the curds.

Once the curds are set, cut into ½ inch cubes.

Over a 40 minute period of time, slowly bring the temperature up to 39 degrees C or 97 degrees F. Continue to gently stir.

Keep the curds at this temperature for 30 more minutes. Stir every few minutes to keep the curds from matting.

Don’t stir for the last 5 minutes so the curds can settle and you can drain the whey off. Line a stainless steel strainer or colander with a cheese cloth and drain the curds. Keep the curds in the strainer and reserve enough whey to fill the pot 1/3 full. Set the strainer over top of the whey in the pot and cover. Keep the whey in the pot at the same temperature mentioned above for 1 hour. If you prefer a moister cheese, you can reduce the time from the 1 hour to 45 minutes or even 30 minutes.

Now remove the slab of curds from the strainer and cut into long strips about the size of a pencil. Stir in 1 Tbsp of course salt. Many people like to eat these curds just as they are. But if you wish to make a wheel of cheese, place the curd into a cheese press and leave for overnight using moderate pressure.

Remove wheel of cheese from the press in the morning and allow to dry. Cheese may then be waxed. Allowing the cheese to ripen for up to 4 weeks will give it a mild cheddar flavour, but it can also be eaten right away too. Allowing the cheese to ripen for three months will give it a medium flavour, and you can leave the cheese longer for an older taste.