Cheddar cheesemaking in history

Cheesemaking originated as a crude form of food preservation. Cheddar cheese is a hard, ripened cheese with a long shelf life and without any surface Flora. Cheddar cheese was firstly manufactured in the town of Cheddar; England.

Cheddar has its origin in Somerset in England where it has been produced since the 12th century. By the middle of the 19th century, it was the second most produced cheese in Britain after Cheshire. Output had expanded from its Somerset origins into Wiltshire, Gloucester and even further afield into Scotland.

The cheese has most likely got its name from the town of Cheddar where originally caves were used to store the cheese during ripening. The caves provided a very good environment for the maturation of the cheese due to the caves humidity and its constant temperature.

Cheddar cheese became popular among English nobles and made appearances at many royal banquets. In 1107, King of England, Henry II (reigning in England from 1154 to 1179) purchased more than 10,000 pounds of the cheese. He declared Cheddar cheese to be the best in Britain.

In the reign of Charles 1 (1625 to 1649) parliamentary records show that the cheese made in Cheddar was sold before it was even made and indeed was only available at the court.

The milk used in the manufacture of the cheese comes from cows grazed within the defined area of Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Cheddar cheese were traditionally produced as large cylindrical shaped loafs with a weight of around 30 kg but nowadays in the modern industrial process the cheese is instead formed into rectangular blocks to facilitate the handling of the cheese.

Significant improvements in the cheese manufacture have been made over a century. For instances, pasteurization process was applied to the cheese milk in the beginning of the 1900's.

Mechanization for the Cheddar cheese manufacture was introduced around the 1950's. The mechanized system could essentially shorten the whole cheese manufacture, which would be beneficial for the cheese manufacturers.

The earliest records of cheese production in the United States, showed that more than 45 million kilograms of cheese was produced in the United States in 1849.

The first cheese factory in the United States was built in New York in 1851, and it produced Cheddar.
Cheddar cheesemaking in history 

Production of cheddar cheese

In large automated plant, cheesemaking is typically held to a well-timed schedules. Culture, CaCl2 and color are typically added as cheese milk enters the cheese vat, after pasteurization and cooling.

Cheddar cheese is produced by the coagulation of cow’s milk with rennet. Acid production during manufacturer is achieved by use of mesophilic type O culture of Lactobacillus lactis subsp, lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp, cremoris.

Color addition 
Annatto may be added to cheese milk at a rate of approximately 66 mL per 1000 kg of milk, adjusted to desired product color.

Culture addition 
Cheese manufacturers may increase or decrease the amount of culture based on seasonal variation in milk composition. The principal function of the starter is the uniform production of lactic acid at a predictable rate to ensure that quality cheese is produced.

When the acidity has reached the required level, usually after 45 – 60 minutes, rennet is added and dispersed evenly throughout the milk, after which curd formation begins. Rennet acts to coagulate the milk solids into curd.

When the curd is firm enough it is carefully cut into cubes the a size of large peas, before mixing with whey. The mixture the gradually heated through the walls of the cheese vat to a temperature of 39 ° C.

Ripening 
Cheddar is matured for periods from 3 to 18 months, but extended maturation periods of up to 2 years or more may be used in production of specialist cheeses.
Production of cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheese was originated in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England. Cheddar cheese is an outstanding example for the close-textured hard cheese, which is the most popular cheese in the world.

Cheddar is a hard cheese, ranging in color from nearly white to yellow, It is made from sweet, whole cow’s milk, either raw it pasteurized. More than 90% of the Cheddar cheese made in the United States is made from either heat-treated or pasteurized milk.

One of the first things to look before buying Cheddar cheese is the uniform color. The texture should always be relatively smooth; however, it is not uncommon to purchase cheddar that is granny and crumbly.

Cheddar will continue to age in the refrigerator for months and should be stored in a container with a vinegar-dampened paper towel underneath.

In Cheddar cheese, legal minimum for FDM (Fat in Dry Matter) in the United States is 50% while moisture maximum is 38%. To achieve such parameters a fat-casein ration of 1.47 is generally considered optimum for Cheddar cheese.
Cheddar cheese