Caseophile

F for Faisselle (Cheese strainer)

This is a cheese mould, that comes in different shapes and sizes, with holes made in it so that the whey which is added can drain. The word comes from the Latin fiscellae. These strainers were originally made from baked clay, stoneware or porcelain, and later in wood, iron, aluminium, plastic... This particular mould is commonly used in the Centre-West region of France for goat cheese and in the South-East for cheese from cow's milk.

Two more related words:

FAISSELLIER : instrument used for pressing curds in Neufchatel cheese.

FAISCINE : word related to the above with Latin origin meaning a whey mould and used in the region around Tours.

And can also mean ... the cheese itself, fresh from the mould but still not properly drained. Fascinating, n'est-ce pas?

E for Eau – (not from Cologne – just plain H2O)

A vital liquid to be found in all organic liquids except oils. In the dairy world, you'll find residual water in both butter and buttermilk. When it comes to cheese, whey or serum contains a high percentage of water. And cow's milk contains 87.5% water. In the cheese world, they talk of "disposable" water, using an index called Aw. This is high in soft white cheese, for example.

On courses, I often ask my pupils what is the first thing you find in a camembert... it's water, quite simply! But be reassured, they don't use powdered milk to make cheese...

D for Dalle – (meaning a slab or paving stone)

A long wooden (or masonry) table, used in Normandy for draining cheeses. Its surface is slightly inclined to allow the serum to drain.

A "draining table" - I'd never heard of one of those!

C for Cabin girls – (Cabanières in French)

Nickname given to the ladies who worked in olden times in the production and care of Roquefort cheeses, and who resided in "cabanes" or cabins around the entrance to the underground cellars. Cabanières became the official title of the women working in the cellars, looking after the maturing process, sorting and cutting the cheeses, canning them, folding them, changing their form and content – in general all the attention the cheeses need.

Three cheers for the cabanières – ladies with plenty of character! And there's no masculine equivalent of them – either in the language or in fact. One has to say that the work is repetitive, hard and needing to be done meticulously... so, no comment! ;-)

B for Buttermilk - (Babeurre in French)

Continuing our cheesy alphabet, today's object is a liquid obtained in the manufacture of butter. In composition it is close to skimmed milk, but in contrast it is rich in phosphopeptides. In powdered form, it is mostly used in cattle feed or reconstituted milk. It is also an emulsifier (on account of its phospholipids). When concentrated through ultra filtration, it is also used as an ingredient in low-fat butters.

It can also be used in producing re-baked cheese, like other products derived from serum. It was the basic ingredient of gaperon, which comes from the Auvergne (though not any more). Farmers used to use it as animal feed (pigs). It can change in form from region to region.

In Germany, buttermilk is used as a milky drink, as the butter starter culture gives it a special taste, a little sour but appreciated by consumers.

A for Abbey

A special place blessed for its spirituality and culture, where monks played a beneficial role in feeding the poor in the Middle Ages. Three key product areas were covered: alcoholic drinks, cheeses and pâtisserie. Many traditional French cheeses have a monastic origin. For instance, Chaource from the Abbey of Pontigny - and of course Port Salut, from the abbey of the same name.

For many other products this name is followed by a geographic reference, such as Tamié in Savoie, Belloc in Béarn, Timadeuc in Brittany, Mont des Cats in Flanders, Cîteaux and Pierre qui Vive in Burgundy, not forgetting La Coudre in Mayenne, Echourgnac in Périgord or Belval in Pas de Calais.

Our friend Michel does not mention those "ruined" or deconsecrated abbeys which gave birth to great cheeses in their day, such as Munster, Maroilles or Abondance, made in monasteries of the same name, but also across the Swiss border, Tête de Moine from the Abbey de Bellelay, Gruyère from the Abbey de Rougemont. And since he wrote this "encyclopedia", a new Benedictine abbey has begun making cheese: Notre Dame de Donezan in Ariège, a farmhouse tomme cheese from the Pyrenees, made with raw milk from Tarentaise cows, which is quite exceptional.

But why did monks and nuns opt for cheese making? Because it is easier to feed people who come knocking at their door, with milk rather than meat! And hospitality is a blessing ... so nobody can be left to die of hunger. If you kill a cow, it only can serve you once ... if you milk it, it can feed you for nigh on 300 days.

In addition, as meat was considered a meal for the rich, it was generally banished from the tables of monks, sworn as they were to poverty.

Talking of which, if I shut my eyes, I can picture my monastic friends, Brothers Matthieu, Raphaël, Yvon, and Nathanaël - as well as Sisters Annie, Marie-Pierre and all in the nunnery - and I invite you to look them up on the recently updated website of the Monastic Association - www.monastic-euro.org

A to Z – a new alphabet of cheese

This is to be a new regular feature of this blog, thanks to Michel JAMES, a great enthusiast of milk and cheese, who's been very active all around France and who shared in that fine undertaking – the creation of Lactopôle – the largest dairy museum in France - in Laval (between Le Mans et Rennes). As well as systematically scouring the attics of cheese factories, I have seen him hunting around and finding in the most out-of-the-way spots, aspects of the history of the milk and cheese business.

These days in very active retirement, he still is a contributor to the professional monthly publication – "Profession Fromager" and is enthusiastic about safeguarding French cheese heritage.

Look out through the months ahead for an alphabet of explanations, discoveries and memories. "A to Z" begins with "Abbey" – quite symbolic – and will finish with "Zebu", though this translator cannot guarantee to be able to reflect this abc logic in la version anglaise!

Non-dairy ice cream?

Well, looking at its legal definition, this seems to mean "ice (with no cream)".

So where do we go from here? Many good people have a dog, and since dogs like "ice cream" and their owners are fond of sharing such soft melting delights with their four-legged friends – a habit that's bad for those intolerant of lactose... here's THE solution: Nestlé have just (re)launched in the USA (not surprising?) an "ice cream" without milk, in vanilla and cocoa butter flavours...

Elsewhere, you'll have to make do with a soya ice ... or a sorbet (milk-free!)

Enjoy!!

Black Brie cheese – est-ce possible ?

I'm talking about old Brie. Matured for 12, 18, even more than 24 months before being put on sale. Basically a Brie de Meaux, whose extremely long maturing period takes away its white/red complexion which blackens and dries. To such an extent that it ends up losing over a third of its original weight.

I was surprised to see it a few weeks ago in the Carrefour hypermarket in Pontault Combaut (just to the SE of Paris). However an article which appeared in the (French) publication "Profession Fromager" told me that dry black Brie is not a fringe item. Even if sales are limited on a local basis.

This brought to mind a question I had from one of my lady customers recently: "What do you think of those very dry and very black goat cheeses you can find in some markets?"

My reply was that traditionally they were macerated in alcohol or aromatic oil, rather than being left to dry. If she liked the taste of such dry cheeses, she should just go ahead. It isn't a crime! Everybody to their own tastes... Personally I'm no great fan as I'm very sensitive to "soapy" aromas, which I find disagreeable. But we're all made different – thank heavens!

Grandpa Louis and cheese in 4D

Imagine my amazement on reading in a local business journal – le Mag'Eco – that €300,000 have been invested by a cheese dairy in Le Tholy (in the Vosges) to make a film in 4D (3D + olfactory effects) about its history. My congratulations.

And it's not the work of a major local cheese maker, but an initiative of a small farmhouse producer of Munster!!

Catherine and Bernard Louis decided to try something really new. Putting aside the idea of including nettles (yes, nettles, one of the favoured culinary ingredients of their part of the world), and forgetting about printed guides and mundane tours of their domain... it's all now about showing a 50 minute film in four dimensions, called "Au temps de Papy Louis" (In the days of Grandpa Louis), all about the everyday life of the peasants of the Vosges.

I find it a very original idea, and good sense. Cheese is a lot about that 4^th dimension! So if you are anywhere near Le Tholy and can get to see (and hear and smell!) the show, do tell me about it.