Cheese Jargon

A useful A to (almost)Z of some of the common terms used on the site and in cheese-making.

Affinage: The art of maturing cheese to its maximum flavour.

Annatto: Using seeds from the annatto bush, Annatto is used as a reddish colouring agent for cheeses such as Red Leicester and Double Gloucester or is sometimes used for washing the outside of the cheese.

Artisanal: Where the cheese-maker continues to play a key role in the quality definition of the cheese.

Bloomy Rind: Also referred to as 'mould-ripened', meaning a white mould-growing rind.

Cooked Cheeses: distinctive by the fact the curd, once cut, is heated whilst still in the whey.

Co-operative/ Fruiterie: cheese is made in a single dairy, with the milk supply coming from a co-operative.

Farmhouse Cheese: Cheese produced on a farm by traditional methods using only raw milk from their own livestock.

Fresh Cheese: Cheese which is ready to eat after drainage, requiring no further curing and no ageing.

Pasteurised: partial sterilization through heat, which kills any micro-organisms in the milk. This usually lessens the flavour profile, but also gives a more consistent quality.

Pate: Interior of the cheese.

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Raw milk: unpasteurised natural milk, not having been processed in any way.

Scalding: Curd is heated for a longer period of time, the whey separates creating a slightly "rubbery" texture which can be seen on cheeses such as Abondance and Emmental.

Washed Rind: refers to the washing of the exterior of the cheese, with brine, annato or with alcohol. Cheeses are washed periodically during affinage, depending upon the style of the cheese.