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Complete Book of Cheese, The

<h3> L</h3> Labneh Syria Sour-milk. La Foncée, or Fromage de Pau France Cream cheese. Lager Käse U.S.A. Semidry and mellow. While lager means merely "to store," there is more than a subtle suggestion of lager beer here. Laguiole, Fromage de, and Guiole Aveyron, France An ancient Cantal type said to have flourished since the Roman occupation. Many consider Laguiole superior to Cantal. It is in full season from November to May. Lamothe-Bougon, La Mothe St. Heray Poitou Goat cheese made from May to November.  Lancashire, or Lancaster North England White; crumbly; sharp; a good Welsh Rabbit cheese if you can get it. It is more like Cheshire than Cheddar. This most popular variety in the north of England is turned out best at Fylde, near the Irish Sea. It is a curiosity in manufacture, for often the curds used are of different ages, and this is accountable for a loose, friable texture. Deep orange in color. Land-l-kas, or Güssing Austria Skim-milker, similar to U.S. Brick. Square loaves, four to eight pounds. Langlois Blue U.S.A. A Colorado Blue with an excellent reputation, though it can hardly compete with Roquefort. Langres Haute-Marne, France Semihard; fermented whole milk; farm-made; full-flavored, high-smelling Limburger type, similar to Maroilles. Ancient of days, said to have been made since the time of the Merovingian kings. Cylindrical, five by eight inches, they weigh one and a half to two pounds. Consumed mostly at home. Lapland Lapland Reindeer milk. Resembles hard Swiss. Of unusual shape, both round and flat, so a cross-section looks like a dumbbell with angular ends. Laredo Mexico Soft; creamy; mellow, made and named after the North Mexico city. Larron France A kind of Maroilles. Latticini Italy Trade name for a soft, water-buffalo product as creamy as Camembert.  Laumes, les Burgundy, France Made from November to July. Lauterbach Germany Breakfast cheese Leaf see Tschil. Leather, Leder, or Holstein Dairy Germany A skim-milker with five to ten percent buttermilk, all from the great milch cows up near Denmark in Schleswig-Holstein. A technical point in its making is that it's "broken up with a harp or a stirring stick and stirred with a Danish stirrer." Lebanie Syria Dessert cottage cheese often served with yogurt. Lecco, Formaggini di Italy Soft; cow or goat; round dessert variety; representative of a cheese family as big as the human family of most Italians. Lees see Appenzeller, Festive, No. II. LeGuéyin Lorraine, France Half-dried; small; salted; peppered and sharp. The salt and pepper make it unusual, though not as peppery as Italian Pepato. Leicester England Hard; shallow; flat millstone of Cheddar-like cheese weighing forty pounds. Dark orange and mild to red and strong, according to age. With Wiltshire and Warwickshire it belongs to the Derbyshire type. An ancient saying is: "Leicester cheese and water cress were just made for each other." Leidsche Kaas see Leyden.  Leonessa A kind of Pecorino. Leroy U.S.A. Notable because it's a natural cheese in a mob of modern processed. Lerroux France Goat; in season from February to September and not eaten in fall or winter months. Lescin Caucasus Curious because the sheep's milk that makes it is milked directly into a sack of skin. It is made in the usual way, rennet added, curd broken up, whey drained off, curd put into forms and pressed lightly. But after that it is wrapped in leaves and ropes of grass. After curing two weeks in the leaves, they are discarded, the cheese salted and wrapped up in leaves again for another ripening period. The use of a skin sack again points the association of cheese and wine in a region where wine is still drunk from skin bags with nozzles, as in many wild and mountainous parts. Les Petits Bressans Bresse, France Small goat cheeses named from food-famous Bresse, of the plump pullets, and often stimulated with brandy before being wrapped in fresh vine leaves, like Les Petits Banons. Les Petits Fromages see Petits Fromages and Thiviers. Le Vacherin Name given to two entirely different varieties: I. Vacherin à la Main II. Vacherin Fondu. (See Vacherin.)  Levroux Berry, France A goat cheese in season from May to December. Leyden, Komijne Kaas, Caraway Cheese Holland Semihard, tangy with caraway. Similar Delft. There are two kinds of Leyden that might be called Farm Fat and Factory Thin, for those made on the farms contain 30 to 35% fat, against 20% in the factory product. Liederkranz see Chapter 4. Limburger see Chapter 3. Lincoln England Cream cheese that keeps two to three weeks. This is in England, where there is much less refrigeration than in the U.S.A., and that's a big break for most natural cheeses. Lindenhof Belgium Semisoft; aromatic; sharp. Lipta, Liptauer, Liptoiu Hungary A classic mixture with condiments, especially the great peppers from which the world's best paprika is made. Liptauer is the regional name for Brinza, as well, and it's made in the same manner, of sheep milk and sometimes cow. Salty and spready, somewhat oily, as most sheep-milkers are. A fairly sharp taste with a suggestion of sour milk. It is sold in various containers and known as "pickled cheese." (See Chapter 3.) Lipto Hungary Soft; sheep; white; mild and milky taste. A close relative of both Liptauer and Brinza.  Little Nippy U.S.A. Processed cheese with a cute name, wrapped up both plain and smoky, to "slice and serve for cheese trays, mash or whip for spreading," but no matter how you slice, mash and whip it, it's still processed. Livarot Calvados, France Soft paste, colored with annatto-brown or deep red (also, uncommonly, fresh and white). It has the advantage over Camembert, made in the same region, in that it may be manufactured during the summer months when skim milk is plentiful and cheap. It is formed in cylinders, six by two inches, and ripened several months in the even temperature of caves, to be eaten at its best only in January, February and March. By June and afterward it should be avoided. Similar to Mignot II. Early in the process of making, after ripening ten to twelve days, the cheeses are wrapped in fresh laiche leaves, both to give flavor and help hold in the ammonia and other essentials for making a strong, piquant Livarot. Livlander Russia A popular hand cheese. A most unusual variety because the cheese itself is red, not the rind. Locatelli Italy A brand of Pecorino differing slightly from Bomano Pecorino. Lodigiano, or Lombardo Lodi, Italy Sharp; fragrant; sometimes slightly bitter; yellow. Cylindrical; surface colored dark and oiled. Used for grating. Similar to Parmesan but not as fine in quality.  Longhorn Wisconsin, U.S.A. This fine American Cheddar was named from its resemblance to the long horn of a popular milking breed of cattle, or just from the Longhorn breed of cow that furnished the makings. Lorraine Lorraine, Germany Hard; small; delicate; unique because it's seasoned with pistachio nuts besides salt and pepper. Eaten while quite young, in two-ounce portions that bring a very high price. Lumburger Belgium Semisoft and tangy dessert cheese. The opposite of Limburger because it has no odor. Lunch Germany and U.S.A. The same as Breakfast and Frühstück. A Limburger type of eye-opener. Lüneberg West Austria Swiss type; saffron-colored; made in a copper kettle; not as strong as Limburger, or as mild as Emmentaler, yet piquant and aromatic, with a character of its own. Luxembourg U.S.A. Tiny tin-foiled type of Liederkranz. A mild, bland, would-be Camembert. <h3> M</h3> Maconnais France Soft; goat's milk; two inches square by one and a half inches thick. Macqueline Oise, France Soft Camembert type, made in the same region, but sold at a cheaper price. Madridejos Spain Named for Madrid where it is made. Magdeburger-kuhkäse Germany "Cow cheese" made in Magdeburg.  Magerkäse see Holstein Skim Milk Maggenga, Sorte Italy A term for Parmesan types made between April and September. Maguis Belgium Also called Fromage Mou. Soft; white; sharp; spread. Maigre France A name for Brie made in summer and inferior to both the winter Gras and spring Migras. Maile Crimea Sheep; cooked; drained; salted; made into forms and put into a brine bath where it stays sometimes a year. Maile Pener (Fat Cheese) Crimea Sheep; crumbly; open texture and pleasing flavor when ripened. Mainauer German Semihard; full cream; round; red outside, yellow within. Weight three pounds. Mainzer Hand German Typical hand cheese, kneaded by hand thoroughly, which makes for quality, pressed into flat cakes by hand, dried for a week, packed in kegs or jars and ripened in the cellar six to eight weeks. As in making bread, the skill in kneading Mainzer makes a worthy craft. Majocchino Sicily, Italy An exceptional variety of the three usual milks mixed together: goat, sheep and cow, flavored with spices and olive oil. A kind of Incanestrato. Malakoff France A form of Neufchâtel about a half inch by two inches, eaten fresh or ripe. Manicamp French Flanders In season from October to July.  Mano, Queso de Venezuela A kind of Venezuelan hand cheese, as its Spanish name translates. (See Venezuelan.) Manor House see Herrgårdsost. Manteca, Butter Italy Cheese and butter combined in a small brick of butter with a covering of Mozzarella. This is for slicing—not for cooking—which is unusual for any Italian cheese. Manur, or Manuri Yugoslavia Sheep or cow's milk heated to boiling, then cooled "until the fingers can be held in it". A mixture of fresh whey and buttermilk is added with the rennet. "The curd is lifted from the whey in a cloth and allowed to drain, when it is kneaded like bread, lightly salted, and dried." Maqueé Belgium Another name for Fromage Mou, Soft Cheese. Marches Tuscany, Italy Ewe's milk; hard. Margarine England An oily cheese made with oleomargarine. Margherita Italy Soft; cream; small. Marienhofer Austria Limburger type. About 4½ inches square and 1½ inches thick; weight about a pound. Wrapped in tin foil. Märkisch, or Märkisch Hand Germany Soft; smelly; hand type.  Maroilles, Marolles, Marole Flanders, France Semisoft and semihard, half way between Pont l'Evêque and Limburger. Full flavor, high smell, reddish brown rind, yellow within. Five inches square and 2¼ inches thick; some larger. Martha Washington Aged Cheese U.S.A. Made by Kasper of Bear Creek, Wisconsin. (See under Wisconsin in Chapter 4.) Mascarpone, or Macherone Italy Soft; white; delicate fresh cream from Lombardy. Usually packed in muslin or gauze bags, a quarter to a half pound. McIntosh Alaska An early Klondike Cheddar named by its maker, Peter McIntosh, and described as being as yellow as that "Alaskan gold, which brought at times about ounce for ounce over mining-camp counters." The Cheddar Box by Dean Collins. McLaren's U.S.A. Pioneer club type of snappy Cheddar in a pot, originally made in Canada, now by Kraft in the U.S A. Meadowbloom U.S.A. Made by the Iowa State College at Ames. Mecklenburg Skim Germany No more distinguished than most skim-milkers. Meilbou France Made in the Champagne district. Mein Käse U.S.A. Sharp; aromatic; trade-marked package. Melfa U.S.A. Excellent for a processed cheese. White; flavorsome. Packed in half moons.  Melun France Brown-red rind, yellow inside; high-smelling. There is also a Brie de Melun. Mentelto Italy Sharp; goat; from the Mentelto mountains Merignac France Goat. Merovingian Northeast France Semisoft; white; creamy; sharp; historic since the time of the Merovingian kings. Mersem France Lightly cooked. Mesitra Crimea Eaten when fresh and unsalted; also when ripened. Soft, ewe's milk. Mesost Sweden Whey; sweetish. Metton Franche-Comté, France Season October to June. Meuse France Soft; piquant; aromatic. Midget Salami Provolone U.S.A. This goes Baby Goudas and Edams one better by being a sort of sausage, too. Mignot Calvados, France White, No. I: Soft; fresh; in small cubes or cylinders; in season only in summer, April to September. Passe, No. II: Soft but ripened, and in the same forms, but only seasonal in winter, October to March. Similar to Pont l'Evêque and popular for more than a century. It goes specially well with Calvados cider, fresh, hard or distilled.  Migras Name given to spring Brie—midway between fat winter Gras and thin summer Maigre. Milano, Stracchino di Milano, Fresco, Quardo Italy Similar to Bel Paese. Yellow, with thin rind. 1½ to 2¾ inches thick, 3 to 6½ pounds. Milk Mud see Schlickermilch. Millefiori Milan, Italy A Thousand Flowers—as highly scented as its sentimental name. Yet no cheeses are so freshly fragrant as these flowery Alpine ones. Milltown Bar U.S.A. Robust texture and flavor reminiscent of free-lunch and old-time bars. Milk cheeses Milks that make cheese around the world: <div class="blockquot"> Ass Buffalo Camel Chamois Elephant Goat Human (see Mother's milk) Llama Mare Reindeer Sea cow (Amazonian legend) Sheep Whale (legendary; see Whale Cheese) Yak Zebra Zebu </div> U.S. pure food laws prohibit cheeses made of unusual or strange animal's milk, such as camel, llama and zebra.  Milwaukee Kümmelkäse and Hand Käse U.S.A. Aromatic with caraway, brought from Germany by early emigrants and successfully imitated. Minas Brazil Name for the Brazilian state of Minas Geraes, where it is made. Semihard; white; round two-pounder; often chalky. The two best brands are one called Primavera, Spring, and another put out by the Swiss professors who teach the art at the Agricultural University in the State Capital, Bello Horizonte. Minnesota Blue U.S.A. A good national product known from coast to coast. Besides Blue, Minnesota makes good all-American Brick and Cheddar, natural nationals to be proud of. Mintzitra in Macedonia; and Mitzithra in Greece Sheep; soft; succulent; and as pleasantly greasy as other sheep cheeses from Greece. It's a by-product of the fabulous Feta. Modena, Monte U.S.A. Made in U.S.A. during World War II. Parmesan-type. Mohawk Limburger Spread U.S.A. A brand that comes in one-pound jars. Moliterno Italy Similar to Caciocavallo. (See.) Monceau Champagne, France Semihard, similar to Maroilles. Moncenisio Italy Similar to Gorgonzola.  Mondseer, Mondseer Schachtelkäse, Mondseer Schlosskäse Austria This little family with a lot of long names is closely related to the Münster tribe, with very distant connections with the mildest branch of the Limburgers. The Schachtelkäse is named from the wooden boxes in which it is shipped, while the Schlosskäse shows its class by being called Castle Cheese, probably because it is richer than the others, being made of whole milk. Money made of cheese China In the Chase National Bank collection of moneys of the world there is a specimen of "Cheese money" about which the curator, Farran Zerbee, writes: "A specimen of the so-called 'cheese money' of Northern China, 1850-70, now in the Chase Bank collection, came to me personally some thirty years ago from a woman missionary, who had been located in the field where she said a cake form of condensed milk, and referred to as 'cheese,' was a medium of exchange among the natives. It, like other commodities, particularly compressed tea, was prized as a trading medium in China, in that it had value as nutriment and was sufficiently appreciated by the population as to be exchangeable for other articles of service." Monk's Head see Tête de Moine. Monostorer Transylvania, Rumania Ewe's milk. Monsieur France Soft; salted; rich in flavor.  Monsieur Fromage see Fromage de Monsieur Fromage. Montana Catalonia A mountain cheese. Montasio Austria and Italy Usually skimmed goat and cow milk mixed. When finished, the rind is often rubbed with olive oil or blackened with soot. It is eaten both fresh, white and sweet, and aged, when it is yellow, granular and sharp, with a characteristic flavor. Mostly used when three to twelve months old, but kept much longer and grated for seasoning. Widely imitated in America. Montauban de Bretagne, Fromage de Brittany, France A celebrated cheese of Brittany. Montavoner Austria Sour and sometimes sweet milk, made tasty with dried herbs of the Achittea family. Mont Blanc France An Alpine cheese. Mont Cenis Southeastern France Usually made of all three available milks, cow, goat and sheep; it is semi-hard and blue-veined like the other Roquefort imitations, Gex and Septmoncel. Primitive methods are still used in the making and sometimes the ripening is done by penicillium introduced in moldy bread. Large rounds, eighteen by six to eight inches, weighing twenty-five pounds. Mont-des-Cats French Flanders Trappist monk-made Port-Salut.  Montdidier France A fresh cream. Mont d'or, le, or Mont Dore Lyonnais, France Soft; whole milk; originally goat, now cow; made throughout the Rhone Valley. Fat, golden-yellow and "relished by financiers" according to Victor Meusy. Between Brie and Pont l'Evêque but more delicate than either, though not effeminate. Alpin and Riola are similar. The best is still turned out at Mont d'Or, with runners-up in St. Cyr and St. Didier. Montavoner Austria A sour-milker made fragrant with herbs added to the curd. Monterey Mexico Hard; sharp; perhaps inspired by Montery Jack that's made in California and along the Mexican border. Monterey Jack see Chapter 4. Monthéry Seine-et-Oise, France Whole or partly skimmed milk; soft in quality and large in size, weighing up to 5½ pounds. Notable only for its patriotic tri-color in ripening, with whitish mold that turns blue and has red spots. Montpellier France Sheep. Moravian Czechoslovakia Semihard and sharp. Morbier Bresse, France In season from November to July. Mostoffait France A little-known product of Champagne.  Mother's milk In his book about French varieties, Les Fromages, Maurice des Ombiaux sums up the many exotic milks made into cheese and recounts the story of Paul Bert, who served a cheese "white as snow" that was so delicately appetizing it was partaken of in "religious silence." All the guests guessed, but none was right. So the host announced it was made of "lait de femme" and an astounded turophile exclaimed, "Then all of us are cannibals." Mountain Bavaria Soft; yellow; sharp. Mountain, Azuldoch see Azuldoch. Mount Hope U.S.A. Yellow; mellow; mild and porous California Cheddar. Mouse or Mouse Trap U.S.A. Common name for young, green, cracked, leathery or rubbery low-grade store cheese fit only to bait traps. When it's aged and sharp, however, the same cheese can be bait for caseophiles. Mozzarella Italy Soft; water-buffalo milk; moistly fresh and unripened; bland, white cooking cheese put up in balls or big bowl-like cups weighing about a half pound and protected with wax paper. The genuine is made at Cardito, Aversa, Salernitano and in the Mazzoni di Capua. Like Ricotta, this is such a popular cheese all over America that it is imitated widely, and often badly, with a bitter taste. Mozzarella-Affumicata, also called Scamozza Italy Semisoft; smooth; white; bland; un-salted. Put up in pear shapes of about one pound, with tan rind, from smoking.  Eaten chiefly sliced, but prized, both fresh and smoked, in true Italian one-dish meals such as Lasagne and Pizza. Mozzarinelli Italy A pet name for a diminutive edition of Mozzarella. Mrsav see Sir Posny. Münster Germany German originally, now made from Colmar, Strassburg and Copenhagen to Milwaukee in all sorts of imitations, both good and bad. Semihard; whole milk; yellow inside, brick-red outside; flavor from mild to strong, depending on age and amount of caraway or anise seed added. Best in winter season, from November to April. Münster is a world-wide classic that doubles for both German and French. Géromé is a standard French type of it, with a little longer season, beginning in April, and a somewhat different flavor from anise seed. Often, instead of putting the seeds inside, a dish of caraway is served with the cheese for those who like to flavor to taste. In Alsace, Münster is made plain and also under the name of Münster au Cumin because of the caraway. American imitations are much milder and marketed much younger. They are supposed to blend the taste of Brick and Limburger; maybe they do. Mustard U.S.A. A processed domestic, Gruyère type.  Myjithra Imitated with goat's milk in Southern Colorado. Mysost, Mytost Scandinavia Made in all Scandinavian countries and imitated in the U.S.A. A whey cheese, buttery, mild and sweetish with a caramel color all through, instead of the heavy chocolate or dark tobacco shade of Gjetost. Frimost is a local name for it. The American imitations are cylindrical and wrapped in tin foil. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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