The purpose of the cheese making industry is, in fact, to extract protein from the milk (casein) and fat, concentrating them and focusing them in a convenient form, in addition, the transformation of proteins into a more simple and digestible form and giving the product a significant shelf life. Originally, the cheese slurry was salted and dried (Polish lumps, Tibetan cheese). In this case, the cheese is not chemically transformed, that is, it does not mature (due to the presence of table salt and the lack of water). Later it was noticed, that also not dried cheese, as long as it was properly trained and cared for, it becomes quite durable and acquires valuable properties. This led to the production of ripened cheeses, although it was not realized, what this maturation is about. The results were often unreliable, the effects were visible, but their causes are unknown. Evil was often treated with superstition. However, over time, after using the experience of many generations of cheese makers, a cheese tradition developed, there was progress and improvement, even though the work was in the dark. Only in newer times, based on science, especially bacteriology, cheese making has become a more transparent profession. At the same time, the demands of the consumer have increased, and in many areas the quality of the milk has deteriorated as a result of the poor feeding of cattle. Modern cheese making has not ceased to be a difficult and uncertain skill. After all, cheese making is, if I may use that term, preparing from raw cheese slurry a suitable medium for various bacteria without its previous sterilization. From the right preparation of this medium and the creation of favorable conditions for those unknown and random, For small and extremely hardworking guests, the final result depends.
Variable chemical composition of milk, Variable and unknown infection in advance, both in terms of the quantity and quality of bacteria, requires observation, selecting appropriate treatments at work and adapting them to a variety of conditions. At the same time, the main goal must not be lost sight of, which is a constantly homogeneous cheese preparation with all the desired quality characteristics. The ultimate successful outcome depends on the harmonious alignment of these various factors.
Hard physical work is required from the cheesemaker. You have to penetrate every cell of the workshop, you cannot help anyone, because it usually fails due to lack of continuity in work. Who believes, that it will not be up to the task, let this one go there, where it is easier to find bread and recognition. However, this will not go away soon, who liked his profession and who is interested in a lot of problems; even failures will not discourage him.
Perceptive people are suitable for the cheese-making profession, skillful and healthy, about the feeling of independence.
Practical training should be sought in exemplary cheese dairies, working in various conditions (soil influence, cattle nutrition, the local nature of the microflora, etc.. factors). It is not without benefits to exchange insights with practitioners. It is worth more to learn more about the production of one type of cheese and the requirements of milk intended for its production than to learn more about the production of many types of cheese.. Dealing with the manufacture of different types of cheese makes specialization difficult. Whoever manages to deviate too far from the guideline or even lose it, this does not lead to uniformity of the goods and the production of the typical characteristics of the cheese.
Practical training under the guidance of an efficient cheesemaker should last several years, and a vocational school should complete it theoretically. Not stopping there, all progress should be continuously tracked with professional literature, above all ours, and if that is not enough, also a foreigner.
It is impossible to imagine mastering practical cheese making without elementary knowledge of physics, chemistry and bacteriology. In agricultural sciences, knowledge of the hygiene of cattle and stables is needed, nutrition and milking. The organization of work is also important, which can not be discussed here. After all, the most important thing is your own independent thought, own observations and own correct judgment.
ADDITIONAL CHEESE VOCABULARY
I revive some words from the old Polish cheese vocabulary:
cheese thicket - cheese mass,
speck - raw sliced cheese, crushed or torn into small lumps,
stanchion - stand, stand, e.g.. on the shelves,
material - form,
create - form.
In order to use the cheese vocabulary correctly, I explain the meaning of some words.
The milk is curdled, solidifies, that is, it forms a clot under the influence of spontaneous souring or the action of rennet. Slices are obtained from a more or less sliced gelatinous curd, the latter, slowly releasing the whey, becomes a grain. Grains more or less whey free, that is, when they are drained, they are called thickets, that is, still loose cheese mass, joined together, they form a lump of cheese mass. Sliced cheese mass, crushed or torn into fine particles, it is called a fluff. It is formed from the lump of cheese mass or the recombined flake, that is, it forms raw cheese. The cheese is oozing, dripping from the whey, and the whey is leaking or leaking from the cheese. Whey is also called żętyca, a little capsule, and lacking protein - with a short circuit.