Cheese: Difference between revisions
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== Cultural attitudes == | == Cultural attitudes == | ||
[[File:Cormeilles Market 9 Artlibre jnl.jpg|thumb|A cheese merchant in a French market]] | [[File:Cormeilles Market 9 Artlibre jnl.jpg|thumb|A cheese merchant in a French market]] | ||
[[File:Oscypek sheeps cheese stalls, Zakopane.JPG|thumb|A traditional [[Polish food|Polish]] [[sheep's cheese]] market in [[Zakopane]], Poland]] | [[File:Oscypek sheeps cheese stalls, Zakopane.JPG|thumb|A traditional [[:en:Polish food|Polish]] [[sheep's cheese]] market in [[Wikipedia:Zakopane|Zakopane]], Poland]] | ||
Although cheese is a vital source of nutrition in many regions of the world and it is extensively consumed in others, its use is not universal. | Although cheese is a vital source of nutrition in many regions of the world and it is extensively consumed in others, its use is not universal. | ||
Cheese is rarely found in Southeast and [[East Asian cuisine]]s, presumably for historical reasons as dairy farming has historically been rare in these regions, due in part to low rates of [[Lactase persistence#Global spread of the lactase persistence phenotype|lactase persistence]]. Paneer (pronounced [pəniːr]) is a fresh cheese common in [[North India]] and [[Pakistan]]. It is an unaged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice. Its acid-set form (cheese curd), before pressing, is called chhena. In [[Nepal]], the Dairy Development Corporation commercially manufactures cheese made from [[yak]] milk and a hard cheese made from either cow or yak milk known as [[chhurpi]]. | Cheese is rarely found in Southeast and [[Wikipedia:East Asian cuisine|East Asian cuisine]]s, presumably for historical reasons as dairy farming has historically been rare in these regions, due in part to low rates of [[Lactase persistence#Global spread of the lactase persistence phenotype|lactase persistence]]. Paneer (pronounced [pəniːr]) is a fresh cheese common in [[Wikipedia:North India|North India]] and [[Wikipedia:Pakistan|Pakistan]]. It is an unaged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice. Its acid-set form (cheese curd), before pressing, is called chhena. In [[Wikipedia:Nepal|Nepal]], the Dairy Development Corporation commercially manufactures cheese made from [[Wikipedia:yak|yak]] milk and a hard cheese made from either cow or yak milk known as [[Wikipedia:chhurpi|chhurpi]]. [[Wikipedia:Bhutan|Bhutan]] also produces a similar cheese called [[Datshi]] which is a staple in most Bhutanese curries. The national dish of [[Wikipedia:Bhutan|Bhutan]], [[Wikipedia:ema datshi|ema datshi]], is made from homemade yak or [[:en:mare (horse)|mare]] milk cheese and hot peppers. In [[Wikipedia:Yunnan|Yunnan]], China, several ethnic minority groups produce [[Rushan (cheese)|Rushan]] and [[Rubing]] from cow's milk. Cheese consumption may be increasing in China, with annual sales doubling from 1996 to 2003 (to a still small 30 million [[:en:United States dollar|U.S. dollars]] a year). Certain kinds of Chinese preserved [[Bean curd#Fermented|bean curd]] are sometimes misleadingly referred to in English as "Chinese cheese" because of their texture and strong flavor. | ||
Strict followers of the dietary laws of [[Islam]] and Judaism must avoid cheeses made with [[rennet]] from animals not slaughtered in a manner adhering to [[halal]] or [[kosher foods|kosher]] laws. | Strict followers of the dietary laws of [[Wikipedia:Islam|Islam]] and Judaism must avoid cheeses made with [[rennet]] from animals not slaughtered in a manner adhering to [[Wikipedia:halal|halal]] or [[:en:kosher foods|kosher]] laws. Both faiths allow cheese made with vegetable-based rennet or with rennet made from animals that were processed in a halal or kosher manner. Many less orthodox Jews also believe that rennet undergoes enough processing to change its nature entirely and do not consider it to ever violate kosher law (see ''[[Kosher foods#Cheese|Cheese and kashrut]]''). As cheese is a dairy food, under kosher rules it cannot be eaten in the [[:en:meat and milk|same meal with any meat]]. | ||
Rennet derived from animal slaughter, and thus cheese made with animal-derived rennet, is not vegetarian. Most widely available vegetarian cheeses are made using rennet produced by fermentation of the fungus ''[[Mucor miehei]]''. | Rennet derived from animal slaughter, and thus cheese made with animal-derived rennet, is not vegetarian. Most widely available vegetarian cheeses are made using rennet produced by fermentation of the fungus ''[[Wikipedia:Mucor miehei|Mucor miehei]]''. [[Wikipedia:Vegan|Vegan]]s and other dairy-avoiding vegetarians do not eat conventional cheese, but some [[vegan cheese|vegetable-based cheese substitutes]] ([[soybean|soy]] or [[almond]]) are used as substitutes. | ||
Collecting cheese labels is called "[[tyrosemiophilia]]". | Collecting cheese labels is called "[[tyrosemiophilia]]". | ||
=== Odorous cheeses === | === Odorous cheeses === | ||
Even in cultures with long cheese traditions, consumers may perceive some cheeses that are especially pungent-smelling, or [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]-bearing varieties such as [[Limburger cheese|Limburger]] or [[Roquefort (cheese)|Roquefort]], as unpalatable. Such cheeses are an [[acquired taste]] because they are processed using molds or [[microbiological culture]]s, | Even in cultures with long cheese traditions, consumers may perceive some cheeses that are especially pungent-smelling, or [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]-bearing varieties such as [[Limburger cheese|Limburger]] or [[Roquefort (cheese)|Roquefort]], as unpalatable. Such cheeses are an [[Wikipedia:acquired taste|acquired taste]] because they are processed using molds or [[Wikipedia:microbiological culture|microbiological culture]]s, allowing odor and flavor molecules to resemble those in rotten foods. One author stated: "An aversion to the odor of decay has the obvious biological value of steering us away from possible food poisoning, so it is no wonder that an animal food that gives off whiffs of shoes and soil and the stable takes some getting used to". | ||
=== Effect on sleep === | === Effect on sleep === | ||
There is some support from studies that dairy products can help with insomnia. | There is some support from studies that dairy products can help with insomnia. | ||
Scientists have debated how cheese might affect sleep. An antithetical folk belief that cheese eaten close to bedtime can cause nightmares may have arisen from the Charles Dickens novella ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', in which Ebenezer Scrooge attributes his visions of Jacob Marley to the cheese he ate. | Scientists have debated how cheese might affect sleep. An antithetical folk belief that cheese eaten close to bedtime can cause nightmares may have arisen from the Charles Dickens novella ''[[Wikipedia:A Christmas Carol|A Christmas Carol]]'', in which Ebenezer Scrooge attributes his visions of Jacob Marley to the cheese he ate. This belief can also be found in folklore that predates this story. The theory has been disproven multiple times, although night cheese may cause vivid dreams or otherwise disrupt sleep due to its high saturated fat content, according to studies by the British Cheese Board. Other studies indicate it may actually make people dream less. | ||
=== Figurative expressions === | === Figurative expressions === | ||
In the 19th century, "cheese" was used as a figurative way of saying "the proper thing"; this usage comes from Urdu cheez "a thing", from Persian cheez, from Old Persian...ciš-ciy [which means] "something". The term "cheese" in this sense was "[p]icked up by [colonial] British in India by 1818 and [was also] used in the sense of "a big thing", for example in the expression "he's the real cheez". | In the 19th century, "cheese" was used as a figurative way of saying "the proper thing"; this usage comes from Urdu cheez "a thing", from Persian cheez, from Old Persian...ciš-ciy [which means] "something". The term "cheese" in this sense was "[p]icked up by [colonial] British in India by 1818 and [was also] used in the sense of "a big thing", for example in the expression "he's the real cheez". The expression "big cheese" was attested in use in 1914 to mean an "important person"; this is likely "American English in origin". The expression "to cut a big cheese" was used to mean "to look important"; this figurative expression referred to the huge wheels of cheese displayed by cheese retailers as a publicity stunt. The phrase "cut the cheese" also became an American slang term meaning to flatulate. The word "cheese" has also had the meaning of "an ignorant, stupid person". | ||
Other figurative meanings involve the word "cheese" used as a verb. To "cheese" is recorded as meaning to "stop (what one is doing), run off", in 1812 (this was "thieves' slang"). | Other figurative meanings involve the word "cheese" used as a verb. To "cheese" is recorded as meaning to "stop (what one is doing), run off", in 1812 (this was "thieves' slang"). To be "cheesed off" means to be annoyed. The expression "[[:en:Say cheese|say 'cheese']]" in a photograph-taking context (when the photographer wants the people to smile for the photo), which means "smile", dates from 1930 (the word was probably chosen because the "ee" encourages people to make a smile). The verb "cheese" was used as slang for "be quiet" in the early 19th century in Britain. The fictional "...notion that the moon is made of green cheese as a type of a ridiculous assertion is from 1520s". The figurative expression "to make cheeses" is an 1830s phrase referring to schoolgirls who amuse themselves by "...wheeling rapidly so one's petticoats blew out in a circle then dropping down so they came to rest inflated and resembling a wheel of cheese". In [[:en:Video game culture#Slang and terminology|video game slang]] "to cheese it" means to win a game by using a strategy that requires minimal skill and knowledge or that exploits a [[Wikipedia:glitch|glitch]] or flaw in game design. | ||
The adjective "cheesy" has two meanings. The first is literal, and means "cheese-like"; this definition is attested to from the late 14th century (e.g., "a cheesy substance oozed from the broken jar"). | The adjective "cheesy" has two meanings. The first is literal, and means "cheese-like"; this definition is attested to from the late 14th century (e.g., "a cheesy substance oozed from the broken jar"). In the late 19th century, medical writers used the term "cheesy" in a more literal sense, "to describe morbid substances found in tumors, decaying flesh, etc." The adjective also has a figurative sense, meaning "cheap, inferior"; this use "... is attested from 1896, perhaps originally U.S. student slang". In the late 19th century in British slang, "cheesy" meant "fine, showy"; this use is attested to in the 1850s. In writing [[Wikipedia:lyrics|lyrics]] for pop music, rock music or musical theatre, "cheesy" is a pejorative term which means "blatantly artificial" (''OED''). | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||