Cheese lovers must have heard of some varieties that smell bad. Their smell is compared with the miasms of the farmyard, which greatly annoy others. Today we want to talk about one of these products - cheese "Münster". However, if it is made from pasteurized milk, the aroma becomes less harsh, the taste more universal and neutral. Description, useful properties of this product can be found in the material below.
From the history
Münster cheese has a long history: according to some documents, it has been known about it since 660. Cheese is produced in Alsace, a region that is located in the east of France, to be exact - in the area of the mountain range called Vosges. The monks began to cook this product first. According to history, the recipe for this ancient cheese was brought to this area by a wandering monk who arrived from Ireland somewhere in the 9th century. In Alsace, there is a city of the same name, in whose honor this variety was named.
Cheesemaking today
Much later, the cheese making process of such an instance acquired large-scale significance. Today you can find a double name: "Munster-Jerome". If you like this type of cheese and come across a product with a double name - feel free to buy any option, they do not differ from each other.
Cheese production
Only the highest quality cow's milk is used to produce the product. According to the classification of cheeses, it belongs to varieties with a blurred crust. They prepare it like this: fresh milk is heated to a temperature of 32 degrees, poured into separate containers. To increase the process of cheese mass formation, rennet is introduced into milk. After an hour, salt is added to the mass and formed, after which the cheese heads are sent to specially prepared cellars with high humidity. An important point when ripening is that the cellars should contain the old Munster cheese heads, which improves natural fermentation. The heads are regularly treated with a salt solution prepared on the basis of the Vosges source. Thanks to this, the cheese crust acquires a red or orange color. For 1 kg of cheese, 8 liters of milk are needed.
Cheese "Munster": description
The product is one of the most noble cheeses in the world. As for soft cheese, Münster has a rather dense creamy pulp with a characteristic pungent odor and sweet taste. The cheese contains vitamins of group B, PP, E, K, choline and a large amount of minerals. The fat content of the finished product is 42%, the calorific value of 100 g of the product is 274 kcal. Cheese goes on sale in heads with a diameter of 13-19 cm, weighing up to 500 g. For tourists, there are smaller specimens - 150 g with a diameter of 12 cm. Despite the fact that its smell is compared with the aroma of non-washed men's socks or wet, pretty linen, consumers talk about its incomparable taste.
Benefit
The beneficial properties of Münster cheese are due to the large amount of minerals and vitamins in it: vitamin A, necessary for vision, for the activity of the nervous system and the state of muscle tissue - group B vitamins. Choline takes part in the metabolism and normalizes cholesterol levels. Münster cheese contains high concentrations of potassium and magnesium necessary for heart function. Also, the composition of the nutrients found in cheese includes zinc, which strengthens the immune system and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Calcium and phosphorus restore and strengthen bone tissue, improve the condition of nails, teeth and hair. There is sodium in the cheese, which is responsible for the water balance.
Harm
Contraindications include only individual intolerance to the product. In addition, the cheese is a fairly high-calorie product, and those who follow their figure should be consumed with restriction.
Cooking use
Münster cheese can be used as an excellent snack, as an aperitif, as a delicious filling for pies and other pastries, as an additional ingredient in salads. Some gourmets prefer to eat it with boiled potatoes. Such cheese goes well with grappa — grape vodka. In the homeland of the product, in France, small pieces of cheese are loved to dunk in caraway seeds to diversify their taste.
According to reviews of Münster cheese that true gourmets leave, one can conclude that it is a delicious product that has some similarities with Bree cheese. Muenster has a delicate creamy taste with a mushroom note. Delicious with crackers, bread. Cheese lovers recommend taking it out of the refrigerator 1-1.5 hours before the expected meal, so it will better reveal its taste and aroma.