Cheese "Conte" is one of the most popular dairy products that are produced in France. Its name translates as "county". The product was named after the Franche-Comté region. This is where this cheese is made. What is he like?
General information
Cheese "Conte" began to produce in the XII century. Shepherds engaged in its production, who spent the summer in huts located in the mountains. They placed the milk necessary for the manufacture of the product in one place. Then they made cheese that ripened for several months. After the end of the summer season, finished heads were taken to the market. In early autumn, the product production process ceased.
Today, its manufacture is engaged in eight departments bordering Franche-Comté. Cheese "Conte" in France is usually used by culinary specialists as one of the components of the famous delicacy - fondue.
In addition, it is part of soups, gravy, salads. The product is also served as an appetizer for white wines.
Features and taste
The heads of French Conte cheese resemble rounded discs in shape. The diameter of each of them is 40 or 70 cm, the height is about 10 centimeters, and the mass is up to 50 kilograms. The lipid content in the product is approximately 45%. The cheese heads are covered with a crust of gray-brown hue, the flesh has a yellowish-cream color.
It has a solid and elastic structure. The taste of the product is sweet. Cheese made in the summer has a darker pulp and fruit aroma. “Winter” “Conte” has a light shade and a nutty smell. The main requirement for the product is that it must be natural, without artificial additives.
Manufacturing process
How to make Conte cheese?
The food production technique has remained almost the same as it was many centuries ago. For the manufacture of one head, five hundred liters of milk is needed, which should be obtained from morning and evening milk yield. The raw materials are placed in large vessels made of copper. Heated to a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius. Then milk is combined with sourdough. After 30 minutes, the cheese mass is formed. It is divided into small fragments, the size of which is equal to the size of a rice kernel. Stirred, heated to a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. Then the mass is placed in a linen sheet and put in a compression mold. Throughout the day, the cheese is occasionally turned over. Then it needs to be decanted and put away in the cellar. This is necessary for the ripening of the product.
Production rules
When making cheese "Comte" (or "Conte"), the following conditions must be observed:
- For the product you need to use only milk obtained from cows of Montbeliard breed. The area designated for grazing of each animal should be 1 hectare.
- Giving livestock artificial feed is strictly prohibited. Cows need only fresh grass.
- Milk must be brought to the place of manufacture immediately after its receipt. After some time, leaven is added to this product.
- Raw materials for the manufacture of "Conte" can not be salted.
- The milk necessary for the production of the product is heated only once.
- The ripening time of the cheese should be at least 4 months.
Useful qualities
Cheese "Conte" contains many substances that have a beneficial effect on human health. For example, it contains vitamins of groups A, D, B, minerals (sulfur, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, sodium, manganese), as well as amino acids - lysine, methionine. Due to its beneficial properties, the product has a positive effect on the condition of hair and nail plates, improves the functioning of the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract and heart muscle, and strengthens the walls of blood vessels and bone tissue.
Possible harm from eating cheese
This product is undesirable for people with individual intolerance to its components (for example, milk). It should also be noted that the product is quite nutritious. The energy value of 100 grams of Conte cheese is 407 kilocalories. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it in large quantities for obese people and people who would like to get rid of excess pounds.
A traditional dish
Cheese "Conte" (France) is used to make steamers.
These buns are often served during the tasting of various wines. In one of the villages of Burgundy, this kind of dishes is devoted to a traditional holiday, which takes place in May.
For the preparation of googers, crushed or chopped medium-sized strips of cheese are used. Baking is made from choux pastry, which includes flour, milk, butter, eggs. Additional components are also added to the rolls: caviar, celery or pepper. Sometimes such pastries are made in the form of a large round cake with a depression in the center. Some chefs cook guzhi in the form of balls of medium size.
The delicacy is usually consumed with red wine. It is also served as a snack or main course with vegetable salads, fresh herbs.